Explore Springdale, Arkansas & The Great Outdoors

My love for my home state of NW Arkansas grows stronger every visit home. On a recent trip to Springdale, Arkansas, I was able to spend quality time with a friend in north Springdale on the NW Arkansas Razorback Regional Greenway and along the Lake Springdale Trail around Lake Springdale.

I was in awe of the natural beauty of the Greenway as it wove through the lush vibrant green surroundings. The section we started on was from the Thunder Chicken Trailhead. I have found various sectors of the Greenway are named in reference to something significant of that area.

In addition to the multi use paved Greenway, there are several single track mountain biking trails in that area. The trailheads have descriptive visual signs showing the various trails, the length, type and difficulty level along with other pertinent information for that specific area. The mountain biking community has grown tremendously in NW Arkansas in recent years along with the running and cycling communities.

It had been over 30 years since the last time I had been in that area of North Springdale. With the rapid growth of NW Arkansas including Springdale, I am so happy to see areas are being preserved like the trail around Lake Springdale. There were runners, walkers and cyclist on the Razorback Greenway that early morning we went for a walk. There were several people fishing along the lake. I saw another friend of mine on the trail. They walk from the Lake Springdale trail head to Downtown Springdale to get coffee at one of the local coffee shops by the trail downtown then make the walk back.

My friend also took me to the J. B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center which is located beside the Greenway on 61 acres in north Springdale. It is another incredible asset to NW Arkansas and also preserving land for a beauty, conservation and educational purposes. I am so happy to see Springdale still has so many parks with trails and that the Greenway spotlights many beautiful areas of the city from countryside to following the creeks and streams that meander through the city.

The Greenway gives you an opportunity to experience the beautiful preserved lands and or countryside to the urban downtown of Bentonville, the landscape of the Pinnacle area of Rogers, on to the Lake Springdale area through the bustling revitalized downtown Springdale area . Then it continues on to Lake Fayetteville on southward experiencing views of Fayetteville from outlying areas along the creeks to the hills on edge of the University of Arkansas through downtown Fayetteville then out to the southern portion of town where the views are ever changing.

The Razorback Greenway is a 40+ mile multi use paved trail system from Bella Vista to South Fayetteville. All along the trail it is well marked with mile markers and also signs, directions and “miles to go” to the various cities and/or landmarks of significance in the area. There are a tremendous number of feeder/connector trails that connect to the Greenway also. From the Greenway information: “The Razorback Greenway links 6 downtown areas, 3 major hospitals, 23 schools, the University of Arkansas, and the corporate headquarters of Wal-Mart, J. B. Hunt Transport Services and Tyson Foods. The Greenway links entertainment venues, shopping areas, historic sites, parks, playgrounds, lakes and neighborhoods.”

I am so impressed with the vision and the mission of the Razorback Greenway. It is very exciting to see the incredible boom of the cycling community in NW Arkansas. I also like that all the cities have local bike shops you can rent a bike or E-bike to enjoy along the greenway. Every trip I make to NW Arkansas, I always make a point to get out and experience the Greenway in various areas of Washington and Benton counties. It is so incredible to see families out spending quality time cycling together along with the ever growing running community. The Greenway is giving an opportunity from young residents to older residents to be outside walking, running, cycling enjoying the great outdoors. The NW Arkansas Razorback Regional Greenway showcases why Arkansas is known as “The Natural State”.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

NW Arkansas Razorback Regional Greenway: https://razorbackgreenway.org/

Springdale Arkansas Visitors Information: https://explorespringdale.com/

J. B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center: https://www.agfc.com/en/explore-outdoors/nature-centers/jbjhfohnc/