30 May 2022 NLR opens new pavilion on trail

North Little Rock — The City of North Little Rock Parks and Recreation Department is proud to announce the grand opening of the Arkansas Master Naturalists (AMN) Pavilion on the Arkansas River Trail. 

The pavilion is located directly across from the Hatfield/McCoy Bridge at the junction of the Arkansas River Trail, the Isabella Jo Trail, the North Shore Trail and the Pfeifer Loop. Parking is at 4100 Cook’s Landing Road (off I-430, Crystal Hill Rd., Northshore Dr.) at the base of the Big Dam.

The City of North Little Rock joined with the Central Chapter of AMN to make an attractive place to sit and rest on the Arkansas River Trail with great views of the Arkansas River and Campbell Lake. The project began as an extension of the CAMN trail building work on the Pfeifer Loop and the short horse trail through Burns Park to the Big Dam Bridge. 

AMN began in 2006 and are volunteer educators, citizen scientists, and stewards of the environment striving to protect and preserve Arkansas’s natural beauty. They have provided 26,000 hours of volunteer support to state parks as well as dozens of other agencies and entities. This includes assistance to the NLR Parks and Recreation Department with the 15 miles of natural surface trails throughout its park system. 

“For 15 years, CAMN members have educated the public and introduced kids to the wonders of nature and the responsibility we all share in caring for it,” said Davis Thompson of AMN. “Our volunteers have built trails, provided housing for birds, monitored the quality of rivers and lakes, picked up litter, removed invasive species, grown and planted native plants, and provided educated citizen scientists.”