Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often on hiking trails. Hiking is available for almost everyone regardless of age or ability level to discover the outdoors. Hiking times show the number of hours it takes to leisurely walk around the trail one time. Trails in state parks lead to lakes and vistas teaming with wild life and uncountable adventures. You should always hike with someone else. Be sure to take precautions should you decide to ever hike alone. Hiking gives exhilaration both from the physical benefits and being out in the great outdoors. A state park is probably only a few miles away.
Hikers who prefer longer trails will find them in the Arkansas Ozark Highlands and the Ouachita National Recreation areas. During winter, the absence of deciduous leaves opens new vistas along trails and reveals stone walls, chimneys, foundations, and other reminders of past residents. Arkansas boasts over 1500 miles of hiking trails, and Eureka Springs, Arkansas has two great hiking trails.
Two miles west of the city limits of Eureka Springs is Lake Leathewood Park with 1600 acres including an 85 acre spring-fed lake. It is a place of natural serenity. Lake Leatherwood is formed by one of the largest hand-cut native limestone dams in the country. The dam and several structures at the park were built in the early 1940s by the WPA.Lake Leatherwood Park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Lake Leatherwood Park has about 15 miles of trails around the lake. No motorized vehicles are not allowed on the trails. Bikers and hikers will see birds, springs, creeks, historic bridges and stone walls as well as unusual rock formations. The hiking trail circles the lake and is about 4 miles long. The lake is small (you can explore all of it in an afternoon) and sheltered, great for beginners or kids, and you will probably be the only one on it. The shallow end of the lake as lily pads and moss as well as water fowl. You will see all varieties of wild life. The other end of the lake is deep with clear water. Fishing should be good as hardly anyone uses it.
The second place to hike in Eureka Springs is at Black Bass Lake. Black Bass Lake is located off U.S. Highway 62 behind businesses including Community First Bank and the Inn of the Ozarks Best Western. New ½ miles hiking and biking trails were built around the lake in the heart of Eureka Springs. Black Bass Lake has a 115 year old limestone dam which holds the 13 acre spring-fed lake. The multi-use, three-foot wide trail was designed to provide access to the shore for fishing, hiking, and biking. “This is truly undiscovered country,” remarked Jeff Feldman, Greater Eureka Springs Chamber of Commerce President. Most locals in Eureka Springs do not know that it’s here. This area shows how the Ozarks would have looked to the first white men; except for the existence of the dam. Hiking in the winter with snow on the hills around the lake is a great treat.”
The Eureka Chamber of Commerce supports a proposal to connect all the great trails in town and at Black Bass and Lake Leatherwood to the tiny hamlet of Beaver on Table Rock Lake. Plan a trip to Eureka Springs, Arkansas soon to enjoy the town and hiking trails. Whether you stay in a cabin or camp out; hiking is close by.
