Pedestrians walk along Lake Fayetteville Trail on the west side of the lake.
Staff photo
When you ask someone what their top New Year’s resolution is, what are they most likely to say? I’d wager they would say something along the lines of, “Get fit,” or “Exercise weekly,” or “Lose weight.” And if you ask that person how they plan to get fit or lose X number of pounds, I’d also wager they would say something like, “Oh you know, I bought a gym membership.” Yet, 60 percent of gym memberships go unused, and attendance is usually back to normal by mid-February, according to research in Time Magazine.
In fact, “Lose Weight and Get Fit” is one of the 10 most commonly broken New Year’s resolution, according to Time. Also on that list is “Be Less Stressed,” “Spend More Time with Family” and “Travel to New Places.”
Well, what if I told you, or our hypothetical new gym goer, that Northwest Arkansas has a free gym? I would go as far to say it’s one of the greatest free gyms in the state. And what if I told you spending time in this free gym could help with your stress, be a great place to spend time with the family and even allow you to travel to places you haven’t been? Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, right?
Well, this free gym is also known as the great outdoors. Those of you who have explored just a few of the trials in our area know that NWA truly has something special, and I believe starting off the new year by hiking, biking and exploring our beautiful backyard creates healthy habits that won’t disappear in a month when motivation starts to wane.
So let’s make a deal. I’m going to hike and review a trail in NWA everyday for a week, ultimately highlighting seven trails noted by Pack Rat as some of the best. I’m starting today with the beautiful Lake Fayetteville Trail, in the hope of shedding light on the amazing opportunities to get outside that we have right outside our door. All I ask is that you follow along throughout the week, and maybe even check out a few of the trails I embark on. Perhaps together we can actually keep our resolutions this year, while giving the trails surrounding Fayetteville the attention they deserve.
Trail reviews
Day 1: Lake Fayetteville Trail
Day 2: Yellow Rock Trail
Day 3: Pigeon Roost Trail
Day 4: Mt. Sequoyah Woods Trail
Day 5: Lake Sequoyah Trail
Day 6: Lincoln Lake Trails
Day 7: Mount Kessler Trail
