First Day Hikes

It’s a Family Tradition to Hike a Trail at an Arkansas State Park on the First Day of the New Year – Hobbs to offer Two Guided Hikes

First Day Hikes originated over 20 years ago at the Blue Hills Reservation, a state park in Milton, Massachusetts.  The initiative targeted the first of January,
the start of a new year, to promote both healthy lifestyles throughout the year and the year-round recreation that can be experienced locally in state parks. Through the years, other states, including Arkansas, joined this health initiative.

Get your year off on the right foot with a hike on the trails of Hobbs State Park Conservation Area just east of Rogers.  Two different guided tours will be available on Thursday January 1, 2015.
• Meet Interpreter Steve in the Van Winkle parking lot on Hwy. 12 at
10:00 a.m. for a 1/5 mile nature hike on the Sinking Stream Trail.
OR
• Meet with special guides Jim and Diane Gately in the Van Winkle parking lot on Hwy. 12 at 2:00 p.m. for a 1/5 mile historic hike.  They will guide you through what was the Peter Van Winkle sawmill community.  The Van Winkle sawmill mill was the largest in the state all during the 1870’s, and the area you will be hiking is on the National Register of Historic Places.  This trail is barrier – free.
If you like to venture on your own, take the 1/3 – mile stroll along the paved Ozark Plateau Trail next to the Park’s visitor center, or head out for an all day jaunt along the 9-mile Little Clifty Loop to reveal the hidden diversity of winter wildlife in the Ozarks.  Hobbs State Park offers 35 miles of trails of different lengths. Maps and more information can also be found at the visitor center and at the trail heads.

For more information call 479-789-5000