PARK ME IN AMERICA. ©
.... he opened our eyes to trees that had been pecked out by woodpeckers, plus others felled by badgers... a dragonfly hovered across the water and on the leafy bank a snake that we had disturbed rustled in the grass.

 

 

 

If you try a ‘fly–drive’ holiday in the United States you’ll find that the country is pretty well stocked with National and the State Parks.

To European eyes they seem to be mostly staffed with helpful people in ‘cowboy hat uniforms’ like the Ranger in the Yogi Bear Cartoons.

 

They were of course were located in ‘Jellystone Park’ (A fun one exists 200 miles north of Chicago) but the real parks are everywhere from The Rio Grande in South West Texas to ‘The Gates of The Arctic National Park’ in Alaska.

Some are quiet little places like the one bordering Sannibel Beach on Florida’s Gulf Coast and others like the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park or the Grand Canyon are mind-blowing and impressive.

 

Every State has it’s own ‘Parks Scheme’.

In some, it hardly seems necessary. For example in Arkansas there are over 18 million acres or forest, add to that 600,000 acres of lakes and some 9,700 miles of streams.

The opportunities for hiking, camping, fishing and hunting seemed to be endless, also ‘access’ for the visitor is organised and you can fly out there without even packing a tent peg.

Pinnacle Mountain State Park is a good place to start. It sits on the edge of the Arkansas River and with no mountains in the State over two thousand feet high, it is not exactly challenging.

They rent equipment and a kit of sleeping bag, tent and backpack . This costs when I was there was £15 for 24 hours.

We began by calling at their first rate Visitor Centre where we I bought a map, a guide, and some cheap souvenirs. (They included a 25 cent magnifying glass for looking at bugs and some nuggets of ‘fool’s gold’ to use as a paperweight. ) Then we climbed up the hill to the viewing platform to watch the American Bald Eagles, Turkey Vultures and Black Vultures circling in the sky.

Within the park there was a paved trail, idea for wheel chair access or for
people pushing baby strollers. It lead us through a seventy-one acres of trees and plants from all over the States. Every now and then we came to explanation board were you could push a button and a voice from a hidden speaker told about things like ‘Cucumber Magnolias,’ ‘Red Bud Sugar,’ Maple and ‘Paw-Paw’

We joined an organised walk given by Neil Curry who although dressed in the kind of uniform that the Park Ranger wears was in fact called an 'interpreter' .

He was well versed in ‘nature-speak’ and he opened our eyes to trees that had been pecked out by woodpeckers, plus others felled by badgers and we listened enthralled as he made some bird calls. He was a very talented man.

A Dragonfly hovered across the water and on the leafy bank a snake that we had disturbed rustled in the grass

You can go for a guided 'canoe float' for about £20. They are popular so it's best to call the park and make a booking. They also do 'night swamp floats' these are not for the faint hearted. The canoes sneak off into the moonless evening and in the black of night you encounter the emerging nocturnal creatures.

The idea is to explore the backwaters and swamps by flashlight. It is not recommended for people with an unusual fear of snakes and spiders or other long leggity beasties.

There are also guided ‘day floats’ down the Little Maumelle River which runs in to the River Arkansas 6 miles downstream. When we were there the young groundhogs, that look like small deer were beginning to appear. It looks like a small beaver but has a short hairy tail.

As we looked at the profusion of plants and wild flowers Neil told us that when the ‘Red Buckeye blooms’ it’s time for that the hummingbirds to be back. We saw the it's candle-stick like flower and sure enough, later at the observation room which overlooks the valley the minute humming birds were hovering at the seed feeders.

The park is seldom silent and there is always some creature popping out to have a look at you. They have a ‘hawk watch’ in September at the last one they counted over two hundred in two hours.

If you want to enjoy nature but forego sleeping in a tent there are of course plenty of small motels or guest houses.

We stopped at ‘Pinnacle Vista Lodge’ a country bed and breakfast run by Linda Westergard and her husband Chet.

They seemed to have Pinnacle Mountain almost in their back yard and beyond the old wooden barn with the Dutch roof, there was a sign that warned ‘Deer Crossing.’

Although its the kind of thing you might expect to see on a rural highway, it is accurate, for on their land the deer roam freely as the guests.

In the evening it was pleasant to sit on the swinging chair on the wooden deck at the back of the house. At our feet were the dogs, Ruger and Nannook (a beautiful big, but gentle, Alaskan Malamute) and as the moon came out over Pinnacle Mountain we watched the last of the buzzards fly home.
It was a world at peace…that was until the frogs began to croak.

Report by Allan Rogers

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FactFile.
Pinnacle Mountain State Park 001 501 868 5806
Pinnacle Vista Lodge 001 501 868 8905
Arkansas State Parks: http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/
National Parks web site: http://www.us-national-parks.net/