Exploring the Natural State

 

Arkansas is certainly deserving of the title of “The Natural State.” It is home to some of the most beautiful and diverse landscapes and landmarks in America, ideal for hiking, fishing, hunting, rock climbing, and virtually any other outdoor activity one can think of. And yet ironically, it’s often hard for the residents of centrally located Little Rock to find places to do the outdoors activities they love without driving tens or hundreds of miles to get there. While well-known locations like Pinnacle and Shinnall Mountain are great nearby locales, many outdoorsmen argue that the greatest way to experience nature is in relative peace and quiet, away from areas frequented by hundreds of people each week.

“It can be really hard to find places that aren’t already teeming with people near the city,” said junior Ben Orfanos. But to Orfanos, some of the best places to be alone with nature are hidden in plain sight. “None of the places I go really have names, but there is an area between Pinnacle and Star Farms that is a really beautiful place to hike,” said Orfanos. “There are offshoots of the Arkansas River on the Maumelle side that are really great to go to,” he said. “The water in those parts is only about three feet deep, so I take my kayak out and go fishing for bass. Offshoots and oxbows of the river also usually make great bow-fishing spots too.”

“There are tons of places if you know where to look,” said junior and experienced angler Anderson Hambuchen. “I go fishing everywhere from Lake Willastein in Maumelle, to little ponds in neighborhoods in that area. I once caught an eight-pound bass on a neighborhood pond in Maumelle,” said Hambuchen. “One of the great areas for bass and crappie fishing is Lake Conway. Bow-fishing at the spillway there is also usually really good,” said Hambuchen. “I like to kayak, and people usually overlook the Arkansas River for obvious reasons,” he said. “But most people don’t know you can actually kayak all the way from pinnacle to Two Rivers Park on an offshoot of the Arkansas.”

For junior Ben Sorrels, simply finding places to go is half the adventure. “I like to hop in my car and just start driving, looking for places,” he said. “You find things you’d never known existed by exploring like that. There are so many parks and things people don’t know about out west, down Highway 10 and past Pinnacle for instance,” said Sorrels. “Lake Sylvia and the Lake Maumelle spillway trails are fantastic places to hike, fish, hammock or camp and both are less than an hour from west Little Rock. Places like that are all over that area too,” he said.  “If you want some direction, plan out where you want to go on a map. If you want to find something new, the best way is to start looking for it yourself.”

“I think people forget pretty often how close some things really are,” said Hambuchen. “If you want hiking, Petit Jean is a great place to go on day trips,” he said. “The Little Red River and even the Buffalo are awesome for fishing and it takes less than an hour to get to both. If you want to fish even closer than that, there are so many waterways like Palarm creek near Maumelle and Conway. I obviously don’t want to give up my favorite fishing spots, all I can do is point you in the right direction and you’ll just have to find it for yourself.”

 

+ posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *