Because of Fayetteville’s location in the Boston Mountains and the city’s dedication to highlighting northwest Arkansas’s natural beauty, Fayetteville is a great place to spend time outdoors.

The city has about 3,400 acres of parks and nearly 40 miles of natural and paved trails, according to Connie Edmonston, director of Fayetteville parks and recreation.

Whether you’re just looking to take a leisurely stroll in the park or you’re into biking, and whether you’re shopping for local produce, fishing or roughing it through wooded hillsides, Fayetteville has no shortage of opportunities to spend time with Mother Nature without even leaving the city limits.

Cycling Fayetteville’s bike trails is a great way to take in the scenery and a fun, eco-friendly way to get around town.

“Our trail system goes clear from north Fayetteville clear down to south Fayetteville. It’s along Mud Creek Trail, Skull Creek Trail and Frisco Trail,” Edmonston said. “You can go from one end of the city to the other on [the trails].”

Along with the great trail system, the dozens of parks scattered around town provide opportunities for all kinds of outdoor activities.

Located just a few blocks northeast of campus, 20-acre Wilson Park features all the usual amenities: paved trails, a basketball court, tennis courts and open spaces great for playing catch and Frisbee, but it also has a pool and a sweet castle—yes, a castle. Don’t believe it? Check it out for yourself.

Lake Fayetteville and surrounding parks, which total approximately 800 acres, are also great places to spend time outdoors. Fishing and boating are allowed on the 200-acre lake if you’re willing to fork over a few bucks for permits, and the three softball fields, 10 miles of paved and natural trails and an 18-hole disk golf are also major attractions surrounding the lake.

Deer, many kinds of birds and other local wildlife are commonly sighted along the trails around the lake. Bald eagles have even been spotted in the area, Edmonston said.

Outdoor superstore Lewis & Clark is also conveniently located right next to Lake Fayetteville just in case, on your way around the lake, you get passed by a guy or gal on a sweet mountain bike and decide that you need to buy a better one.

Lewis and Clark sell apparel and gear by The North Face and Columbia Sportswear, along with all kinds of other stuff to prepare you for your next venture into the wild.  Lewis and Clark also has an indoor climbing wall.

“If you’re really wanting to get out into nature,” Edmonston said. “I would go to Lake Sequoyah. There’s a lot of awesome bird watching. You’re right there by the lake.”

Lake Sequoyah, which is about 15 minutes away from campus, has two unpaved trails that are a combined three miles in length.

Fishing and boating, with the proper permits, are allowed at the lake.

But aside from all the hiking and other typical park activities, Fayetteville’s exceptionally scenic parks are great places to just relax and hang out with friends, as two Czech students studying at the UA explained while sitting in the shade of some trees at Gulley Park.  Gulley Park, full of open spaces and circled by a paved trail, is nestled between Township Street and Old Wire Road.

“In the park we are usually just sitting and speaking,” Tereza Cechova said.

“[It’s] relaxing. It’s quiet here. It’s nice to see people walking and running,” Cechova’s friend Kaderina Hrbackova added.

The Fayetteville Farmers’ Market is another major outdoor attraction in town.

“You know our world has gotten rather beige, and you go down there and there’s this riot of color,” said Peggy Maringer, manager of the Fayetteville Farmers’ Market. “It’s really a nice break.”

About 60 vendors set up shop at the market on Saturdays, which is the biggest day of the week for the market, Maringer said.

“On a typical Saturday, we’ll have 4,000 people come through,” she said.

On Saturday, the market runs from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., but it is also held on Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at different locations and times around town.

Shoppers can expect to find everything from locally grown produce and fresh-cut flowers to handmade baskets and pottery, Maringer said. The market also features lots of free live music and occasionally jugglers, magicians and other entertainers, she said.

“If you’re not in a good mood when you get there, you’ll be in a good mood after a while,” Maringer said.

For detailed maps, descriptions and more of the parks and trails in Fayetteville, visit: www.accessfayetteville.org/government/parks_and_recreation/

For more information on the Fayetteville Farmers’ Market, visit:
www.fayettevillefarmersmarket.org/