History, hiking and ecological convergence in Little Rock, Arkansas

A pleasant yet frustrating sound stirred me from sleep just before dawn. Few camping experiences are as delightful as laying in a warm, dry sleeping bag as rain patters on the tent above.

Normally I’d have enjoyed the gentle dripping, but on that morning, it changed my plans. We were in Little Rock, Arkansas, where Marion was attending a labyrinth conference. With two free days to explore Arkansas’ capital, my plan was to rent an e-bicycle and whisk along a 15-mile trail loop that connects the Big Dam Bridge with downtown, six museums, a nature center, shops and restaurants.

Big Dam Bridge

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Way back in 1913, Little Rock decided to create a series of parks along the Arkansas River. Decade by decade, they were gradually developed and linked by a trail system.

A highlight is the Big Dam Bridge; the world’s longest bridge built exclusively for recreation. It towers about 75 feet above Murray Dam and is 4,400 feet across — almost a mile. Completed in 2006, it helped make Little Rock a true trail town. I wanted to bike it, but not in the rain.

After a coffee shop breakfast, the rain slackened and looked like it would stay away for an hour or so. I hustled to the big bridge and hiked across. From high above I watched a towboat push barges through the lock below me as bicyclists, joggers and parents pushing strollers passed by. Once across, I turned around and hustled back to my car as clouds darkened.

Little Rock’s museums

Then the rain started. What to do next? Fortunately, Little Rock is peppered with museums that offer dry, indoor viewing. Instead of cycling, I’d have enough time to tour one of many.

On my cellphone I scanned the list of places I might visit. They included the Arkansas Museum of the Arts, the Clinton Presidential Center, the Little Rock Audubon Center, and the MacArthur Museum of Military History.

Two unusual museums piqued my curiosity. The Esse Purse Museum highlights women’s fashion, history, culture and handbags. Their website declared that every bag tells a story. Although touring it would be a unique experience, I opted to visit the WWII Gateo Class Submarine Razorback. It is a museum ship moored in the river downtown. Rain wouldn’t be a problem inside a sub.

Razorback submarine tour

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Soon I joined two other visitors as our guide led us through the vintage ship. After a distinguished career patrolling the Pacific during World War II, the sub was sold to Turkey. It holds the record for being the submarine with the longest active-duty life of about 60 years.

Although the University of Arkansas’ mascot is the razorback, named for feisty wild hogs, the sub was actually named for a species of whale.

“Even though there is no clear connection with Arkansas, being named Razorback made fundraising easier and paid to transport it from Turkey to Little Rock,” our guide said.

We climbed down a vertical ladder to the aft torpedo room and squeezed through the galley, head, wardroom and finally to the fore torpedo room. Then, we climbed another vertical ladder up to the deck. I emerged thankful that I didn’t have to serve on a WWII submarine. Sailors were crammed together in a hot environment. Only allowed to shower once every two weeks, submariners lived in a metal tube reeking of body odor and diesel fuel. Our guide mentioned she sheds and launders her clothes after every shift because the clothes pick up the ancient odor even after all these decades.

History and hiking

On previous visits to Little Rock, we had toured the Clinton Presidential Center and the headquarters of the Heifer Project. Both were fascinating. Our visits to sites on the cutting edge of our nation’s quest toward racial equality were sobering.

In the fall of 1957, Little Rock became the symbol of state resistance to school desegregation. The city became the first test of the federal government’s resolve to enforce civil rights following the Brown v. Board of Education decision, which declared state-sponsored segregation in public schools unconstitutional. President Dwight Eisenhower sent federal troops to ensure that Black children could attend the formerly all-white Central High School. Today, it remains an active school that is a national historic site.

After my submarine adventure I enjoyed a delicious dinner in one of the Little Rock area’s many restaurants before heading back to my tent pitched just across the Arkansas River in Maumelle Park. The early November evening was cool enough to enjoy sitting by a campfire. Run by the Army Corps of Engineers, Maumelle is a pleasant place to camp minutes from downtown and sandwiched between the Arkansas River and Pinnacle Mountain State Park. Maumelle welcomes tents and RVs.

On my brisk walk across the Big Dam Bridge, I spotted an unusual hill a few miles to the west. While the tops of most Arkansas and Missouri hills are rounded, this one had a pointed peak. It was Pinnacle Mountain.

The 2,356-acre Pinnacle Mountain State Park features trails winding to the peak, traversing dense woods and approaching the Big and Little Maumelle Rivers. It is just a few miles west of Little Rock, making it easy for a visitor to tour urban sites for part of a day and then take a pleasant hike in nature.

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Little Rock is about 620 miles south of Cedar Rapids. We visited in early November, so the region’s sultry summer heat had evaporated. Trees were spectacularly colorful, and the cool weather is probably why trails were filled with hikers and cyclists.

When on trips, we enjoy observing vegetation along the road. As our car dipped south, we noticed the rounded tops of southern pines, and an increasing diversity of hardwood tree species and cypresses growing from water.

“Little Rock is at the intersection of the Arkansas River Valley, Ouachita Mountains and the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. The West Gulf Coastal Plain lies just to the south. It creates a breathtaking juxtaposition of forest types in or close to town,” said horticulturist and Little Rock native Chris Hiryak.

We took two days to drive to Little Rock and three days to return. Part of our quest was walking labyrinths going and coming. Our leisurely pace also gave time to stop at Mark Twain’s birthplace near Florida, Missouri. We then drove through the heart of the Ozark Mountains and breezed through Branson, Missouri, before reaching Arkansas.

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Central Missouri is known for its many caves. We could have spent days exploring them. One site had such an odd name that we had to visit. Missouri’s Ha Ha Tonka State Park is near Camdenton on a tongue of the Lake of the Ozarks. Hiking some of its extensive trail system gave us needed exercise after hours in the car, a chance to peek into smaller caves and walk across a natural bridge.

Our most ambitious hike was on a trail descending 320 wooden steps to a massive clear water spring bubbling out of a rock face. Then, we trudged those 320 steps back up. A park feature is an impressive European-style castle perched high over the Lake. Built by Kansas City businessman Robert Snyder in 1903, the structure burned in 1942 leaving towering stone walls. We found it curious that the carriage house, some distance from the main house, also caught fire. Viewing it was fascinating but a bit creepy. Ha Ha Tonka became a state park in 1978.

On our trip to and from Little Rock, we repeated a mistake we’ve made on past trips: we didn’t plan enough time. Had we planned a day or two more, we would have toured the Esse Purse Museum, bicycled trails, sampled more restaurants and caught more caves. We’ll return.