Northern Horse Trail Loop re-opens

Pea Ridge National Military Park has announced that the northern loop of the horse trail will re-open on Saturday, Oct. 6. The trail has been closed while construction work began on a new restroom facility near the Elkhorn Tavern. This restroom facility is not yet completed. Visitors should be aware that the area still has some ongoing construction work and to pay close attention to avoid barricaded areas, which are well marked. Horseback riders are also reminded that horses are not allowed in the immediate areas around Elkhorn Tavern. For information, call 479-451-8122 x 1227.

Bicycles allowed

The National Park Service will allow bicycle use on two new multi-use trails connecting the park with other proposed trail routes in adjacent communities linking to the regional trail network, which is identified in the Northwest Arkansas Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan, http://www.nwabikepedplan.com/final-plan-and-documents.html. The trails, identified in Pea Ridge National Military Park's Trail Master Plan/Environmental Assessment, can be viewed at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/peri.

One trail is a 0.55-mile section from U.S. Highway 62 to the visitor center. The second will be a 1.17-mile trail from Arkansas Highway 72 to the Sugar Creek Greenway on the western edge of the park.

National Park Service regulations require the creation of rules that designate new trails for bicycle use off park roads and outside of developed areas. Currently, bicycle use in the park is limited to the tour road, which connects visitors to the park's key interpretive sites, and Ford Road, which is currently designated as an administrative road. "The new bike rule, published in the Federal Register, allows for two new multiuse trail segments that will enhance and provide increased recreational and enjoyment opportunities, once constructed, that link to the Northwest Arkansas Regional Bicycle and Pedestrian trail network" said superintendent Kevin Eads.

Pea Ridge National Military Park preserves and commemorates the March 1862 Civil War battle that helped Union forces maintain physical and political control of the state of Missouri. Administered by the National Park Service, the 4,300 acre battlefield is located six miles east of Pea Ridge, just off of U.S. Highway 62.