How to start hiking in Northwest Arkansas.
Route
Slaughter Pen + Park Springs · Bentonville
Park Springs to Black Apple, Burns, Apple Turnover & Heading Home
Challenging Water Crossing
The hardest part of this route is one Challenging section, 0.3 mi long.
A section is the stretch of trail between two junctions. Each section is rated by its hardest spot, so a Challenging section may be mostly easy walking with only a few feet of steep or rocky ground.
Point to a color in the bar, or tap it, to see its sections on the trail map.
The route
- Trail system
- Slaughter Pen + Park Springs
- Trailhead
- Park Springs Trailhead
- Distance
- 3.49 miles
- Elevation gain
- 175 feet (50 feet per mile)
- Shape
- Lollipop. You hike out, go around a loop, then return the way you came. (A more complicated lollipop can mix several loops and out-and-backs.)
- Surface
- Mostly natural surface, with some mixed surface sections
- Difficulty
- Challenging. A route is rated by its most difficult section. Routes marked CHALLENGING have at least one section with rocks or roots packed so closely, or set at such an angle, that there's no flat place to set your foot; rocks a foot high or more that take a big step up to climb over; obstacles so frequent that you have to watch every step; or very steep stretches of trail. These sections are often short, but they call for steady footing and close attention. See examples of challenging trails
Start hiking
Navigate with Komoot
Prefer a different app?
Komoot shows the turn-by-turn route, the elevation profile, and your spot on the trail. A free account is all you need, and you can download the route to use without cell service. New to Komoot? See how it works.
- Open the route in Komoot.
- Tap the three dots at the top right, then Download GPX file.
- Open the file in your favorite hiking app, like Trailforks, AllTrails, Gaia GPS, or Garmin Connect.
Where to park
Where to park
Park Springs Trailhead
Address
Park Springs Park, 300 NW 10th St, Bentonville, AR 72712Google code is 9QMQ+J88 Bentonville, AR
Open trailhead in Google MapsParking Area
small, paved
Amenities
full restrooms
Trails You’ll Hike
- Arboretum Connector
- Burns Arboretum (South)
- Black Apple Creek Trail
- Apple Turnover
- Heading Home
- Apple Dumplin' (Connector)
- Burns Arboretum (North)
Tap a trail to see a photo preview of the whole trail.
EasyPark Springs to Black Apple & Burns2.15 mi · 125 ft gain · 58 ft/mi · Loop
ChallengingPark Springs to Burns, Black Apple & Rotten to the Core3.04 mi · 150 ft gain · 49 ft/mi · Lollipop
EasyPark Springs to Burns & Black Apple3.08 mi · 175 ft gain · 57 ft/mi · Loop
EasyPark Springs to Burns & Full Black Apple3.27 mi · 150 ft gain · 46 ft/mi · Lollipop
ModeratePark Springs to Black Apple, Burns & Heading Home3.43 mi · 175 ft gain · 51 ft/mi · Lollipop
ModeratePark Springs to Black Apple, Heading Home, Rocking Horse & Burns4.08 mi · 225 ft gain · 55 ft/mi · Lollipop
ChallengingPark Springs to Black Apple, Heading Home, Rocking Horse, Turnover & Burns4.13 mi · 225 ft gain · 54 ft/mi · Lollipop