If you have been in an Arkansas state park store lately, you might have noticed something different.

Rather than shirts promoting that specific park, you will notice that almost all the new merchandise just features the generic official ASP logo, with the specific park name relegated to small letters—if it is mentioned at all.

So you may be thrilled to hike the vistas of Mount Magazine, love the waterfall beauty of Petit Jean, or be dazzled by the diamond-hunting experience at Crater of Diamonds, but the only new t-shirt available to commemorate your trip is probably a generic ASP logo shirt.

While store shelves may still hold older, not-yet-sold traditional inventory that promotes individual parks, nearly all the new apparel is just the ASP logo shirts.

I have nothing against the official ASP logo. It’s a great design! But visitors to Petit Jean should be able to buy a shirt boldly promoting Petit Jean (or whichever park) and not just the state system.

Could you imagine if you make a trip to Grand Canyon National Park and they have no shirts boldly promoting that Grand Canyon? Sounds pretty crazy, right?

If you are an Arkansas state park fan like me and you would like to see Arkansas state park stores return to stocking shirts which proudly promote their individual parks, send your constructive feedback to the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism:

• Email: parks.info@arkansas.gov
• Phone: 1-888-287-2757

By the way, all the information here is based on my own observations from visiting various Arkansas state park gift shops this year and from speaking directly with staff about current shirt availability.

The post The Great Arkansas State Park Shirt Genericization appeared first on Arklahoma Hiker.

The walking path at Benton’s Sunset Lake Park (Saline County) is an easy one-mile loop that circles the triangular-shaped lake. There is an isthmus, which also can be walked separating off a smaller part of the lake. 

Even though noise from the nearby interstate can be a little bit of a distraction, this is usually a very enjoyable walk.

For anglers, there is a fishing pier on the lake.

To get to Sunset Lake Park, take Fairfield Road next to the Saline County Fairgrounds down to Henry Street. It is just a few blocks from the fairgrounds.

These photos are from my visit on October 13, 2019.

Photo Gallery

Click below for full-screen photo gallery.

Click here for GPX file download.

Last revised: 8-22-2021.

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The .6-mile Hazel Evans Walking Trail at Carol Ann Cross Park on the east side of Fort Smith is a very pleasant walk. The trail makes a loop around Wildcat Mountain Lake. The lake is enjoyable to view year round.

The best views are probably where the trail goes over the dam.

Carol Ann Cross Park features picnic tables, pavilions, and a playground.

These photos are all from my walk on November 10, 2019.

Photo Gallery

Click below for full-screen photo gallery.

You can download a gpx file of the walking path at this link.

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The 1.5-mile Fitness Course walking path in Ben Geren Park in Fort Smith is an enjoyable way to get some exercise outside.

The trail has almost no elevation change and has a shale rock surface. It is a pretty easy walk.

While not a wooded area, there are a number of trees along the trail that were planted about 10 years ago. Quite a few of them have reached a considerable height making the trail more scenic and enjoyable, particularly in the summer. 

There are a variety of “fitness stations” (e.g., parallel bars) along the path to help you stay in shape.

The park is owned and operated by Sebastian County.

These photos are all from my November 10, 2019 walk.

Photo Gallery

Click below for full-screen photo gallery.

Click here for gpx file download.

Last revised: 8-29-2021.

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