Explore the best rated trails in Batesville, AR, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Lawrence County Rail-Trail and Sulphur Creek Trail . With more than 3 trails covering 21 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
My husband I and I use this trail often. It goes through wooded areas, along Gun Creek, through fields and park areas. Pretty level all along the way. We use it to get to neighborhoods where we can extend our ride. Well maintained throughout! Excellent trail for biking or walking!
From the college to Hoxie you will come to a updated park with new playground equipment and three bathrooms They are nice if someone would keep them clean so that was a disappointment that it was nasty and not kept up But they are brand new so maybe that’s just a one off and they will have somebody from parks and recreation to clean them soon
Very nice paved trail!! There is a parking lot at the Walnut Ridge trailhead. Easy to start there and ride to Hoxie. Easy ride.. the only issue is crossing Hwy 67, 4 lanes of heavy traffic.. but other than that, very nice! There is a Casey’s on the way if you need water and a restroom.
I love that it’s off the main roads and highway. The path that starts at the college is nice but it does get secluded with over hanging trees and the debris is on the ground so it makes for a not so smooth ride for a short distance. Before you hit the main highway you have to cross to get to the other side you will cross a wooden bridge. It’s seems dilapidated but for now it’s usable hopefully someone will fix this. Then you will now cross the main highway and it can be dangerous so wait till you can safely cross Wait on truck drivers they will not slow down It’s a nice ride after that You can park your car in several spots At William Baptist college Or in Hoxie Several spots to stop and get something to eat Even Casey’s gas station has air you have to buy it
Trail is very isolated. Dangerous Bridge at the end. Supports are rotted out. Only saw one rider. No places for refreshments or food.
It’s very rare to find a Rails-to-Trails project this nice in a small town like Walnut Ridge/Hoxie. It’s completely paved, with a couple of small bridges and a great spectrum of scenery — rural fields, forest and neighborhoods. WELL WORTH the ride!
Awesome trail, I especially like the new parking lot. It’s very flat, only about 20% shade.
Great improvements have been made recently on this trail! A new parking area has been created on the north end of a new section of trail in College City. On what current maps show as W. Winters Ln in College City, the parking area has plenty of room and the trail leaves from the southwest end of the lot (Picture 1). After heading south for about ¾ mile, the new section of trail t-bones (Picture 2) with the original trail. Turning right (west) takes you through a nicely wooded section of trail (Picture 3) towards Hwy 67. This fairly busy highway crossing is about 1½ miles from the college parking area.
After crossing the highway, you will find a newly paved section continuing west for another half mile or so before the trail takes on a more southerly heading. The flat terrain lends itself to farming and there are a few trees for variety (Picture 4).
The Coon Creek crossing has been completely rebuilt (Picture 5). As you continue south, croplands give way to homes (Picture 6). Continuing into the town of Walnut Ridge, you travel through quiet city lanes and some older neighborhoods (Picture 7). About 5 miles from the start point is West Main Street. On the south side of this busy crossing is a Casey’s convenience store which makes a nice rest stop with facilities, snacks and cold drinks. Another couple of miles or so and you will find the turn-around at the southern end of the trail (Picture 8).
At the north end of the trail, in College City (now annexed into Walnut Ridge), if you head east on Fulbright Ave for about ¾ mile, you can visit the Wings of Honor Museum (Picture 9) for a bit of history of the area as well as a place to get out of the sun and cool off.
My wife and I thoroughly enjoy this trail. The 15-mile round trip including the excursion to the Museum is just right for a nice afternoon outing on our trikes. We enjoy the peaceful farm areas as well as the lack of traffic on most of the streets. The streets in College City are also very lightly traveled most of the time, and being the home of Williams Baptist University there are a fair number of bikes in the area.
I rode this trail two days ago and found that the entire trail is now paved. Also, a new section/cutoff has been paved near the north end of the trail taking you into the Williams Baptist University campus. From there, you can easily get to the local airport on lightly traveled city streets and visit the Wings of Honor Museum or airport lobby. Then travel south on the main street back to the trail head and head south all the way to Hoxie. According to my GPS it was just under 14 miles for a round trip. There is some mowing yet to be done on the very northern end, but they have done a lot work. Mayor Snapp is obviously committed to keeping this trail usable.
There is a new parking area by the United Free Will Baptist Church at the corner of 67B and Pocahontas St. It appears the church has expanded their parking so the trail cuts through the middle of it, or it may be for the trail. anyway, it is new and very convenient. One mile north of the church, the trail is washed out as it crosses Coon Creek. It has been partially filled and you can get across this, but it is challenging. Another mile north and we found a tree down, blocking the trail and turned around. After returning to our starting point, we continued about 3 miles south, to the southern end and returned for a total of 10 miles. With the exception of the creek crossing and the tree down, it was a nice ride. I rode from the airport to the main highway about a month ago and found it to be a pleasant ride, with a couple of exceptions. First off, the first 50 yards or so was bad, lots of broken glass and tree trimming debris and so forth. It was barely possible to pick a path through it safely. I would not chance it without heavy duty tires and tubes. A little ways in, the bridge is beginning to deteriorate. Most of the nails holding the decking down need to be driven back down. Fortunately, they are all lined up and quite visible so I was able to pick my path through them on my Catrike. The rest of the trail is very enjoyable. You do need to be cautious crossing streets as the crossings are not marked for autos, but traffic is not heavy. The southern end of the trail is just a turn around.
Gem in the rough! Rail to trail close to Jonesboro, AR. Park at the Bank at SW Case and SW Texas to ride entire trail. Ride West 2 blocks then turn right and over tracks; start there or up another block. This trail is also on Google Maps, 13 miles round trip. Ride 5 miles to gravel then 1/4 mile to cross highway and finish the last mile. Be sure to stop by the Beatles memorial on Abbey Road in Walnut Ridge for a photo then enjoy a coffee at the Dark Side Shoppe.
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