Pinnacle Mountain State Park events hint at spring
Given the recent spasms of wintry weather, it’s conceivable that Pinnacle Mountain State Park is pressing its luck this weekend with activities labeled as “spring” events.
These two kinds of programs have nothing to do with the trademark hike to the cone-shaped mountain’s peak, a nondizzying 1,011 feet above sea level on metropolitan Little Rock’s western outskirts.
They take place at water level, 756 feet below the summit, on the Little Maumelle River and Lake Maumelle. One requires some bracing physical activity, while the other is for sweat-averse day trippers.
The five-hour Spring Canoe Float on the river is scheduled to depart from the Little Maumelle Boat Launch at 9 a.m. Saturday and March 21, 23 and 29. A three-hour Sunset Canoe Float starts at 6 p.m. March 24.
The 90-minute Spring Time Lake Cruise leaves at 1, 3 and 5 p.m. Sunday from The Jolly Roger Marina.
Both activities require advance reservation and payment by calling (501) 868- 5806. The fee for the guided floats is $40 per canoe (with three-person capacity). The lake cruises cost $15 per adult, $8 for youngsters 6 to 12.
The 4 ½-mile canoe float is touted as a chance to “experience the beauty of spring” aided by commentary from a park interpreter.
As for the allures of the lake cruise, “Many of our animals are arriving from the south to rest for the summer while the rest are preparing for the long journey up north to Canada. A park interpreter will serve as your guide and will help you discover ways the animals change to get ready for summer.”
Another nonclimbing event set for March 22 at Pinnacle Mountain is a Kite Flying Competition. There’s no charge to take part in this breezy fun, which takes place 1-3 p.m. on the overflow-parking meadow across Arkansas 300 from the West Summit Picnic Area.
Visitors seeking a mostly level hike can continue north on Arkansas 300 and turn right on Pinnacle Valley Road. They’ll soon come to the Arkansas Arboretum, a 71-acre preserve showcasing native flora from the state’s six major natural divisions. The six-tenths-of-a-mile trail is marked with interpretive signs.
Farther along off Pinnacle Valley Road, the Visitor Center features nature and history exhibits about the 2,069-acre park. The mountain, like the rest of the Ouachitas, lies in a highly eroded “crumple zone” created when two continental plates collided about 275 million years ago.
The park’s eight marked hiking trails range in difficulty from flat and easy to steep and strenuous. A free interpreter-guided Wild Women Weekend Hike is scheduled for 9-10:30 a.m. Sunday along the fairly level 3-mile Base Trail starting at East Summit trail head.
March 22’s Wild Women Weekend Hike, also 9-10:30 a.m., is a huff-and-puff guided climb from West Summit trail head to the peak. Sturdy shoes, water and dressing for the weather are advised for both hikes.
A park pamphlet asks rhetorically: “What better way to celebrate the start of spring than a hike to the top of Pinnacle Mountain?” Hmm ….
To reach Pinnacle Mountain State Park from Little Rock, take Arkansas 10 (Cantrell Road) for 7 miles west from the Interstate 430 intersection to Arkansas 300. Turn right and go 2 miles north to Roland to the park. Or take Pinnacle Valley Road north off Arkansas 10 just 3 miles west of I-430. Call (501) 868-5806 or visit arkansasstateparks. com.