Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Whitewater paddling, river surfing, running, hiking and a little friendly competition will take over WOKA Whitewater Park in early October during WOKAfest 2026.

The annual outdoor festival is scheduled for October 3-4, 2026, at WOKA Whitewater Park near Watts, Oklahoma. Activities actually begin Friday, October 2, with open paddling and the opening of the festival camping area.

Located just across the Arkansas state line near Siloam Springs, WOKA has quickly become a regional destination for paddlers and river surfers. WOKAfest gives visitors a chance to experience the park while bringing together the broader paddling and outdoor recreation community.

General admission to WOKAfest is free. Parking is $10 per vehicle. Registration and additional fees apply to many of the races and competitions.

What Is WOKAfest?

WOKAfest is a weekend-long outdoor recreation festival built around the whitewater features at WOKA Whitewater Park.

The festival includes competitive and recreational paddling, river surfing, running races, hiking, gear demonstrations and a gear swap. Food trucks and other activities will also be available throughout the weekend.

The event is a partnership between the Grand River Dam Authority and Friends of WOKA. Friends of WOKA is a nonprofit organization that supports recreation, education and competition at the park through events, camps, clubs and promotion.

WOKAfest Starts Friday With Open Paddling

Festival activities get underway on Friday, October 2.

Open paddle and practice begin at 1 p.m., giving paddlers a chance to get on the water before the weekend competitions. Camping opens at 3 p.m.

The main festival schedule begins Saturday morning.

Saturday Brings Running, Boater Cross and River Surfing

Saturday offers a mix of activities on the water and on the trails.

The 5K and 10K Run + Ruck starts at 8 a.m. The gear swap and food trucks also open at 8 a.m.

Visitors looking for something less competitive can join a hike and scenic tour beginning at 9 a.m.

At the same time, competition gets underway on the water with the Boater Cross Competition. Kayak freestyle follows at 1 p.m., with the Surf Competition beginning at 2:30 p.m.

The day takes a lighter turn at 3 p.m. with Costume Surf.

Saturday, October 3 Schedule

• 8 a.m. – Food trucks open
• 8 a.m. – 5K / 10K Run + Ruck
• 8 a.m. – Gear Swap opens
• 9 a.m. – Hike + Scenic Tour
• 9 a.m. – Boater Cross Competition
• 1 p.m. – Kayak Freestyle Competition
• 2:30 p.m. – Surf Competition
• 3 p.m. – Costume Surf

Sunday Starts in Arkansas

One of the most interesting events of WOKAfest crosses the Arkansas-Oklahoma state line.

Sunday’s Down River Race begins at 9 a.m. at Gypsy Camp & Canoe along Arkansas Highway 59 near Siloam Springs.

Back at WOKA, slalom racing begins at 10 a.m. The Unicorn Race follows at 1:30 p.m., and the weekend wraps up with an open paddle beginning at 2 p.m.

The park is scheduled to close at 6 p.m. Sunday.

Sunday, October 4 Schedule

• 8 a.m. – Food trucks open
• 9 a.m. – Down River Race
• 10 a.m. – Slalom Races
• 1:30 p.m. – Unicorn Race
• 2 p.m. – Open Paddle
• 6 p.m. – Park closes

More Than a Whitewater Competition

You do not have to enter a race to enjoy WOKAfest.

Spectators can watch paddlers and surfers compete throughout the weekend. Visitors can also check out vendor demonstrations, browse the gear swap, join the scenic hike or spend time exploring the park.

The Gear Swap gives outdoor enthusiasts a place to buy, sell and trade used paddling and outdoor equipment.

WOKAfest is also family-friendly. Leashed dogs are welcome at the event. Outside food and non-alcoholic beverages are allowed. Alcohol is restricted to the designated beer garden.

What to Know Before Competing

Advance registration is strongly recommended for anyone planning to participate in a race or competition. Walk-up registration will be available, but registering early helps guarantee a spot.

Participants need to bring their own equipment for most events.

The Surf Competition is an exception. A limited number of rental surfboards will be available, but competitors must reserve them in advance.

Camping at WOKAfest

Primitive camping will be available during WOKAfest, making it possible to turn the festival into a full outdoor weekend.

Camping opens Friday afternoon. Reservations can be made in advance through WOKA.

For visitors coming from farther away in Arkansas, camping also provides an easy way to be at the park before the early Saturday and Sunday events.

What Is WOKA Whitewater Park?

WOKA stands for Waters of Oklahoma and Arkansas, an appropriate name for a park located just across the state line from Northwest Arkansas.

WOKA Whitewater Park was developed through a partnership between the Grand River Dam Authority and City of Siloam Springs, with philanthropic support from the Walton Family Foundation.

The park is built along a side channel of the Illinois River. Its approximately 1,200-foot-long and 100-foot-wide whitewater channel features eight drops designed to provide opportunities for kayaking, river surfing, tubing and other whitewater activities.

The park also has seasonal equipment rentals, concessions, changing facilities, restrooms and shaded viewing areas. Hiking and mountain biking opportunities are located nearby.

An Outdoor Festival Within Reach of Arkansas

WOKAfest may technically take place in Oklahoma, but it is closely connected to Arkansas.

The park sits near Siloam Springs, and Sunday’s downriver race starts on the Arkansas side of the state line. The festival also draws on the growing paddling, cycling, running and outdoor recreation communities of Northwest Arkansas and northeastern Oklahoma.

For Arkansas paddlers, river surfers, runners and outdoor enthusiasts looking for an excuse to spend a fall weekend outside, WOKAfest offers two days of competition and recreation centered around the Illinois River.

WOKAfest 2026 Details

Dates: October 3-4, 2026, with open paddling and camping beginning October 2
Location: WOKA Whitewater Park, 474986 Twin Falls Road, Watts, Oklahoma
Admission: Free general festival attendance
Parking: $10 per vehicle
Competition: Registration required for most races and competitive events
Camping: Primitive camping available with advance reservations
Pets: Leashed dogs are welcome

For the latest schedule, race registration, camping information and event updates, visit the official WOKAfest 2026 event page or Friends of WOKA.

This article was originally published on ArkansasOutside.com, your trusted source for outdoor news and updates in The Natural State. Unless otherwise credited, all photos included in this piece are the property of Arkansas Outside, LLC. We take pride in sharing the beauty and adventures of Arkansas through our lens, thank you for supporting our work!

The post WOKAfest 2026 Brings a Weekend of Whitewater, Racing and Outdoor Fun to the Arkansas-Oklahoma Border appeared first on Arkansas Outside.

For several glorious autumns, there was also the Arkansas Super-Prestige Cyclocross Series. We miss it.

For this #ThrowbackThursday, we’re going back almost 15 years to a time when cyclocross occupied a wonderfully strange corner of the Arkansas cycling world. The races weren’t huge. Most people outside the cycling community probably had no idea they existed, and even plenty of cyclists weren’t quite sure what was going on.

That was part of the charm.

Cyclocross took over parks, fields, hillsides and other unlikely pieces of Arkansas real estate for a few hours on fall weekends. Racers pushed around short courses filled with tight corners, grass, mud, pavement, roots, hills and barriers that forced them off their bikes. Spectators rang cowbells, yelled themselves hoarse and usually hung around long after the race they had come to watch was over.

Looking back, it feels like exactly the kind of outdoor recreation Arkansas Outside was created to celebrate.

A Sport That Was Difficult to Explain

Cyclocross has always been a little obscure. Explaining it to someone who has never seen a race isn’t easy.

Imagine a road bike race and put it in a field. Add some mountain biking and cross-country running. Build barriers across the course that require racers to jump off their bikes, carry them and remount. Make the course short enough that spectators can see racers several times each lap, then hope for terrible weather.

Now you’re getting close.

Cyclocross developed as an off-season cycling discipline in Europe and eventually found an enthusiastic following in the United States. In Arkansas, the Super-Prestige Series gave the sport something particularly important, a season. By 2012, the series featured eight races, primarily in Central and Northwest Arkansas, turning the arrival of cooler weather into something cyclists could anticipate rather than dread.

While most outdoor events hope for sunshine and comfortable temperatures, cyclocross was different. Rain was good. Cold could be even better. Mud was perfect. Arkansas weather could almost always provide something useful.

The Venues Were Half the Fun

One of the great things about the Arkansas Super-Prestige Cyclocross Series was where the races happened. These weren’t carefully manicured cycling facilities. Organizers looked at ordinary parks and pieces of open land and apparently asked, “Could we race bicycles here?”

The answer was usually yes.

Reservoir Park in Little Rock became a maze of muddy trails, grass, rocks, roots, pavement, creek crossings and steep climbs. Rain could transform the course into the kind of slippery mess that cyclocross racers seemed inexplicably happy to encounter.

Craighead Forest Park in Jonesboro offered an entirely different experience. One course incorporated pavement, pine trees, an old foundation, singletrack, a power-line corridor, hills and barriers, all packed into roughly a mile.

Then there was Cedarglades Park near Hot Springs, where the race was held around the Garland County Landfill.

Yes, a landfill. And it was fantastic.

Thick grass and soft ground seemed determined to stop bicycles in their tracks. Long climbs, short descents, barriers and washed-out hills made Cedarglades one of the toughest venues in the series.

There were races at Boyle Park and Kanis Park in Little Rock, along with venues in Northwest Arkansas and elsewhere around the state. Kanis even hosted racing at night. A park beneath Interstate 630 isn’t the first place most people would imagine staging a memorable bicycle race, but that was cyclocross. Take a place everyone had driven past a hundred times, string some course tape through it, add barriers, and suddenly it became an arena.

The Weather Was Part of the Course

Anyone could race a bicycle on a beautiful fall afternoon. Cyclocross asked a different question: What are you doing when it is 42 degrees and raining?

Apparently, we’re racing bicycles.

Changing conditions meant the same course could become something entirely different overnight. Dry grass became slippery grass. Dirt became mud. A rideable hill became a running section. Corners that seemed harmless during a warm-up suddenly became opportunities to demonstrate the coefficient of friction between Lycra and Arkansas soil.

That unpredictability was part of the appeal. You didn’t just race the other riders. You raced the course, your bike, your lungs, your questionable tire-pressure decision and whatever Arkansas weather had decided to throw at you.

Somehow, the worse the conditions became, the better the photographs seemed to get.

Cyclocross Was a Spectator Sport

This may have been our favorite part.

You didn’t quietly observe a cyclocross race. You participated.

Cowbells were practically required equipment. Spectators moved around the course looking for the best places to watch riders struggle. They yelled encouragement, offered good-natured heckling, rang bells and screamed at friends and complete strangers.

At one point, Arkansas Outside even handed out cowbells at races. The instructions included finding the Arkansas Outside table and saying, “Don’t Fear the Reaper.” It made perfect sense at the time. Probably.

We once described proper cyclocross spectating as a “full body, top of the lungs, screamfest.” That still seems accurate.

Unlike many forms of bicycle racing, cyclocross kept competitors close to spectators. Short courses meant racers came around again and again. You learned where someone was having trouble, knew when a battle was developing and could run across the course after the riders passed to get into position to yell at them somewhere else.

Spectating could become nearly as exhausting as racing. Nearly.

Serious Racing That Didn’t Take Itself Too Seriously

There were fast racers in the Arkansas Super-Prestige Series. Really fast racers.

Series points mattered. State championships mattered. Racers studied lines, watched competitors and fought for positions. Mechanical problems could change a race, and a mistake at a barrier could cost several places.

Surrounding all that competition, however, was a remarkably welcoming atmosphere. Mountain bikes showed up alongside cyclocross bikes. Beginners lined up with experienced racers. People raced multiple categories. Someone who had just spent 45 minutes trying to beat you might be standing beside you a few minutes later discussing exactly where both of you almost crashed.

At Craighead Forest Park in 2013, the post-race scene captured it perfectly. Exhausted riders stood over their bikes sharing stories, congratulating each other and talking about the racing still ahead.

At Smoke-N-Suds, racers negotiated grass, creek beds, barriers and slick corners while spectators provided cowbells, cheering and plenty of heckling. Afterward, our crew headed to Devil’s Den State Park for camping and s’mores before returning for more racing the next morning.

The race was important, but so was everything happening around it.

A Party Where a Bike Race Broke Out

Looking through the old Arkansas Outside cyclocross stories today, certain words appear again and again: mud, cold, rain, cowbells, friends and fun.

Those old articles document races, but they also document a community. The same faces keep appearing. Racers became spectators. Spectators eventually became racers. People brought their kids. Teams set up tents. Someone always seemed to have food. People stayed after their race instead of immediately packing the car and leaving.

Cyclocross encouraged that. A race might last 35, 45 or 55 minutes, but race day could consume most of a Saturday or Sunday. There wasn’t much reason to leave. Your friends were still racing, and someone had to ring the cowbell.

That camaraderie may be what we remember most. There were podiums and series standings, but years later those aren’t necessarily the things that stick with you. It’s the people standing around in muddy shoes. It’s laughing about a crash after determining everyone is okay. It’s the racer you barely know hearing you yell their name every time they pass. It’s everyone sharing the same ridiculous experience on a cold Sunday afternoon.

Arkansas Outside Was There

There is another reason these stories mean so much to us. The Arkansas Super-Prestige Cyclocross Series was happening during the formative years of Arkansas Outside.

ArkansasOutside.com officially launched in November 2011. We were still figuring out what this thing was going to become, and cyclocross helped provide an answer.

We went to races, took lots and lots of photographs, wrote stories, posted results, promoted upcoming events, stood in the rain, handed out cowbells, cheered and got to know racers, organizers, families and volunteers. Then we did it again the next weekend.

The series represented what we believed Arkansas Outside could be, not simply a place to publish results or announce events, but a place to tell the stories of people who find interesting ways to play outside in Arkansas.

You didn’t have to be competing for a championship. You didn’t even have to completely understand what cyclocross was. You just had to show up.

That’s still a pretty good description of Arkansas Outside.

The Obscure Stuff Matters

Today, Arkansas is widely recognized for cycling and outdoor recreation. We have nationally and internationally known mountain bike trail systems, major gravel events, long-distance trails, bike parks, climbing areas, paddling destinations and an outdoor recreation community that would have been difficult to imagine when some of these cyclocross stories were published.

But outdoor culture isn’t built only by major events and multimillion-dollar projects. It’s also built in city parks on cold Sunday mornings, by someone designing a racecourse around an old foundation, by volunteers pounding stakes into the ground and stretching course tape between them, and by a handful of racers willing to drive across Arkansas to spend an hour suffering on a bicycle.

It’s built by spectators who show up in miserable weather because their friends are racing. It’s built around campfires after the race. And sometimes, apparently, it’s built on top of a landfill.

The Arkansas Super-Prestige Cyclocross Series was wonderfully obscure. You could tell someone what you did over the weekend and spend the next five minutes trying to explain it.

That didn’t make it less important. Maybe it made it more special.

We Could Use a Little More Cowbell

Eventually, the Arkansas Super-Prestige Cyclocross Series faded away. Other cycling disciplines grew. Gravel exploded. Mountain biking expanded dramatically. Riders found new ways to spend their fall weekends.

But every year, when the temperatures begin dropping and Arkansas gets one of those gray, damp days when sensible people start thinking about staying inside, some of us remember the mud, the barriers, the ridiculously skinny tires, the night races, the strange venues, the muddy bikes, the cold fingers, the exhausted racers, the tents, the heckling, the friendships and the unmistakable sound of cowbells ringing across an Arkansas park.

For Arkansas Outside, those races are tied permanently to our earliest years. We were discovering Arkansas’s outdoor community at the same time we were trying to figure out how to tell its stories, and the Arkansas Super-Prestige Cyclocross Series gave us plenty of stories to tell.

Almost 15 years later, we’re still telling stories about people getting outside, trying something different and finding community along the way. Maybe that’s the real legacy of Arkansas cyclocross.

Outdoor recreation doesn’t have to be famous to matter. It doesn’t need thousands of participants or national attention. Sometimes all it takes is a park, some course tape, a bicycle and a few people crazy enough to think spending a cold, rainy Sunday riding through the mud sounds like fun.

We miss it.

And yes, we still have the cowbells.

This article was originally published on ArkansasOutside.com, your trusted source for outdoor news and updates in The Natural State. Unless otherwise credited, all photos included in this piece are the property of Arkansas Outside, LLC. We take pride in sharing the beauty and adventures of Arkansas through our lens, thank you for supporting our work!

The post Throwback Thursday: Mud, Cowbells and the Arkansas Super-Prestige Cyclocross Series appeared first on Arkansas Outside.

The U.S. Forest Service has announced youth fishing derbies at Deer Pond near Deer and Mirror Lake at Blanchard Springs Recreation Area. Both events are being held in partnership with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and other organizations.

The fishing derbies are designed to give children an opportunity to spend time outdoors, learn about fishing and enjoy some friendly competition on public lands.

Deer Pond Fishing Derby, September 5

The first derby will take place Saturday, September 5, at Deer Pond in Deer, Arkansas, within the Big Piney Ranger District.

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m., with fishing starting at 9 a.m. The derby concludes at 11 a.m., when all hooks must be out of the water.

The event is open to children ages 15 and younger. Participation awards and contest prizes will be presented following the fishing.

Restrooms will be available at the event.

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is partnering with the Forest Service for the derby.

For additional information, contact the Big Piney District Office at 479-284-3150.

Deer Pond Fishing Derby Details

Date: Saturday, September 5, 2026
Location: Deer Pond, Deer, Arkansas
Registration: 8:30 a.m.
Fishing: 9 to 11 a.m.
Ages: 15 and younger
Cost: Free

Mirror Lake Fishing Derby, September 12

A second youth fishing derby is scheduled for Saturday, September 12, at Mirror Lake in the Blanchard Springs Recreation Area.

Registration begins earlier for this event, at 7 a.m., followed by fishing from 8 to 10 a.m. All hooks must be out of the water at 10 a.m.

The Mirror Lake derby is open to children ages 4 through 12.

Following the competition, participation awards and contest prizes will be presented at 11 a.m. at the large pavilion in the Blanchard Springs day-use area.

The Forest Service is partnering with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Arkansas State Parks and Riders United 4 Children for the event.

Restrooms will be available.

For additional information, contact Idun Guenther at 870-269-3228.

Mirror Lake Fishing Derby Details

Date: Saturday, September 12, 2026
Location: Mirror Lake, Blanchard Springs Recreation Area
Registration: 7 a.m.
Fishing: 8 to 10 a.m.
Ages: 4 to 12
Cost: Free
Awards: 11 a.m. at the large pavilion in the day-use area

A Chance to Introduce Kids to Fishing

The September fishing derbies offer families two opportunities to combine fishing with a visit to the Ozark-St. Francis National Forests.

The events also introduce young anglers to two distinctly different areas of the national forests. Deer Pond is located in the Big Piney Ranger District, while Mirror Lake sits within the popular Blanchard Springs Recreation Area in the Sylamore Ranger District.

The Forest Service manages recreation opportunities throughout the Ozark-St. Francis National Forests, including fishing, hiking, camping, mountain biking, paddling and other outdoor activities.

Both September fishing derbies are free to participate in. Families planning to attend should note the different age requirements and registration times for each event.

This article was originally published on ArkansasOutside.com, your trusted source for outdoor news and updates in The Natural State. Unless otherwise credited, all photos included in this piece are the property of Arkansas Outside, LLC. We take pride in sharing the beauty and adventures of Arkansas through our lens, thank you for supporting our work!

The post Free Fall Fishing Derbies Coming to Ozark-St. Francis National Forests in September appeared first on Arkansas Outside.

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

The Arkansas Delta may be known for flat farmland and big horizons, but a growing collection of fall events is highlighting a different side of the region.

From the rolling gravel roads of Crowley’s Ridge to rural farm roads and levees, several events scheduled for October and November will give cyclists, runners and other outdoor enthusiasts opportunities to explore eastern Arkansas.

The lineup includes Pedal the Ridge, the Arkansas Graveler: Delta Blues Edition and the Birdeye weekend, with options ranging from recreational gravel rides to a 500-mile unsupported cycling challenge.

Crowley’s Ridge Offers a Different Kind of Gravel Riding

Crowley’s Ridge rises roughly 250 feet above the surrounding Delta landscape, creating terrain that differs significantly from the flatter agricultural areas around it.

Gravel roads cross hardwood forests, farmland, levees, small communities and historic travel corridors. Riders can move from rolling, shaded roads on the ridge to open agricultural landscapes during a single outing.

The landscape has also become the foundation for an effort to expand outdoor recreation and tourism in eastern Arkansas.

studioDRIFT’s Crowley’s Ridge Gravel Trail connects approximately 250 miles of gravel roads and communities, along with seven Arkansas State Parks. The organization is using existing roads and community assets to encourage visitors to explore the region rather than creating a recreation destination isolated from surrounding towns.

This fall’s event calendar provides several ways to experience that network and the communities along it.

Pedal the Ridge Returns October 3

The fall gravel calendar begins Oct. 3 with Pedal the Ridge in Paragould.

The annual ride is designed for cyclists of varying abilities, with routes traveling through farmland and the rolling terrain of Crowley’s Ridge.

The event also serves as a fundraiser. Proceeds benefit the Paragould Chamber Foundation and the Greene County Future Fund’s Bikes for Kids Project, which helps provide bicycles to young people in the community.

Arkansas Graveler Heads to the Delta

Just a few days later, the Arkansas Graveler: Delta Blues Edition will bring a multi-day cycling experience to eastern Arkansas.

Scheduled for Oct. 6 through 10, the event covers more than 300 miles over five days.

The format combines long days of riding rural gravel roads with overnight stops in five communities. Food, music and other activities are incorporated into the trip, giving riders opportunities to experience the towns and landscape beyond their time on the bike.

The event represents a different approach to gravel cycling than a traditional one-day race, using a point-to-point, multi-day format to connect communities throughout the Delta.

Birdeye Brings Running, Gravel and Music Together

The fall schedule continues Nov. 6 and 7 with Birdeye, a weekend built around cycling, running, camping, food and live music.

The event grew out of a group ride and now offers several ways to participate.

Runners can choose from three distances. A 17-mile point-to-point route begins in Harrisburg and finishes at the farm in Birdeye. A 5K takes runners onto hand-built singletrack, while a one-mile run travels through pasture.

The routes incorporate the area’s working landscape, including dirt roads, farmland, levees, country roads and trails.

Cyclists can choose among several self-supported Birdeye Gravel routes across Crowley’s Ridge. The courses move between forests, farms, agricultural areas and levees, with distances intended to accommodate different levels of riders.

Birdeye Ultra Raises the Distance

For cyclists looking for a much longer challenge, the Birdeye weekend also includes two unsupported ultra-distance options.

The Night Owl 200 travels from Birdeye to Helena and back, while the Birdeye 500 takes riders over the full Crowley’s Ridge Gravel Trail twice.

Both are self-supported events. There are no SAG vehicles, support crews or aid stations. Riders are responsible for carrying their own supplies, navigating the route and handling problems along the way.

The weekend also includes Birdeye Session 007, an intimate music event that combines live music, food and the rural setting used for the cycling and running events.

Outdoor Recreation as Rural Development

The events are also part of a larger effort to use outdoor recreation as an economic and community development tool in rural eastern Arkansas.

According to studioDRIFT, development surrounding the Crowley’s Ridge Gravel Trail has included trail infrastructure, events designed to attract visitors and efforts to increase access to bicycles and outdoor recreation for young people.

The 2025 Birdeye Gravel Festival offered an early example. Participants camped at a working farm, rode gravel routes through the surrounding countryside, ran trails and gathered for food and live music.

Rather than relying on a single attraction, the approach connects outdoor recreation with existing roads, landscapes, communities and local culture.

A Growing Arkansas Delta Adventure Destination

Pedal the Ridge, Arkansas Graveler and Birdeye illustrate the expanding variety of outdoor recreation available in a region that has traditionally received less attention from Arkansas cyclists and runners than the Ozark and Ouachita mountains.

The terrain is different, and that is part of the draw.

Crowley’s Ridge provides elevation and hardwood forests, while surrounding Delta roads offer long stretches of gravel, levees, farmland and small communities. Events are increasingly connecting those landscapes into experiences ranging from a single morning on a bicycle to several days of riding across eastern Arkansas.

This fall’s calendar provides several opportunities to see how the Arkansas Delta is developing its own identity as an outdoor recreation destination.

This article was originally published on ArkansasOutside.com, your trusted source for outdoor news and updates in The Natural State. Unless otherwise credited, all photos included in this piece are the property of Arkansas Outside, LLC. We take pride in sharing the beauty and adventures of Arkansas through our lens, thank you for supporting our work!

The post Fall Events Put Arkansas Delta Outdoor Recreation in the Spotlight appeared first on Arkansas Outside.

In the following commentary, Bernadette Rhodes, deputy director of Metroplan, explains why trees should be viewed as more than part of Central Arkansas’ landscape. She outlines their role as green infrastructure, from managing stormwater and reducing erosion to providing shade, improving air quality and making communities more inviting.

Regional Growth One Tree at a Time

In the Natural State, trees provide more than just our iconic scenery; they also provide critical green infrastructure. 

Across our communities, trees absorb rainfall, reduce erosion, filter air pollutants, support wildlife and lessen the heat retained by streets, parking lots and buildings. In addition to the natural beauty they provide, trees can shade a home and a workplace, lower summertime energy costs and make an area more inviting.

Now, Central Arkansas residents can reap these benefits by planting free native trees.

Free Native Trees for Central Arkansas

The Central Arkansas Tree Planting Project aims to plant 166,000 trees and shrubs in Pulaski, Saline, Perry, Grant, Faulkner and Lonoke counties by 2029, and the trees are available free of charge to residents throughout the six counties.

The program is open to individuals and families, businesses, farms, municipalities, government agencies, nonprofits, schools and religious organizations. For employers and civic leaders, the project offers a practical way to improve a workplace, neighborhood or public space while contributing to the region’s environmental infrastructure.

A Regional Investment in Green Infrastructure

The project is supported by $1.6 million in federal funding administered by Metroplan and awarded to the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture Cooperative Extension Service (UAEX). UAEX is responsible for procuring, managing and distributing the trees and will provide technical expertise to help participants plant successfully.

Building a Stronger Regional Tree Canopy

At Metroplan, we are committed to creating a stronger, healthier quality of life through regional infrastructure planning, safer streets and smart growth. 

A robust tree canopy is one of those regional goals. Trees support infrastructure by slowing stormwater, increasing absorption into the ground and reducing pressure on waterways. Their shade can lower cooling costs, while greener surroundings can strengthen the curb appeal of commercial corridors, neighborhoods and gathering places.

More Than Two Dozen Native Species

The Tree Planting Project offers more than two dozen native Arkansas species, including bald cypress, bur oak, flowering dogwood, native pecan, persimmon, redbud, red maple, river birch, shortleaf pine, sweet magnolia, sycamore, sugar maple and white oak. Because different trees thrive under varying soil, moisture and space conditions, UAEX can help applicants consider each species’ mature size and needs before ordering. 

Growing Benefits for Years to Come

Requesting and planting trees is a great way to contribute to your neighborhood and allow your community to thrive. 

The value of this project will not be measured only by the number of seedlings distributed. Its success will be visible years from now—in cooler properties, healthier waterways, cleaner air and more beautiful communities.

Bernadette Rhodes is the Deputy Director of Metroplan. 

The Central Arkansas Tree Planting Project is open to individuals, families, businesses, farms, municipalities, government agencies, nonprofits, schools, religious organizations and other groups within the six-county project area. More than two dozen native species are available, and the Cooperative Extension Service provides information to help participants select, plant and care for trees suited to their location. As Rhodes notes, the project’s impact will ultimately be measured not just by the number of trees planted, but by the long-term benefits they provide to neighborhoods, waterways and communities across Central Arkansas.

Information about available trees, eligibility, ordering and planting assistance is available through the Central Arkansas Tree Planting Project.

This article was originally published on ArkansasOutside.com, your trusted source for outdoor news and updates in The Natural State. Unless otherwise credited, all photos included in this piece are the property of Arkansas Outside, LLC. We take pride in sharing the beauty and adventures of Arkansas through our lens, thank you for supporting our work!

The post Growing Central Arkansas: One Tree at a Time appeared first on Arkansas Outside.

Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced the My Natural State Story contest Wednesday in partnership with the Arkansas Department of Education, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism. The contest asks students to write about personal experiences involving hiking, cycling, climbing, camping, hunting, fishing or paddling in Arkansas.

Submissions are open now and will be accepted through Monday, Oct. 12, 2026.

The program is designed to encourage young Arkansans to spend time outdoors while using storytelling to describe their experiences.

“Arkansas is blessed with some of the greatest natural areas and opportunities for outdoor recreation anywhere in the country, which I want every kid in our state to experience firsthand,” Sanders said in announcing the contest.

How the My Natural State Story Contest Works

Students can submit essays of up to 500 words describing an outdoor experience in Arkansas. Entries should explain where the experience took place, what the student did and why the experience was meaningful.

Students may enter one of seven outdoor recreation categories:

• Hunting
• Fishing
• Boating or paddling
• Climbing
• Cycling or mountain biking
• Camping
• Hiking

Entries containing AI-generated text will be automatically excluded from the competition, according to contest rules.

The competition is divided into two age groups, ages 10 to 13 and ages 14 to 17.

One winner will be selected from each age group in each of the seven activity categories, creating 14 category winners. An overall My Natural State Story of the Year winner will also be selected from each age group.

In total, 16 Arkansas students will receive prizes and invitations to a dinner honoring the winners at the Governor’s Mansion.

Outdoor Experiences Become Part of the Story

State officials said the contest is intended to connect outdoor recreation with education, conservation and Arkansas heritage.

“Some of our strongest connections to Arkansas begin with a childhood memory outdoors, a first fish, a night under the stars, a trail explored or an adventure with family,” Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism Secretary Shea Lewis said.

Lewis said developing those connections can also help young people understand the role Arkansas’ natural places play in the state’s identity.

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission has also been working to incorporate outdoor recreation and conservation into educational opportunities.

“Keeping students engaged in learning experiences that connect them to conservation and outdoor recreation is an incredible way to make learning concrete,” AGFC Chief of Education Mary Beth Hatch said.

Prizes Include Bikes, Camping Gear and Outdoor Experiences

Arkansas outdoor businesses, organizations and state agencies are providing prizes for the contest.

The two Story of the Year winners will receive an Arkansas Game and Fish Commission lifetime hunting and fishing license along with a $500 gift and experience package from AGFC and the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism.

Category prizes include:

• Hunting: Banded prize pack
• Fishing: $1,000 PRADCO Fishing prize pack
• Boating and paddling: Arkansas Canoe Club equipment and river school packages
• Climbing: Two-night stay at an Arkansas State Parks lodge and two passes for a guided climb or via ferrata experience
• Cycling: OZ Trails Bike Park family day pass, USA Cycling prize pack and an Ozark Trail mountain bike
• Camping: Two-night Arkansas State Parks campground or camper cabin stay, plus a PackRat tent and sleeping bag
• Hiking: Family pass for four to Crater of Diamonds State Park and a Gearhead prize pack

Part of Arkansas’ Outdoor Recreation Push

The My Natural State Story contest is the latest program connected with state efforts to expand outdoor recreation and outdoor education.

In June 2025, Sanders and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission announced an Arkansas Outdoor Education Pilot Program designed to introduce students to outdoor skills, conservation and potential careers connected with Arkansas’ outdoor economy.

The effort also ties into the Natural State Initiative, chaired by First Gentleman Bryan Sanders. The initiative brings together representatives from government, businesses and nonprofit organizations with a focus on outdoor recreation and the state’s outdoor economy.

The governor’s office reported that Arkansas welcomed a record 54.3 million visitors in 2025, with visitors spending more than $10 billion and directly supporting nearly 72,000 jobs.

How Arkansas Students Can Enter

Students ages 10 through 17 can submit a My Natural State Story entry through the state’s online contest form. Entries must be no more than 500 words and focus on an Arkansas experience involving one of the seven eligible outdoor activities.

Deadline: Monday, Oct. 12, 2026
Age divisions: 10 to 13 and 14 to 17
Essay length: Up to 500 words
Eligible activities: Hunting, fishing, boating or paddling, climbing, cycling or mountain biking, camping and hiking

Submit a My Natural State Story entry

Winners will be reviewed and announced after the submission period closes.

This article was originally published on ArkansasOutside.com, your trusted source for outdoor news and updates in The Natural State. Unless otherwise credited, all photos included in this piece are the property of Arkansas Outside, LLC. We take pride in sharing the beauty and adventures of Arkansas through our lens, thank you for supporting our work!

The post Arkansas Launches ‘My Natural State Story’ Outdoor Writing Contest for Students appeared first on Arkansas Outside.

Estimated reading time: 9 minutes

Mountain Biking in Arkansas Was Still a Well-Kept Secret

Easily riding along a natural bench trail and crossing the occasional stream, I wind my way out of another hollow. The steep climb to get here is nearly forgotten. Nearly.

Pedaling past unique rock outcroppings and ancient trees, I’m glad I brought my bike on this trip to the Ozarks of Arkansas. Actually, I usually take my bike when traveling around Arkansas.

In what is known as The Natural State, I’ve created my own saying: Wherever you travel in Arkansas, always take your bike. You never know when a trail will happen.

Why ride Arkansas?

Because it’s the place everyone else is riding and not telling you about.

It’s a place where northern colleges send their cycling teams to train because the roads and weather are perfect in late winter and early spring. It’s a place where, in the dead of winter, when many mountain bikers stare longingly at their bikes hanging in the garage, Arkansans are riding sweet ridgelines with unlimited views.

No studded tires. No heavy coats. No worries.

Arkansas Mountain Bike Trails Were Gaining National Attention

In the Midwest, there are three IMBA Epic trails. One is in southern Missouri, not far from the Arkansas line, and the other two are in Arkansas.

The Syllamo Trail System has more than 50 miles of loop trails in the heart of the Ozarks near Mountain View.

The Womble Trail in the Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas’s original IMBA Epic, is one of the sweetest trails in the country. It follows ridgelines and drops down to cross creeks for more than 37 miles. It also easily connects with the Ouachita Trail and local forest roads to create multi-day mountain biking adventures.

Each March, the Womble is home to one of the premier mountain bike races in the country, the Ouachita Challenge. This 60-mile race draws professional and amateur cyclists from across the country. Over the years, nationally recognized cyclists such as Gary Fisher have shown up with their teams, while Team Orbea and Team Topeak-Ergon have been repeat competitors.

Riders Were Beginning to Discover Arkansas

National tour operators were also finding Arkansas to be a prime riding destination.

Hermosa Tours of Durango, Colorado, which runs tours throughout the western United States, New Zealand, Costa Rica, and Iceland, recently started bringing tours to Arkansas.

Hermosa Tours owner Matt McPhee called Arkansas a “diamond in the rough” and said he had brought groups from as far away as Alaska to ride the Womble and Syllamo trails.

He was also getting a lot of interest from riders in California, Texas, and Illinois. McPhee expected to add other Arkansas trails to his tours in the future.

The growth of mountain biking in the state wasn’t coming only from riders outside Arkansas.

International cycling companies were calling Arkansas home. Orbea USA was based in North Little Rock. Trail experts from around the world were also showing respect for The Natural State. The International Trail Builders Conference was held in Eureka Springs, and in 2008, the American Trails National Symposium was held in Little Rock.

Arkansas Had a Long Mountain Biking History

Mountain biking in Arkansas wasn’t a recent phenomenon. It had simply been a well-kept secret for a long time.

Devil’s Den State Park in Northwest Arkansas held its first Mountain Bike Festival 20 years ago. In fact, nine of the state’s 52 state parks had mountain bike trails, with plans to add trails at four more parks.

Fred Phillips of DLT Multisport, a local race organizer who managed the state’s Cross Country and Marathon Mountain Biking Series, said he had seen this coming for at least 10 years.

“The state has so many mountain biking and adventure sports assets,” Phillips said.

Other participant sports that relied on mountain biking, including XTERRA off-road triathlons and adventure races, were also growing in Arkansas.

Adventure racing had been happening in Arkansas for more than 10 years and continued to grow, with several promoters adding races around the state.

Trails Were Easy to Find in Central Arkansas

One of the great things about mountain biking in Arkansas was the accessibility of trails.

Within a half-hour drive of the State Capitol, you could ride more than 50 miles of singletrack, much of it designed specifically for mountain biking. If you were willing to drive another hour, the number of available trail miles topped 200.

Mountain bike trails were constantly being added, with more than 20 miles of new trail expected to open in the state over the next year.

Road Cycling Was Growing, Too

The growth of road cycling mirrored that of its dirtier cousin.

Construction of the Arkansas River Trail in Little Rock and North Little Rock created a focal point for road cycling and paved-trail riding.

When the longest bridge in the world built specifically for pedestrians and cyclists was added to the trail, Central Arkansas became a road biking mecca. Yes, I said mecca.

The Big Dam Bridge, connecting Little Rock and North Little Rock, was one of the draws for the National Trails Symposium held in Little Rock in 2008.

Another bridge, the Two Rivers Bridge, was scheduled to open in the spring, allowing cyclists to ride from downtown Little Rock all the way to Pinnacle Mountain State Park, where they could enjoy mountain bike trails or connect with other road-riding loops. The Clinton Presidential Park Bridge had also recently opened.

Cycling groups and event promoters hosted several century rides and multi-distance races across the state.

The Joe Martin Stage Race in Northwest Arkansas attracted names like Floyd Landis. Miles of wonderful rural roads, organized centuries, and shorter rides made it easy to see the attraction for out-of-state riders.

Another plus for road cyclists was that Arkansas was one of only 16 states with a three-foot passing law designed to protect cyclists on the road.

Cycling Was Becoming Part of Arkansas Communities

Businesses and government agencies, including the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality, were finding that locating near the Arkansas River Trail was good for employee retention. Some added employee locker rooms and showers so workers could clean up after riding to work.

The Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, recognizing the state’s growth as a cycling destination, recently published a guide to cycling in Arkansas featuring 11 mountain bike rides and 11 road rides across the state.

The word was getting out.

Maybe We Should Have Kept It Secret

My ride on the Miner’s Rock Trail at Lake Leatherwood near Eureka Springs was ending.

Try as I might, I couldn’t catch my wife, who let out a resonating “Yippee!” as she bombed down the trail toward the end of our ride.

I wished she would keep it down.

Otherwise, everyone might find out about this place.

More Editor Notes:

15 Years Later: The Secret Is Out

Looking back at this article 15 years later, it’s almost hard to believe how much mountain biking in Arkansas has changed.

When this was written in 2011, Arkansas had two IMBA Epic rides, the Womble Trail and Syllamo. Since then, three more have earned the designation: the Upper Buffalo Headwaters, Ouachita National Recreation Trail, and Lake Ouachita Vista Trail, better known as the LOViT. Arkansas is now home to five IMBA Epic rides, putting some of the state’s best backcountry riding on a national stage.

But the growth goes far beyond those five trails.

One of the biggest developments has been the creation of the Monument Trails, a partnership that brought purpose-built, destination-quality trail systems to Arkansas State Parks. Today, riders can experience Monument Trails at Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area, Mount Nebo State Park, Pinnacle Mountain State Park, and Devil’s Den State Park. In 2023, Outside named the Monument Trails the best mountain biking trails in the country.

At the same time, communities across Arkansas have continued building trails of their own. Systems such as Lakewoods in Monticello, Blue Mountain/Southlake near Little Rock, and Lake Alma near Alma are part of a much larger collection of local trail networks that have expanded riding opportunities well beyond the destination systems. From Central Arkansas to the River Valley and Northwest Arkansas, mountain biking has become part of the recreation infrastructure of communities large and small.

And Arkansas mountain biking has entered territory that would have seemed almost unimaginable when this article was written.

In June 2026, OZ Trails Bike Park opened along the Bentonville-Bella Vista border as Arkansas’s first chairlift-served mountain bike park. The 200-acre park features more than 20 miles of gravity trails ranging from beginner terrain to expert-level riding, all served by a high-speed chairlift.

The next chapter is already under construction in the Ouachita Mountains.

The Trails at Mena project near Mena is being developed as a major lift-served mountain biking destination connecting the Ward Lake area with Round Top Mountain near Queen Wilhelmina State Park. Plans call for lift access, significant elevation, downhill trails, flow trails, jump lines, technical terrain, and supporting visitor facilities.

Fifteen years ago, the premise of this article was that Arkansas mountain biking was a secret that riders might want to keep to themselves.

That isn’t possible anymore.

Arkansas has gone from a place with a handful of nationally recognized trails to a state building an interconnected collection of backcountry Epics, community trail systems, state park destinations, gravity trails, and lift-served bike parks.

The secret is definitely out.

And we’re nowhere near finished.

All photos taken in 2011/2012.

This article was originally published on ArkansasOutside.com, your trusted source for outdoor news and updates in The Natural State. Unless otherwise credited, all photos included in this piece are the property of Arkansas Outside, LLC. We take pride in sharing the beauty and adventures of Arkansas through our lens, thank you for supporting our work!

The post Pssst… Don’t Tell Everyone About Mountain Biking in Arkansas appeared first on Arkansas Outside.

The American Scholastic Climbing League is preparing for its 2026-2027 season, with registration opening September 1 and competitions expected to begin in November. Now entering its third season in Arkansas, the league gives middle and high school students an opportunity to compete in climbing while representing their schools.

For families wondering whether competitive climbing is a good fit, Arkansas State Director Sharon Bennett has a simple message: Give it a try.

“That kid will probably surprise themselves,” Bennett said when asked what she would tell parents of young climbers who worry they are not good enough to compete. “It’s less about competing against other kids and more about competing against yourself.”

That philosophy has helped the league grow from 89 participants during its first Arkansas season to more than 100 last year, according to Bennett. She expects another increase this season as more schools and families learn about the program.

Open Houses Offer a Chance to Learn More

Families do not have to figure out the league on their own.

ASCL organizers are hosting open houses ahead of the season where prospective climbers, parents, coaches and school representatives can learn how the program works.

The Central Arkansas Region will hold an in-person open house:

• Date: Saturday, September 5
• Time: 9:00–10:00 a.m.
• Location: Little Rock Climbing Center
• Address: 12120 Colonel Glenn Rd #7000, Little Rock, AR 72210

A statewide Virtual Open House is scheduled for September 10. The virtual event is designed as an informal opportunity for people to stop in, ask questions and learn about the league.

• Date: Thursday, September 10
• Time: 5:00–7:00 p.m.
• Location: ASCL-Arkansas Facebook Event Page

“We’ll be hanging out for a two-hour period, and people can drop in, ask questions, and really just find out more about us,” Bennett said.

Organizers are also working to schedule another in-person open house in Northwest Arkansas later in the month.

Scholastic Climbing Continues to Grow in Arkansas

The American Scholastic Climbing League, or ASCL, is a nonprofit organization that provides middle and high school students with opportunities to compete in climbing while representing their schools.

The organization grew out of the Colorado High School Climbing League, which began in 2008. ASCL was established as a nonprofit in 2018 to expand the concept into other states.

Arkansas now has two regions, Central Arkansas and Northwest Arkansas.

The Central Arkansas Region serves Little Rock, Conway and surrounding communities. The Northwest Arkansas Region includes Fayetteville, Rogers, Bentonville, Springdale and surrounding areas.

Bennett said Northwest Arkansas has traditionally drawn more participants, while growing participation in Central Arkansas has been more challenging.

This year, organizers are working to reach more private schools and homeschool families, particularly in Central Arkansas.

“There are several schools that have reached out,” Bennett said. “We’re really trying to encourage our homeschool groups to join us.”

Students do not need an established climbing program at their school to compete. ASCL allows students to represent their schools even without an official school coach or sponsor. Climbers can also participate as unattached competitors.

That gives students an opportunity to try scholastic climbing without waiting for their school to create a formal program.

Competition Without All the Pressure

While ASCL holds a series of competitions throughout the season, Bennett said the emphasis is not solely on rankings and winning.

“We have a series of competitions, but we try not to take it too seriously,” she said. “It’s really more of a focus on just the joy of climbing.”

Competitions can include bouldering, roped climbing or a combination of the two. Students compete in middle school and high school divisions, with climbers ranging from beginners to advanced athletes.

Bennett said one of the strengths of the program is that climbers can measure success against their own abilities rather than simply comparing themselves with the strongest competitors in the gym.

“We celebrate each kid individually,” she said. “We have a variety of kids that all have different levels that they can participate in, and we know that a child is pushing against their individual best.”

That creates an atmosphere where climbers with different abilities can compete at the same event and support each other.

“Within our regions there are kids that we know have different capabilities and different situations,” Bennett said. “But everyone’s cheering for everyone together, and that is something that’s just almost unheard of these days.”

Scholarships Help Make Climbing Accessible

Cost can be an obstacle for families interested in competitive climbing.

The annual ASCL climber membership for the 2026-2027 season is $125. Individual host gyms may also charge entry fees for competitions, and school clubs or teams can have additional expenses.

Bennett said scholarships have been an important part of Arkansas’ program from the beginning. She estimates approximately 45 scholarships were provided during the league’s first season in the state, with a similar number awarded last year.

ASCL is also looking at ways to improve how it identifies families who need assistance.

Previously, qualification was tied to participation in the National School Lunch Program, but Bennett said that does not necessarily identify every family facing financial challenges.

“We’re figuring out new methods of validating families that are in need, but also different layers of support, too,” she said.

Families interested in financial assistance can ask about available options during the upcoming open houses.

More Than a Competition Series

The format of the league is not changing significantly this year. Instead, Bennett said organizers are looking forward to building on what has worked during the first two seasons.

That includes experiences outside the competition gym.

“We’re looking forward to coming together and doing some outdoor trips together and learning some stewardship and community,” Bennett said, “and just enjoying our great state and the climbing it has.”

For Bennett, that sense of community is an important part of what makes the league work.

The young climbers may compete against each other, but they also encourage each other.

“It’s community and including everyone,” she said.

Could Scholastic Climbing Reach More of Arkansas?

For now, most organized scholastic climbing activity in Arkansas is concentrated around the climbing facilities available in Central and Northwest Arkansas.

Bennett would eventually like to see that change.

She sees potential opportunities through universities with climbing facilities, community climbing gyms and new facilities that could open as climbing and outdoor recreation continue to grow.

“We would really love just to see it grow to other corners of the state,” Bennett said.

Getting Ready for the 2026-2027 Season

Registration for ASCL climbers and coaches opens September 1. The regular competition season is expected to begin in November and continue through February, followed by the league’s national event in March.

Students in grades 6 through 8 compete in the middle school division, while students in grades 9 through 12 compete at the high school level.

Competition schedules for the Arkansas regions are expected to be announced as the season approaches.

For families with a young climber who has never competed, Bennett encourages them not to let experience or ability keep them from exploring the league.

A climber does not have to be the strongest kid in the gym. They do not need a varsity climbing program at their school. They do not even have to know whether they will enjoy competition yet.

They just need to be willing to climb.

As Bennett sees it, the real competition may be with themselves.

And they might just surprise themselves.

This article was originally published on ArkansasOutside.com, your trusted source for outdoor news and updates in The Natural State. Unless otherwise credited, all photos included in this piece are the property of Arkansas Outside, LLC. We take pride in sharing the beauty and adventures of Arkansas through our lens, thank you for supporting our work!

The post Arkansas Scholastic Climbing League Gears Up for Third Season appeared first on Arkansas Outside.

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

The organization behind one of Arkansas’ longest-running road races will no longer offer the full 26.2-mile marathon. But Race Director Tabby Holmes wants runners to understand one thing: Hogeye isn’t going away.

The decision comes after the event celebrated its 50th year in 2026. According to Holmes, the growing challenges of staging a full marathon on increasingly busy Northwest Arkansas streets played a major role in the decision.

“With the growth of the area, it became harder and harder to put on the race. It also became more difficult to get the number of volunteers we needed to keep it a safe event,” Holmes told Arkansas Outside.

Growth Makes a Marathon More Difficult

The Hogeye has adapted to Northwest Arkansas’ growth throughout its history.

The event began in Fayetteville in 1977. According to Holmes, a group that included University of Arkansas professor Dr. Barry Brown mapped out a route from the university to the community of Hogeye and back. The race soon took the Hogeye name.

Over the decades, the course changed as Fayetteville and the surrounding area developed. As the Fayetteville trail system expanded, organizers incorporated more trails into the race, reducing the number of volunteers needed on streets while improving safety.

In 2016, the 40th running of the marathon started at the Fayetteville Square and finished at Wilson Park. The following year, the event moved to Springdale after highway and interchange construction affected the course.

Holmes said Springdale provided significant support, including police coverage and public works crews to help manage traffic and close lanes.

But Northwest Arkansas continued to grow, making the logistics of a 26.2-mile urban race increasingly complicated.

“It’s a matter of sometimes doing something for a long time and realizing that things are changing. We could see, with the growth of the area, that it was just going to get harder and harder to maintain the marathon,” Holmes said.

Holmes emphasized that the decision was not caused by sponsors withdrawing support or by problems with the City of Springdale. Instead, organizers saw increasing challenges in safely managing the full marathon.

A Long History of Running in Northwest Arkansas

The Hogeye has gone through plenty of changes during its five decades.

The half marathon was added in 1998, and various relay formats have also been part of the event.

The full Hogeye Marathon has also been a Boston Marathon qualifying race, giving Arkansas runners an opportunity to earn a qualifying time without leaving the state. Holmes said Hogeye has produced numerous Boston qualifiers over the years despite Northwest Arkansas’ challenging hills.

The end of the Hogeye’s 26.2-mile race removes one of the state’s options for runners chasing a Boston qualifying time. Other Arkansas marathons offering Boston qualifying opportunities include the Little Rock Marathon, White River Marathon for Kenya in Cotter, Three Bridges Marathon in Little Rock and Papa Loco Marathon in Conway. The Little Rock Marathon identifies its USATF-certified marathon as a Boston qualifier, while current race listings also identify White River and Three Bridges as qualifying events. Papa Loco is also listed among Arkansas Boston qualifying races.

For Holmes, losing that part of Hogeye’s identity is significant.

“That’s one of the hardest parts about giving up the marathon,” she said.

Even the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t completely stop Hogeye.

When organizers had to cancel the traditional race just weeks before the scheduled 2020 event, they shifted to a virtual format. Participants submitted evidence of completing their distance and received their shirts and medals.

Now, following the 50th year, organizers see an opportunity to reshape the event rather than end it.

Hogeye Half Marathon Becomes the Focus

The biggest part of that future will be the Hogeye Half Marathon.

Holmes said the organization plans to put more energy into growing the 13.1-mile event, which she describes as the oldest continuously running half marathon in Arkansas.

“The half marathon has really been limited by the fact that we’ve also had the marathon. I’m hoping we can build the half marathon into something bigger than it is now. It probably won’t happen in the first year, but that’s a goal,” Holmes said.

The Hogeye Marathon and Relays nonprofit will also continue operating. Proceeds from its events support organizations including American Wheelchair Mission, Meals on Wheels in Washington County and Peace at Home Family Shelter. Hogeye also supports programs promoting running and fitness in the community.

Registration for the next Hogeye event is already open, according to Holmes. Learn more and get registered at the new website, HogeyeHalf.com.

Could the Hogeye Marathon Return?

While the full marathon is ending, Holmes isn’t willing to rule out its return someday.

When asked whether there could be a future in which runners once again line up for a Hogeye 26.2-mile race, she said it could happen, but she doesn’t want runners to expect a comeback.

For now, the focus is on the half marathon and building the next version of an event that has been part of Northwest Arkansas running for half a century.

The marathon distance may be gone, but Hogeye isn’t.

After 50 years, organizers are looking toward the next chapter.

This article was originally published on ArkansasOutside.com, your trusted source for outdoor news and updates in The Natural State. Unless otherwise credited, all photos included in this piece are the property of Arkansas Outside, LLC. We take pride in sharing the beauty and adventures of Arkansas through our lens, thank you for supporting our work!

The post After 50 Years, Hogeye Marathon Ends Full Marathon but Looks to the Future appeared first on Arkansas Outside.

The U.S. Forest Service has started the process of revising the federal rule that determines where motor vehicles can travel on national forest roads, trails and other lands.

The agency announced Aug. 21 that it is moving forward with changes to the Travel Management Rule, which has guided motorized access on National Forest System lands since 2005.

The revision could eventually affect how roads and trails are managed in Arkansas’s Ouachita National Forest and Ozark-St. Francis National Forests, including decisions involving off-highway vehicles, e-bikes and other motorized uses.

For now, however, nothing has changed for visitors. Existing road and trail designations remain in effect while the Forest Service goes through the federal rulemaking process.

What is the Forest Service Travel Management Rule?

The Travel Management Rule was adopted in 2005 to establish a national system for managing motor vehicle use on National Forest System lands.

Under the rule, the Forest Service designates roads, trails and areas where motor vehicles are allowed. Those decisions are then displayed on Motor Vehicle Use Maps, commonly known as MVUMs.

MVUM for Ozark-St. Francis National Forest
MVUM for Ouachita National Forest

The maps identify routes open to motorized travel and may specify what types of vehicles are permitted and whether seasonal restrictions apply.

Routes not designated for motorized travel are generally closed to public motor vehicle use.

The rule was developed as the Forest Service faced increasing use of off-highway vehicles and concerns about unmanaged cross-country motorized travel.

Why is the Forest Service revising the rule?

The Forest Service said the revision is intended to simplify its travel management regulations and give local forest managers more flexibility when making decisions about access.

According to the agency’s Aug. 21 announcement, the changes are intended to improve outdoor recreation access while supporting safe and sustainable transportation systems on National Forest System lands.

The Forest Service specifically identified motorized vehicles, e-bikes and mobility devices as forms of access that could be addressed through the revised regulations.

The agency also said the current process can limit the ability of local managers to respond quickly to changing recreation needs and conditions.

The exact language of a replacement rule has not been finalized.

What could change in Arkansas?

Arkansas contains more than 2.5 million acres of national forest land within the Ouachita and Ozark-St. Francis National Forests.

Those forests contain thousands of miles of roads and trails used for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, hunting, camping, fishing and motorized recreation.

The Travel Management Rule provides the regulatory framework local Forest Service officials use when determining where motorized travel is permitted.

A revised rule could change that process.

It does not mean that specific Arkansas trails or forest roads will automatically open or close.

Any future changes to individual routes would depend on the final federal regulations and subsequent decisions by Forest Service officials.

E-bike access is included in the review

The Forest Service specifically included e-bikes in its announcement about revising travel management regulations.

Under current Forest Service policy, e-bikes are treated differently from traditional bicycles because they include an electric motor.

Forest Service travel data distinguishes between trails and roads where conventional bicycles and e-bikes are authorized.

The revision could affect how local forest managers evaluate e-bike access in the future.

It does not automatically authorize e-bikes on trails where they are currently prohibited.

That distinction could be significant for mountain biking in Arkansas, particularly on National Forest System trails where conventional bicycles are currently allowed but motorized uses are restricted.

Any changes to those routes would require additional Forest Service decisions after the national rulemaking process.

Current Arkansas road and trail rules remain in place

Visitors to Arkansas’s national forests should continue following existing travel regulations.

Motor Vehicle Use Maps remain the official reference for determining which National Forest System roads, trails and areas are designated for motorized travel.

The maps can also identify vehicle classifications and seasonal restrictions.

Posted closures and other local regulations also remain in effect.

The Forest Service announcement does not immediately change the legal status of any road or trail in the Ouachita or Ozark-St. Francis National Forests.

Wilderness protections are separate

Arkansas also contains federally designated Wilderness areas within its national forests.

Those areas are governed by federal law, including the Wilderness Act and legislation establishing individual Wilderness areas.

The existing Travel Management Rule states that roads, trails and areas within designated Wilderness cannot be designated for motor vehicle use unless that use is authorized by the legislation governing the area.

Revising the Travel Management Rule does not repeal the Wilderness Act or remove congressional Wilderness designations.

As a result, changes to the Travel Management Rule alone would not automatically open Arkansas Wilderness areas to motorized recreation.

Travel Management Rule and Roadless Rule are different policies

The Travel Management Rule revision is moving forward at the same time the U.S. Department of Agriculture is considering changes to the 2001 Roadless Area Conservation Rule.

Although both policies involve National Forest System lands, they regulate different activities.

The Roadless Rule generally limits road construction, road reconstruction and some timber harvesting within designated inventoried roadless areas.

The Travel Management Rule addresses where motor vehicles may travel on National Forest System roads, trails and lands.

The two policies can apply to the same general areas, but changing one does not automatically change the other.

For Arkansas, both federal actions could be relevant to management of the Ouachita and Ozark-St. Francis National Forests.

Environmental review and public comments come next

The Forest Service is beginning an environmental review as part of the Travel Management Rule revision.

The agency plans to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement, or EIS, examining the potential effects of changing the regulations.

The federal rulemaking process will provide opportunities for public review and comment before a final rule is adopted.

More details about potential effects on recreation should become available when the Forest Service releases proposed regulatory language and environmental documents.

That information will also provide a clearer picture of how much authority could shift to local Forest Service officials and what standards would apply when deciding where different types of vehicles are permitted.

What Arkansas outdoor recreation users should know

There is no immediate change to motorized or non-motorized recreation access in Arkansas’s national forests.

Current Motor Vehicle Use Maps, posted restrictions and existing trail designations remain in effect.

The significance of the proposed Travel Management Rule revision will become clearer as the Forest Service releases its proposed rule and environmental analysis.

For people who hike, mountain bike, ride e-bikes, use OHVs, hunt, camp or otherwise recreate in the Ouachita National Forest and Ozark-St. Francis National Forests, the federal rulemaking process will determine the framework Forest Service managers use for future travel and access decisions.

Until that process is complete, existing Arkansas national forest road and trail regulations remain unchanged.

This article was originally published on ArkansasOutside.com, your trusted source for outdoor news and updates in The Natural State. Unless otherwise credited, all photos included in this piece are the property of Arkansas Outside, LLC. We take pride in sharing the beauty and adventures of Arkansas through our lens, thank you for supporting our work!

The post Forest Service Travel Management Rule Revision Could Affect Arkansas National Forest Access appeared first on Arkansas Outside.