After an oddly comfortable, but nonetheless cold winter, it’s finally springtime in Northwest Arkansas. Dust off those sandals, whip out those wayfarers and slip on some shorts.
Each year in Northwest Arkansas there are more and more new and improved things to do throughout the region. Several trail systems have since been finalized, and many of the bike trails feature fun and exciting features made by Progressive Trail Design, a local company that’s cashed in on the trail boom.
In fact, in the warm months we have almost as many cyclists that use our trail system daily per capita as San Fransisco, according to a study by the Walton Family Foundation.
For all the homebodies out there, reasons for staying inside are running low. And oh boy, are there things to do in this gorgeous weather (when it isn’t raining!). Take a gander:
Courtesy Photo
The newest addition to downtown Rogers, The Railyard is a huge bike park that features several man-made slope tracks and jumps for bikers to catch air for stunts.
299 E Cherry St, Rogers
Open 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., call for open/close status: 479-621-1120
This crazy-awesome off-road bike park opened just outside downtown Rogers just before winter set in. Now that it’s springtime it couldn’t be a better time to check it out if you haven’t already, because it’s quite an impressive sight.
The huge park features three main features for bikers to use, each with varying difficulty levels. There’s even a huge overlook building for those who’d rather just sit and watch the action.
Most of it may look daunting to a non-BMX style bicyclist, but there is a clear skill ladder bikers can climb. For the young’uns, there’s a whole dedicated kids zone designed to teach balance and technical bike handling skills, and a “pumptrack” circuit that features a series of berms and rollers that enables riders to move through the track without the need to pedal.
The slopes get a lot longer and more exciting at the downhill slope-style course. There are slope tracks for novices, beginners, intermidiates and experts that feature several natural and man-made structures to ride on and catch big air off of.
For the most daring bikers, there’s the session zone, which is pretty much the extreme air zone. There are tracks for beginners, intermediates, experts and pros. The tracks scale up from modest dirt bumps to big vertical slopes that will maximize flight time.
Courtesy Photo
Lake Atalanta 10 miles of hiking and biking trails, three miles of paved trails, pavilions and a boardwalk around the lake.
East of downtown Rogers, off Walnut St.
While not all of the Lake Atalanta trail system is open to the public yet, it will be soon. The western portion is closed and under construction as a part of the brand new designed trail loop that will go around Lake Atalanta. The western part of the trail is where most of the construction is, including the road around the lake, but there are still parts of the trail you can access.
Just a few hundred feet away from The Railyard lie 10 miles of hiking and biking trails, three miles of paved trails, pavilions and a boardwalk around the lake. The soft surface trails range in difficulty from easiest all the way to double black diamond, which is basically like a guided version of going rogue in the difficult wilderness.
For more information on Lake Atalanta and the status of the new amenities, check out rogersar.gov.
Courtesy Photo
Surrounding the museum are a beautiful system of trails that feature sculptures, educational nature spots and several unique structures for bikers.
Crystal Bridges, Art and Bike Trails, Amazeum
600 Museum Way, Bentonville
Odds are you’ve been to the stellar museum district in Bentonville if you’ve lived in Northwest Arkansas for an extended period of time. If not, I think you should remedy that. Crystal Bridges is certainly a trip worth taking, as well as the ultra family activity that is the Amazeum.
Surrounding the museum are a beautiful system of trails that feature sculptures, educational nature spots, an amphitheatre and several structures made for bikers.
The Dogwood trail is currently closed for improvements while parts of the Rock Ledge Trail are closed, but parts have limited access currently. As soon as the Dogwood trail is open again, you won’t want to miss the 500 blooming Dogwoods along the trail.
For more information on the trails at Crystal Bridges, go to crystalbridges.org.
1153 Lake Fayetteville Rd., Springdale
While Lake Fayetteville doesn’t have any new and shiny additions like the downtown Rogers trail system, it’s still a great place to go spend some leisurely time in the sun while walking or jogging around the man-made lake.
One of the best features of the Lake is the park’s awesome Frisbee golf course and its playgrounds, softball fields.
Seriously, if you’re in for something a little different, give Frisbee golf a go. You can buy a set $10-$40 depending on the quality and range of discs (yes, there are “drivers,” “irons” and “putters”) at Walmart or Packrat.
You can also apply for boating and fishing permits to the lake at accessfayetteville.org.
NWA Media/JASON IVESTER | Lorelei (cq) Stafford, 4, of Wellington, Kan., gives chase to a kite flown by her aunt, Shannon Stafford, of Tulsa on Saturday, March 22, 2014, during the 24th annual Kite Festival at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge near Eureka Springs. “Art with an Altitude” is a free event sponsored by KaleidoKites of Eureka Springs.
Turpentine Creek Kite Festival, Saturday March 26
239 Turpentine Creek Lane, Eureka Springs
In its 26th year, the “Art with an Altitude” kite festival will include contests, vendors, music and activities that are free for the whole family. You can bring your own kite or buy a kite onsite to fly. Because it’s on Holy Saturday this year, there will be an Easter Egg hunt at 3 p.m. for kids 8 and under.
There will be several kite experts from KaleidoKites to assist children in kite making and flying techniques. Donations to the refuge are requested for kite making assistance, and the proceeds finance rescue and ongoing care for the 100 tigers, lions, cougars and other wildlife that make the sanctuary a life-long home.
For more info, visit turpentinecreek.org.
Returns to the Downtown Fayetteville Square April 2
Another surefire sign that spring is here, the award-winning Fayetteville Farmer’s Market will return Saturday, April 2 from 7 a.m.- 2 p.m., with a proclamation from Fayetteville Mayor Lioneld Jordan at 9 a.m.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/JASON IVESTER |
Carolyn Dux (cq) of Fayetteville gets her change after buying tulips on Saturday, April 2, 2011, at the Fayetteville Farmers’ Market. Saturday was opening day for the market which is open on Saturday’s, Tuesday’s and Thursday’s until November.
This is another one of those Northwest Arkansas staple experiences. Looking for a slice of Americana? The bustling, locally sourced market is a beautiful thing to behold in the community. Often times several entertainers will be out playing music and singing, making art or performing. Of course, there’s also tons of delicious produce, flowers, crafts and vendors from the community there.
On The Map Music Festival*, March 24-26
15 W Mountain St, Fayetteville
Okay, alright, this isn’t an outdoorsy kind of event, but it’s a cool thing to do next week nonetheless.
The festival is in its first year, and it could potentially be the alt-rock answer to the widely successful Roots Fest Fayetteville has in the fall. The fest this year features several mid-level indie artists such as This Will Destroy You, Lee Baines III & The Glory Fires, Pallbearer and Bleached. The bands will headline at the Fayetteville Town Center Thursday and Friday.
For more info on the music festival, go to onthemapfest.com.
*Not outdoorsy. Sorry, we lied.
