Memorial Day Weekend is fast approaching and lots of Arkansans have already made plans to get outdoors. I know this because I can't find a place to stay ANYWHERE (that also allows dogs). It looks like it will be a little warm for camping (though someone might make me go anyways), but here are useful links to some great places I won't be going this weekend:
Petit Jean State Park - Hiking Trails
Mountain Magazine State Park - Hiking Trails
DeGray Lake State Park - Hiking Trails
Mt. Nebo State Park - Hiking Trails
Not Really Trail Related:
Cowie Wine Cellars (museum and B&B) (Not far from Mt. Magazine)
Eureka Springs - Great street hiking, unique architecture, and treehouses! Near Beaver Lake and White River.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Arkansas Least Bike Friendly State
The League of American Bicyclists ranks Arkansas #50 in terms of bike friendliness. I'm a little shocked to see that ranking given all the money and work that has been put into trails in both the central and northwestern parts of the state, but even in Little Rock and Fayetteville you don't have to look far to find tons of room for improvement. The rankings looked at lots of variables and the report shows that Arkansas lags far behind in terms of legislation, programs, infrastructure, funding, education, and planning. Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised we are last given that some Arkansans believe bike trails are part of a conspiracy to take away people's cars while others think trails like the River Trail are a complete waste of money and should be converted to roads to decrease commutes for people who choose to live and pay property taxes 30 miles away from Little Rock, but still want to get there and leave ASAP, with little concern for local quality of life. If you happen to agree with that sentiment, check out these traffic numbers for the Big Dam and Two Rivers bridges.
Last year, I was excited to see that Bicycling magazine ranked Little Rock as one of America's 50 top bike-friendly cities, but my happiness was lessened upon reading that they ranked Little Rock #49 and only because they wanted their article to have geographical diversity and not just be a list of 50 cities in California and Oregon.
If you want to see Arkansas break out of last place:
1. Read this piece on Master Plans in various cities in the state.
2. Let your local, state, and federal elected officials know you enjoy trails and would like to see more of them.
3. Push for increased funding for trails. Make sure someone in your local government is aware of all the various funding sources for trails.
4. Join BACA or BCO or at least check out their websites to learn more about the issues.
5. Work to get your town or university designated as "bike-friendly". Interestingly enough, this designation is granted by the League of American Bicyclists. Fayetteville, Conway, and North Little Rock have achieved Bronze status in this program.
6. Volunteer to help design and maintain trails in your community.
7. To see the actual report for Arkansas and specific statewide policies we are lacking, click here.
Last year, I was excited to see that Bicycling magazine ranked Little Rock as one of America's 50 top bike-friendly cities, but my happiness was lessened upon reading that they ranked Little Rock #49 and only because they wanted their article to have geographical diversity and not just be a list of 50 cities in California and Oregon.
If you want to see Arkansas break out of last place:
1. Read this piece on Master Plans in various cities in the state.
2. Let your local, state, and federal elected officials know you enjoy trails and would like to see more of them.
3. Push for increased funding for trails. Make sure someone in your local government is aware of all the various funding sources for trails.
4. Join BACA or BCO or at least check out their websites to learn more about the issues.
5. Work to get your town or university designated as "bike-friendly". Interestingly enough, this designation is granted by the League of American Bicyclists. Fayetteville, Conway, and North Little Rock have achieved Bronze status in this program.
6. Volunteer to help design and maintain trails in your community.
7. To see the actual report for Arkansas and specific statewide policies we are lacking, click here.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Bryce Davis Park
Located north of Wedington Dr., with parking off Yale St. and Dartmouth Ave., Bryce Davis Park has a short, 0.3 mile, paved trail that connects to a playground, two pond/wetland areas, a large pavilion, and a dog park. The trail is pretty flat and surrounded mostly by mowed grass and open area. There are some mowed grass paths around the northern lake for those looking for a more natural experience.
Buddy's favorite part was the dog park, while I really enjoyed the observation deck looking out on the wetland near the playground.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Pinnacle Mountain Updates II
After visiting the park this past Saturday, I've got two updates for the Pinnacle Mountain State Park section of Trails of Central Arkansas today:
1. The half-mile Kingfisher Trail now connects to the overflow parking area on the west side of Hwy. 300. Taking this detour and walking around the overflow parking area road (on a day when it isn't flooded with cars) adds some diversity of scenery and roughly doubles the length of just doing the Kingfisher. Notice that the trail also has a spur to the large field by the picnic areas and playground.
2. The park would like me to clarify that they refer to the Quarry Trail as a spur off of the Rocky Valley trail, while I've combined the two in my description of the area. You can see their maps at this link.
1. The half-mile Kingfisher Trail now connects to the overflow parking area on the west side of Hwy. 300. Taking this detour and walking around the overflow parking area road (on a day when it isn't flooded with cars) adds some diversity of scenery and roughly doubles the length of just doing the Kingfisher. Notice that the trail also has a spur to the large field by the picnic areas and playground.
2. The park would like me to clarify that they refer to the Quarry Trail as a spur off of the Rocky Valley trail, while I've combined the two in my description of the area. You can see their maps at this link.
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