Hamestring Creek Trail

After being trapped inside for much of the past three days (nice Spring Break!) Buddy and I decided to shake the cabin fever by hitting some trails, rain or shine (it turned out to be rain).

After exploring Finger Park and only getting a little wet, we drove north to the Hamestring Creek Trail, located on Marigold Dr. in a small neighborhood off of Shiloh Dr. near Mt. Comfort Rd.

This wide paved trail runs along Hamestring Creek through a forested area and at times behind some homes.  The stream corridor is home to some sycamore, oaks, cedar and a good mix of other tree species, but the understory in entirely dominated by bush honeysuckle

In its current state, this trail only serves a small population, but I believe the plan is for it to eventually connect to the Clabber Creek Trail to the west and to the Scull Creek Trail to the east, which would give people living in western Fayetteville a safe, scenic way to bike into the more happening parts of town.

Finger Park Trail - Fayetteville

Finger Park feels surprisingly wild and natural given that it is located at the end of Farmers Rd. off MLK, just seconds from Walmart, strip malls, hotels, and the interstate.  I took my dog around the rocky dirt trail there today and he really enjoyed it.  Many parks and trails in Fayetteville have signs saying to leash your dog, but I didn't see one here.  The trail begins south of the parking lot and heads gradually uphill to an interesting moss, fern, and wildflower covered rock wall.  From there the trail loops back, crossing several small, pretty streams that are probably dry most of the year.

Why You Shouldn't Build Trails Close to Water

Streams and rivers are beautiful and they are a natural point of attraction along trails.  In fact on longer trails, it is important to bring the trail close to running water to provide drinking water for backpackers, pets, or pack animals.  Given all this, it is perfectly understandable that trail designers often want to place their trail right along a creek, but it turns out that is a horrible idea.  In honor of this week's large amount of rainfall, here are some reasons why you shouldn't place your trails too close to a stream or river.

Trail in Golden Colorado Closed due to Flooding. Photo by Jess Daniel

1.  Money - If you build too close, you will lose your trail after one or two flood events.  The
University of Arkansas learned that lesson when they lost a section of trail that was built along the normally tiny and calm Mullin's Branch.  I cited this and other examples when advising UALR not to build the Coleman Creek Greenway too close to the creek.  The photo below shows another example of costly damage resulting from placing a bike/pedestrian trail too close to a creek.

Be sure to look for evidence of rapid bank erosion and find out how large the floodplain is where you are building your trail.  Seemingly tiny creeks can easily rise 6 or 10 feet following a large rainstorm.

2.  Safety and Usability - No one can use a trail when it is 3 feet underwater.  Placing a trail just 10-15 feet away from the creek might mean it can be used 10 more days of the year.

3.  Time and Effort - In addition to money, it takes a lot of time to rebuild sections of trail that get washed away.  Even if your trail doesn't get washed away, it takes time and effort to clear mud, sticks, rocks, and other debris deposited by a flood.  The trail below has been damaged for nearly a year and has yet to be repaired.

4.  Habitat and Water Quality Protection - Building a trail, paved or unpaved, along a stream edge can damage vegetation and encourage streambank erosion.  Increased bank erosion harms water quality and destroys habitat for many species of fish and other aquatic organisms.

If you want to avoid these issues, simply place your trail a reasonable distance away from the stream and either add short spurs to the water or occasionally bring the trail closer where the bank is a little higher or looks most stable (see examples below,  Red=Bad  Green=Good).

Clabber Creek Trail - Fayetteville

Clabber Creek Trail is located in NW Fayetteville and winds a short 0.6 miles through an area of greenspace paralleling Clabber Creek and surrounded by fairly cookie-cutter suburbia and some pasture.  If you don't live nearby, the best place to park is on Hosta Dr.  The 12 ft. concrete trail is pretty flat and in great condition.  This easy trail is perfect for taking the kids out for a short bike ride or taking the dog for an easy walk in the outdoors.
Also, we went in mid-March and our dog picked up a tick.  I guess that's what happens when you have no winter.

Eden Falls - Lost Valley Hike

Today we took advantage of the rain to go check out one of Arkansas' many amazing waterfalls; which generally are at their most spectacular during or immediately following a rain.  Eden Falls is located in Lost Valley near Ponca, home of wild elk, and the stunning Upper Buffalo River.  The trailhead is located about a mile south of the intersection of Hwy 43 and Hwy 74 at the end of Lost Valley Rd.  Along the short hike to the falls, the spring wildflowers were already starting to bloom and trout lily leaves were up.  The trail follows the creek all the way and seeing the stream bed completely dry made me worried the falls would be dry.  Little did I know that just a few hundred yards from the falls, the stream heads entirely underground except during major rain events.  So many things about this trail were incredible including the high bluffs, blooming wildflowers, moss covered boulders, large beech trees, the multiple caves, and of course the stunning waterfall.

As I forgot my GPS/phone during this rainy hike, I've included an approximation of the hike on the map below. A detailed map and description of the hike can be found over at Arkansas Wildlife Blog and Gallery.