The Pigeon Creek Trail System
A National Recreational Trail
System
Less than ten minutes from Mountain
Home, Arkansas you will find one of the premier trail systems in the Ozarks. Located on
Highway 201 North at the Pigeon Creek Park on Lake Norfork, this 'stacked loop' trail
system offers over twenty miles of bicycling and hiking opportunities along the shoreline
area of Lake Norfork.
The trails vary in length and
difficulty, with elevation difference of 250 feet maximum, ensuring a great experience for
bicyclist and hikers of all skill levels. In June of 2001 the Pigeon Creek Trail
system was added to the National Recreational Trail program.
Developed and maintained by the Twin
Lakes Bicycle Club (TLBC), through a Volunteer program with the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, this trail system has fast become a favorite with off-road bicyclist in a four
state region. This is where the TLBC hosts the Pigeon Roast each spring, one of the annual
Arkansas Mountain Bike Championship Series events. TLBC uses the revenue from the race to
maintain and expand the trail system for outdoor recreational use by the local community
and area visitors alike.
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Maps of the trail system, along with
GPS on topographical maps, are available locally at Bikes & Things, Inc., a local full
service retail bicycling shop. From the trail
head the route you choose may take you through deep ravines with large out-crops of
limestone shelves, then up into aromatic cedar glades. You'll ride along a creek bank
lined with pine trees. In the spring you'll enjoy a hill top view of a broad expanse of
dogwood trees in full bloom.
Old road beds and the remnants of homesteads long
ago reclaimed by nature can often be found near patches of now-wild iris and roses planted
in the days before the Lake Norfork reservoir was built. |
In the heat of summer
Lake Norfork offers a refreshing cool-off swim after a strenuous ride or hike. In the
winter a morning fog is often seen rising from the water with the sounds of unseen
migratory birds drifting with the fog. Deer, squirrels, rabbits, and wild turkey sightings
are common. Several species of wildflowers bloom from early April through October
attracting a wide range of butterfly species. Whether
you bike it or hike it, you'll soon discover why the Pigeon Creek Trail System is
considered to be one of the premier trail systems in the Ozarks.
In our Web site you'll find a
description and maps of each trail, as well as maps for the entire trail system, use
guidelines and regulations. Thanks for visiting!
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