28 May 2014 Arkansas Trails Day set May 31

Arkansas Trails Day will be held on May 31 while the national celebration will get under way on Saturday, June 7.

Events throughout Arkansas will join this nationwide observation of America’s wealth of trail types and experiences while encouraging the public to enjoy a trail, according to state trails coordinator Mike Sprague. “The kickoff to Arkansas’s celebrations will begin a week earlier on Saturday, May 31, with trail events of all kinds in Little Rock and North Little Rock,” Sprague said.

The Arkansas Trails Council provides a unifying voice for members of the trails’ community within Arkansas. “Each year, members of the Council are joined by other trail enthusiasts from around the state to celebrate Arkansas Trails Day. Diverse trail types like hiking, bicycling, equestrian, river and off highway vehicle trails represent just a few of the many varieties available in Arkansas. There are even trails on the water to enjoy here in our state,” he explained. “Arkansas’s trails provide many benefits and experiences including recreation, health and fitness, wildlife observation, alternate transportation and tourism,” Sprague added.

In the Little Rock/North Little Rock metro area on May 31, hikers will be offered opportunities including an eight-mile hike in Burns Park and a three-mile hike over the Arkansas River Big Dam Bridge.

According to Kelly Phillips with the Junior League of North Little Rock, the Junior League of North Little Rock will be sponsoring the inaugural “Run Between the Lines” 5K run at 8 a.m. to cap the first year of the early literacy initiative project. “The Central Arkansas community is invited to attend and run or walk the course which will be a sanctioned event and utilize the paved trails of Burns Park. All the proceeds from the race will go to fund projects in the Central Arkansas community for women and children,” she said. “The primary focus is on our early literacy program, but we also have healthy eating programs, school supply drives, the Salvation Army Angel Tree and support the activities of many other charitable organizations in the area with manpower,” Phillips said.

Activities on the water will include three paddling trips – the Arkansas River, Little Maumelle River and White Oak Bayou, according to Kirsten Bartlow, Watchable Wildlife coordinator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. “The Arkansas River trip begins at 8 a.m., the White Oak Bayou trip starts at 9 a.m. and the Little Maumelle trip begins at 2 p.m.,” Bartlow said. “These trips offer paddling experiences for beginner to advanced boaters. If weather and water cooperates, experienced paddlers can join us for the unique opportunity of putting in at Riverfront Park and paddling down the river to lock through at Murray Lock and Dam. We will then paddle across the river to Burns Park and join other trail enthusiasts to celebrate all Arkansas has to offer,” she said.

Bartlow stressed that beginner to advanced paddlers can join in at White Oak Bayou, which runs through Burns Park and the Little Maumelle River trip. The Little Maumelle River is one of the newest waterways to join the Arkansas Water Trail system. “We will put in at the Pinnacle Mountain State Park picnic area and paddle about four miles downstream to a private launch off Pinnacle Valley Road. Participants will enjoy meandering through beautiful cypress trees watching and listening to the many types of wildlife that call the river home,” she explained. Contact Debbie Doss of the Arkansas Canoe Club to reserve a spot on any of these three trips, 501.472.6873.

A schedule of the May 31 events in the metro area is posted on the Arkansas Trails Council website at arkansastrailscouncil.com.

For more information about Arkansas Trails Day, contact: Michael Sprague, state trails coordinator, Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, at 501.682.6946 or [email protected].