Outdoors

"Arkansas is a 'Natural State' for the great outdoors"

Bluff overlooking the Buffalo National River. Photo courtesy of the Arkansas Parks and Tourism Department

Parks

FAYETTEVILLE PARKS AND RECREATION WINS STATE AWARD

The Arkansas Recreation and Parks Association awarded the 2008 Program of the Year award to Fayetteville Parks and Recreation for the Outdoor Adventure Camp. This camp, centered around Lake Fayetteville Park, introduces children ages eight through twelve to outdoor activities including mountain biking, kayaking, fishing, hiking, disc golf and climbing on Lewis and Clark's 25 foot rock wall. Participants also learn outdoor education lessons such as wilderness survival, animal tracking, shelter building and tree and plant identification.

The Fayetteville Parks and Recreation Division has proudly sponsored the development of more than 3,000 acres of community parks, lakes and recreational complexes for the enjoyment of Fayetteville's citizens and its many visitors. The city devotes generous space for the public parks, activity centers and sports complexes needed by literally thousands of young baseball, soccer, football and basketball players, as well as skate parks, BMX bike courses, climbing walls, swimming pools, equestrian centers, fitness gyms, target ranges and nature trails. Little League Baseball playoffs are held in the area each year with teams coming from all over the country to compete.

State Parks:

• White Rock State Park
• Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park
• Pea Ridge National Military Park

Lakes, Fishing, and Hunting

Fly Fishing in the Ozarks

Northwest Arkansas' natural attractions draw outdoors enthusiasts from around the world. The 30,000-acre Beaver Lake was the site of the very first BassMasters fishing tournament, and still regularly hosts BassMasters events, as well as being home to the FLW Tour Wal-Mart Open every spring.

Lakes:

• Beaver Lake - Corps of Engineers
• Lake Fayetteville
• Lake Sequoyah
• Lake Wedington

If fishing is of interest - area trout streams yielded the current world-record brown trout of 40 lb. 4 oz. The nearby Buffalo River, America's first nationally designated scenic river, carries canoeists and kayakers through the 1.2 million-acre Ozark National Forest where sportsmen hunt white-tailed deer, ducks, turkey and elk.

Golf

Northwest Arkansas's "Best Place to Play" is Stonebridge Meadows Golf Club in Fayetteville - as ranked by Golf Digest with an exceptional four and one-half star rating.

Ozark Golf Course

There are many area golf courses, both public and private, with new golf courses opening up daily. If you're a golfer who enjoys challenging courses amid beautiful scenery, then you'll find plenty of opportunities to practice your favorite pastime here. Northwest Arkansas ranks 8th nationally for private golf holes per capita, and 66th in total golf holes per capita. Bella Vista boasts six continuous miles of courses totaling 126 holes. Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers combines a masterful Don Sechrest course design with an elegantly appointed clubhouse and dining room, and Stonebridge Meadows in Fayetteville was named the number one public course in the state by Golf Digest. Four additional golf courses are currently under development, including a new championship course designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr.

Outdoors Links