145 Pigeon Creek Park

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     I haven’t been out hiking much this spring, and I can’t blame the weather, there has been lots of great days for getting out on the trail.  Spring is always a busy time of year at our place with putting in a garden, mowing lawns and yard clean-up.  It can be hard to make the time for recreational pursuits, and this year most of ‘those’ have been spent cruising on the bike.

    And that’s how the day started this morning, with me heading off east on the motorcycle.  My ‘loose’ plan is to putt around the general area of Mountain Home and Norfork Lake.  Out of Mountain Home I travel north on Highway 201 and about five miles later see Norfork Lake up ahead at the bottom of a hill.  This cove is actually Pigeon Creek, after crossing on the bridge I turn right into Pigeon Creek Park.

parking area at trailhead

    Cruising through the park on the paved road all the way to where the pavement ends is about a mile and a half.  Along the way on the lake side of the road are two boat ramps with mooring docks and adjoining parking lots, also many places with shore fishing access.  About halfway down the road a peninsula juts out into the lake containing a grove of cypress, looks like a fun place to explore in a kayak or canoe.  Just south of the big parking area at the end of the road, against the broken bluffline looks to be locations with a high potential for fishing success from the big rocks.

clean, easy to follow trails

    On the north side of the road are three smaller parking areas at large trailhead signs, a fourth trailhead is just west of Highway 201 on a dirt road access.  I pull in and park at the farthest east of the trailheads, on the large sign is a nice map of the many hike/bike trails.  Although wearing my stiff and heavy riding boots I can’t pass this up.

Upper Pigeon Creek Trail

    I head east up the rocky trail, this is Lower Pigeon Creek Trail going uphill to its end at an intersection with three other trails.  Turning sort of northwest, I’m now following Upper Pigeon Creek Trail, all these trails are in great condition.  Not very far I turn left (south) onto the short Connector 5 Trail which leads me back down to Lower Pigeon Creek Trail.  East in only about a hundred yards I’m back at the trailhead/parking area.

    This is a very short hike, exactly one mile with 82 feet of elevation gain.  Along with Connector 5 Trail I hiked a small piece of Upper and Lower Pigeon Creek Trails, both are quite a bit longer to the west.  And with the many other trails in the park I know I’ll be back.  Counting the six short Connector Trails there are around 15 miles in the trail system to explore and enjoy on future little outdoor adventures at Pigeon Creek Park.

one more shot of the Beemer

    Today’s weather turned out perfect for two-wheeled cruising, the loop I rode was about 105 miles.  Scenery along the route was excellent, which included bits of Bull Shoals Lake, Norfork Lake and the White River.  Also, enjoyable where the towns along the way, such as Bull Shoals, Lakeview, Mountain Home and Yellville.  A great day on the open road, the hiking was pretty nice too.

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