The Green Heron Trail at DeGray Lake Resort State Park (near Caddo Valley and Arkadelphia) is a scenic roughly mile-long lollipop loop.

It begins behind the Visitor Center and is a nice wide, flat path that is great for viewing wildlife.

Getting to Green Heron Trailhead

To get there from Interstate 30, take Exit 78 and head north on Highway 7 for about 6 miles.

Then take a left on Edgewood Drive. After about 300 feet, take another left onto State Park Road and follow the signs to the visitor center.

On the Trail

You begin by walking from the mowed yard of the Visitor Center into the thick forests of the Ouachitas. It kind of has the feel of a children’s book where you walk into another world.

You will immediately pass a pond to your left. When I hiked the trail, it was covered in a green algae film, that was quite pretty.

Shortly after you pass the pond, you cross a bridge and get your first glimpse of the lake. This a great place to keep your eyes out for wildlife and waterfowl.

At mile 0.2, you come to an intersection. This is the end of the “stick” of the lollipop loop.

There is a sign that points you toward the right to complete the trail. However, if you choose to go to the left, you will end up back at the same spot.

After you make a right at the intersection, the trail heads back toward the lake and follows it pretty closely for a little bit.

At mile 0.3 there’s a spur trail to the right to a watchable wildlife station where you can hike and view the wildlife that calls DeGray Lake home. There are some very nice views of the lake here.

Once you complete the spur trail, make a right to finish out the trail.

Right around the half-mile point, there is another intersection with a trail going toward the left. This is a shortcut trail that will take you back to the trailhead. I chose to not take it so I could finish the trail.

The trail gets close to the lake again and you can see it through the trees. When I was there some of the woodlands were flooded, and it was really pretty.

At mile 0.6 the trail seems to end at the edge of the woods and the dike on the road. This area was difficult to follow because the red blazes just ended. There were no more markers or beaten paths to follow.

I took a guess and hiked through the high grass of the road’s right-of-way, which is how the trail goes.

Around mile 0.75 (about 0.1 miles along the grassy area), there is a sign pointing you back in the forest to complete the trial.

At mile 0.8 you intersect with the shortcut trail. You will want to go to the right here to get back to the trailhead.

You will quickly come back to the first intersection where you will want to turn right to finish and hike along the “stick” of the lollipop look to finish out the trail.

Final Notes

The total length of the hike is about .9 miles. It is an easy hike with no more than 40 feet or so of elevation change.

These photos are from my April 25, 2020 hike.

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[A version of this post was originally published on April 30, 2020 in the blog “Right Kind of Lost.”]

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The Island Trail at DeGray Lake Resort State Park (near Caddo Valley and Arkadelphia) is a great 1-mile hiking trail. It is an easy and scenic walk with some great views of the lake and little elevation change.

Getting to the DeGray Lake Resort State Park Lodge

The Island Trail starts next to the lodge. To get there from Interstate 30, head toward Caddo Valley and take Exit 78. Then go north on Highway 7 for about 8 miles. The park will be on your left.

Once in the park, follow the signs to the lodge. The Island Trailhead is near the west end of the lodge. There is a sign.

The Trail

The trail starts just to the right of the lodge. It is a well-marked forested trail with orange blazes.

After about 0.1 miles, you will cross a service road. Once you reenter the woods, the trail immediately splits. This is the loop part of the lollipop, so it doesn’t matter which way you go. I chose to go to the right (counterclockwise).

Around mile 0.2, the trail turns and follows along the lakeshore, along the edge of the island. It gives you nice glimpses of the lake while hiking under a thick canopy of trees.

At mile 0.5, there is a spur trail to the right that takes you down to a nice rocky beach and wide-open lake. This is a great place to picnic or take a long break. In the summertime, it will be a nice place to cool off in the lake.

Follow the spur trail back to the Island Trail and go right to finish out the loop. From here, the trail follows the lakeshore pretty closely, and there are few other spots you can stop and enjoy the lake.

At mile 0.9 you finish the loop and rejoin the “stick” of the lollipop. From there go right, cross the road again and finish out the trail.

Final Notes

These photos are from my April 25, 2020 hike except for the last one which Mike Newman took on September 26, 2015. Mike reports that he had good AT&T cell signal on his hikes there in 2015 and 2018.

DeGray Lake Resort State Park is in Clark and Hot Spring Counties.

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[A version of this post was originally published on April 30, 2020 in the blog “Right Kind of Lost.”]

Last revised: 2-9-2022.

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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.

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Last revised: 8-22-2021.

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One of my favorite hikes around the Hot Springs area is the Caddo Bend Trail at Lake Ouachita State Park (Garland County). This 4-mile moderately challenging loop showcases the beauty of the forest that blankets the Ouachita Mountains.

It also has beautiful views of Lake Ouachita.

Getting to Caddo Bend Trail

To get to Lake Ouachita State Park from Interstate 30, take Exit 98B to get on Highway 270 West. Stay on 270 West for about 22 miles as it goes through the south part of Hot Springs. Then swing left to stay on 270 West as it merges with Albert Pike Road.

After another 1.5 miles, turn right onto Highway 227 (Pine Mountain Road). Stay on this road to the park, about 12 more miles.

Take a left at the visitor center onto Crawdad Island Road. The clearly marked trailhead is on the left just ahead. There is parking there.

The Trail

Caddo Bend Trail mostly follows the perimeter of a peninsula on the east side of Lake Ouachita. The suggested hiking direction is clockwise walking the south side of the peninsula first, then the short west end, then back on the north side. That is the way I usually go.

The trail has numerous yellow blazes and distance markers every half-mile.

The trail is not very difficult, but it does have plenty of up-and-down climbing. There is only about a 150-foot difference between the highest and lowest elevations, but the “total elevation gain” (a calculation that adds up all the uphill climbing) is about 790 feet.

Tornado Impact

A tornado on April 25, 2011 struck the park and severely damaged the trail. It knocked down nearly all the trees on about one-third of the peninsula taking out much of the canopy.

Although it is sad that the storm damaged one of my favorite trails, it is interesting to see the growth of nature in the tornado-cleared areas.

Actually I kind of like the changes. It opened up the trail, so the vistas of the lake are more numerous, and there are many more wildflowers in the spring and summer.

I also love hiking through the tall grasses that now take advantage of the abundance of sunlight.

But don’t forget your bug spray. The grasses and wildflowers are prime areas for chiggers.

West Peninsula and North Side

A little under half way, the trail comes to the tip of the peninsula on the west end of the loop. There is a deck here overlooking Lake Ouachita. This is a superb spot to watch the sunset.

An unofficial spur trail to the left will take you down to the lake shore. The trail never actually takes you down to the lake. But there are several unofficial trails that lead to nice beaches for cooling or just enjoying the lake.

As the trail rounds the end of the peninsula, you hike through fairly rocky terrain. Then as the trail parallels the tip of the peninsula, it provides you with wonderful piney views of the cliffs below.

The trail makes its way around to the north side and begins heading back to the campgrounds and the park’s marina. On this leg, there are two bridges that cross deep ravines. The trail takes you through open woods, and there are not as many meadowy tornado damaged areas as on the south side.

In the middle of the peninsula there is a gravel road, and all along the trail there are side trails that take you to that road. The well-marked spur trails to the road are great if you want to cut the trail short. The road in the middle is also nice and wide, so it is easier to walk out in the twilight if you want to watch the sunset from the vista.

At around 4 miles, the trail completes the loop back by the trailhead.

Final Notes

Numerous interpretive signs offer information about wildlife that are unique to the area.

I consider the trail difficulty to be moderate (3 of 5). The trail has a few ups and downs, but for the most part the steepness is not too terrible.

I tried trail running the Caddo Bend Trail once. That was enough for me. I am not a trail runner, and I don’t advise trying it on this trail. There are so many rocks and roots that I was constantly watching my footing, more so than on a typical trail.

I also ran with my dog, Caddie. Trying to keep my balance on the unsure footing and hold the leash was just too much.

By the way, this is an awesome place to kayak. The geology of the lake is extremely interesting. The state park offers geological guided tours via party barge.

These photos are from my December 2018 hike except for the designated ones that Mike Newman took in June 2016.

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[A version of this post was originally published on October 27, 2016 in the blog “Right Kind of Lost.”]

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