#centralArkansas
Hiking and Mountain Biking at Blue Mountain Natural Area
To the west of Little Rock lies the Maumelle Pinnacles chain of mountain peaks. These peaks somewhat mark the eastern gateway to the Ouachita Mountains. The Maumelle Pinnacles consist of three peaks: Pinnacle Mountain, Rattlesnake Ridge, and Blue Mountain. Pinnacle Mountain has been one of Arkansas’ most visited state parks for decades. And since opening in 2018, Rattlesnake Ridge has become a popular outdoors spot for folks seeking to avoid the Pinnacle crowds. Both of those locations offer excellent hiking and mountain bike trails. And in June of 2023, the third and final peak in the chain was opened to the public. Thanks to the Nature Conservancy and Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, we now have hiking and mountain biking at Blue Mountain Natural Area. Directions On Hwy 10 wes...
Flatside Pinnacle (and Brown Creek Cascade)
When it comes to good places to see Fall colors in Arkansas, I have a short list of locations that immediately come to mind. First, it is really hard to beat Sam’s Throne this time of year – both the drive and the short hike. Next, for hiking to see Fall colors, I really like Buzzards Roost a lot. Those two locations are up in the Ozarks near Mt. Judea and Sand Gap. For people near Central Arkansas that want something closer, one of my best recommendations is a drive to Flatside Pinnacle. And if there has been any recent rain, maybe add a stop at Brown Creek Cascade. The Flatside Pinnacle Vista is located in the Flatside Wilderness area in the easternmost part of the Ouachita Mountains. This vast wilderness area consists of 10,000 acres to the west of Lake Maumelle, and east of...
MTB Trails at River Mountain Park
Central Arkansas may not ever compete with Northwest Arkansas for the title of Mountain Biking Capitol of the World. But great strides are being made in Central Arkansas with trail systems like Pinnacle Mountain and Rattlesnake Ridge. And now we have MTB trails at River Mountain Park in West Little Rock. Although these are not part of the Monument Trails system at Pinnacle, they are professionally-built trails, well-designed, and a lot of fun. Directions Directions to this location are hard to describe in writing, so I’ll make it simple. Just go to Two Rivers Park in Little Rock. This is right off Cantrell Rd, next to I-430. It’s difficult to describe because at the time of this writing, there is major road construction along Cantrell Rd. So the turn-by-turn directions change o...
Big Rock Quarry Bike Park Pump Track
It’s no secret that Arkansas, specifically Northwest Arkansas, is becoming a cycling hotspot. The cycling enthusiasm – and more importantly, the investment – is really picking up steam in Central Arkansas as well. We all know about the great things happening with the Arkansas River Trail and Pinnacle Mountain State Park bike trails. And I’ll be writing soon about the new mountain bike trails at River Mountain Park. The latest bike project to hit Central Arkansas is the Big Rock Quarry Bike Park pump track. You may be asking “what is a pump track?” I had the same question, and I’ll get to that. The first thing to know is that it is the first phase of the Big Rock Quarry Bike Park in North Little Rock. The city of North Little Rock has made a signifi...
Middle Fork Little Red River Float
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about my first time to float the Cove Creek run on Cadron Creek. It was not the first new float for me this year. Actually, all my floats this year have been new ones for me. One of the latest was in June, where we floated the Middle Fork Little Red River. This is a float that I’ve had my eye on for a while. For me, the first challenge is finding a weekend when my float friends are free to do a new float. But the biggest challenge for this river is hitting it at just the right level. And boy did we! For this trip, we lucked out getting the perfect water level on a day we could go. More on that later. We shuttled with Little Red River Outfitters* to do the 10-mile float from Lydalisk to Shirley. Let me just tell you, this float is a hidden gem that is not...
Floating the Cove Creek run on Cadron Creek
The 2021 float season has been a good one so far. Planning has been a challenge at times but I’ve managed to paddle a lot of new water this year. This Spring, I made my first floats down Kyle’s Landing to Ozark on the Buffalo, and Norman to Caddo Gap on the Caddo River. And in May I finally got to float the Cove Creek run on Cadron Creek. (This is Hwy 65 to Hwy 285). This one had been on my list for a while since floating the section upriver from it many years ago. I’ve always heard this is a nice float, but the scenery and the river completely exceeded my expectations that day. Floating the Cove Creek run on Cadron Creek is really convenient for folks in Central Arkansas and the Ozark foothills. It’s only a half hour north of Conway and easy to self-shuttle. I̵...
Hiking or Biking at Rattlesnake Ridge
Living in Central Arkansas, I’ve watched the sun go down many times from the top of Pinnacle Mountain. From my spot on the north peak, I’ve looked to the west and wondered “what is that other mountain over there?” And “it sure would be cool if we could hike to the top of it and look back this way.” Well, that mountain “over there” overlooking Lake Maumelle is Rattlesnake Ridge. And in 2018 it was opened to the public for hiking by the Nature Conservancy and Arkansas Dept of Natural Heritage. Finally, a much-needed new place to hike close to home! I love Pinnacle, but after you’ve been to the top 150 times (not kidding), it kinda loses its luster. In 2019, mountain bike trails were added so we can now go hiking OR biking at Rattlesnake R...
