Take a Hike Day has venues aplenty in state park
“Take a hike” is usually another rude way of saying “get lost,” “beat it,” “vamoose” or “scram.” On Saturday at Pinnacle Mountain State Park, it will take on a more welcoming tone during the yearly National Take a Hike Day.
A good many Arkansas state parks have hiking trails of varying length and difficulty. Pinnacle Mountain’s mix of marked trails offers a gamut of options from easy to strenuous. As one of the closest state parks to Little Rock, Pinnacle is also a handy venue for residents of Arkansas’ largest metropolitan area.
The park’s website makes a breezy pitch for taking part in one or both of the interpreter-led hikes on Saturday — or for setting off without a guide on any of the 10 designated trails, two of which also allow mountain biking: “Hiking can burn between 400 and 500 calories per hour. What better way to get a head start on all those other holiday temptations and observe Take a Hike Day? Be sure to wear good shoes, take a snack and bring a buddy, but get out there and enjoy the fresh air, scenery and get a little exercise to boot.”
The 10 trails offer wide ranges of difficulty and length. Three are labeled “Easy.” Two each are “Easy/ Moderate,” “Moderate” or “Strenuous.” One is “Moderate/Strenuous.” Lengths are as short as one-half mile and as long as 7.4 miles.
Early-bird hikers can join Saturday’s free 8 a.m. guided walk with commentary up and back down the strenuous West Summit Trail, for a total distance of 1.5 miles. It’s a rocky trail that “begins at the park picnic grounds and winds its way to the top of Pinnacle Mountain. From the top is a spectacular view of Lake Maumelle, the Arkansas River Valley, and Ouachita Mountain and west Little Rock. This is truly a breathtaking view.”
At the easy end of Pinnacle’s trail spectrum is Saturday’s free 3 p.m. guided hike on the Kingfisher Trail, a loop of one-half mile from the picnic grounds. It’s a hard-surfaced trail that “winds through the floodplain of the Little Maumelle River. Unique plants, wildflowers, animals and birds can be seen here. Along the river, large cypress trees filter sunlight into this spectral bottomland forest.”
Saturday’s 8 a.m. West Summit Trail group will get back down just in time for an outdoor cooking lesson.
Scheduled for 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at Big Maumelle Pavilion, it’s a Dutch Oven Cooking Workshop, for which advance registration and $15 payment are required. (See website and phone number below.)
At 2 p.m. Sunday, there will be another free interpreter-guided hike, this one on the 2.5-mile East Quarry Trail, rated as moderate/strenuous. “Often overlooked,” this trail “is an interesting area for unique rocks, plants and animals, park and area history, and amazing vista landscapes.”
To reach Pinnacle Mountain State Park from Exit 9 of Interstate 430, go west 7 miles on Arkansas 10 (Cantrell Road) before turning north and proceeding 2 miles on Arkansas 300. The park’s visitor center is open 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, but closed on Thanksgiving Day. The park’s trails and other dayuse areas are open daily from 6:30 a.m. to an hour after sunset. For more details, visit arkansasstateparks.com/parks/pinnacle-mountain-state-park or call (501) 868-5806. For information on hiking in other state parks, visit arkansas.com.