Hobbs State Park and Conservation Area

Northwest Arkansas is one corner of the Ozarks where rapid development has put nature's grandeur on the defensive. That's why locals are fortunate to have the Hobbs Conservation Area, the largest state park in Arkansas, right next door. It's a 12,000-acre trail-o-rama spanning the woody hills between Beaver Lake and War Eagle Creek just East of Rogers. A newcomer to the park game, Hobbs was created just in time to preserve an area ideal for exploration by car, bike, horse, or foot.



[Arkansas State Parks - Hobbs Conservation Area]



Hobbs is a plank of local history, occupying land originally belonging to logging entrepreneur and sideburns enthusiast Peter Van Winkle. His family sawmill was one of the earliest industries in Northwest Arkansas, but like everything else in the Ozarks, it was burned down during the Civil War. The foundations of the family homestead and mill site remain, and are now part of an interpretive trail on the National Register of Historic places.



Moving closer to the park's namesake, the territory eventually fell in the hands of Bentonville railroad cross-tie tycoon Roscoe Hobbs. An unlikely conservationist, he willed the land be sold to Arkansas if the state could afford it. Shockingly, the state couldn't. However, when California investors threatened to develop suburban lots and import the pretentious West-coast folk sound of the Eagles, the residents of Northwest Arkansas rallied. The Walton family of Wal*Mart fame and state Attorney General Bill Clinton joined a successful grassroots effort to marshal the funds to buy the land. In 1979, it became Hobbs State Park - Conservation Area.

Local pride never faltered. Today the area is maintained by legions of volunteers organized through the Friends of Hobbs non-profit organization. When a record ice storm in January 2009 smashed the Ozarks, locals cleared 30 miles of felled trees from trails in just a few months.



The newest treasure at Hobbs State Park is the visitor's center, opened in May 2009. It's a trove of Ozark naturalism with touch-screen exhibits on history, culture, caves, and forest biomes. Classrooms make it an easy destination for students, but it's also quite a sight for the casual Ozarkbahner. Since the center is located on the 21-mile, multi-use Hidden Diversity Trail, there's also ample horse parking. However you roll, check this one out.

[Hobbs Visitor Center on Google Maps]



Hobbs covers three counties, far more than we can cover in one sitting. The visitor's center and Van Winkle Trail above are two of the shortest treks at the park. Look for the rest in another exciting installment somewhere down the road...err 'bahn. You know.