Over the years, I have visited state parks in my immediate vicinity including AR, MS, MO, KS, and OK. Mainly, I have visited scenic rivers Mulberry and Buffalo and many other unprotected rivers and streams. For my investment of time, AR state parks seem to offer the best options. In AR, I have visited Lake Chicot (Lake Village), Cane Creek (Star City), Devil's Den (Winslow), Lake Ft. Smith (Mountainburg), Hobbs (Rogers), Prairie Grove Battlefield (PG), Delta Heritage (Barton), Village Creek (Wynne) and Mt. Magazine(Paris). Compared to MO, OK, and KS, AR is by far the best manager of state parks. OK just doesn't care about how crummy some of their sites are. Same with the parks I've visited in MO and KS. It brings me to the point of this blog. A report this week in the ADG, stated that AR citizens are among the laziest in America. AR has some of the finest state parks and outdoor opportunities in America and AR citizens don't seem to utilize the resources we have. Mulberry River and Buffalo River are federally protected rivers. Buffalo is a national river and Mulberry is a designated scenic river. Hikes and horseback riding are activities besides paddling that are offered that are excellent cardio-vascular activities for folks who don't backpack, rock-climb or participate in less accessible somewhat dangerous activities. AR citizens are lazy and fat according to the report and there are resources available to citizens that are usually very low in cost to combat the piling on of adipose tissue.
My home region, eastern AR, has lagged behind, particularly near Helena, in state park and national forest access. The MS River State Park has begun work on St Francis National Forest, where I spent many hours of my youth, to remedy the access gap by building a hiking trail and improving campsites at Bear Creek and Storm Creek Lakes and are planning to open access points on the MS River for paddlers. Cane Creek S.P. has a 15 mile hike/bike trail for use in SE AR and Lake Chicot S.P.has a nice big piece of lake to paddle to one's limit, but lacks a hiking trail. I rode my bike along the highway leading to the park to the levee and accumulated a few miles of excellent pedaling and the local traffic were very courteous and gave plenty of room, though the farm trucks continued to drive from 70mph to 90 near Lake Village. Biking could be an excellent activity if the road around the park and the two sections of lake were fully paved. I rode a mountain bike, so I didn't mind the gravel. I didn't ride all the way round the lake, so maybe it's much better ahead. Lake Chicot SP doesn't have a lot of room for trails, though they do have a short hike where mosquitoes awaited us. Wah!
AR citizens should take a change of lifestyle seriously to avoid horrible slow-decay deaths that seem to await many of us if we don't get smart about fitness. The national forests and refuges are beginning to take the access issue seriously and I have become a big fan of their offerings. White River National Refuge is not just for hunting these days. I've enjoyed paddling some of the wetlands of SE AR despite guns ablazing all around. Haven't been shot yet. Besides, most of the hunters and motor-boaters are beyond courteous and friendly. We have many good people who live and let live, so don't be afraid to encounter other folks deep in the forest or refuge. I've hiked the Ozark Highlands Trail during the height of deer season and turkey season. Most state parks ban hunting in NW AR, except Hobbs, for example, where hunting is allowed at certain times. Devil's Den bans hunting all the time, but hunting is allowed in the adjoining Ozark National Forest ( not forgetting that some hunters actually walk for their prey and can get some c-v benefit). NW AR's Pea Ridge National Military park offers road riding on their paved tour loop and within the 4,300 acres are numerous short hikes useful for exploring troop movements and the battle and a 10 mile trail that utilizes the entire park.
Get out and enjoy the beautiful natural setting AR offers its citizens. There are no excuses for being a couch potato in this great state.
No comments:
Post a Comment