Arkansas's largest state park in land area, Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area (HSPCA) covers a 12,056-acre tract of diverse Ozark landscape along the southern shore of 28,370-acre Beaver Lake. Twenty-two of the park’s 60 miles of border stretch along the shores of Beaver Lake. The park lies between Beaver Lake to the north and War Eagle Creek to the south with acreage stretching across a part of Benton County southeast of Beaver Lake and extending into Madison and Carroll counties.
This park's landscape consists of plateaus, ridges, valleys, and streams featuring an upland forest of oak, hickory and pine. Many water features including disappearing streams, springs and seeps have carved the many hollows in this fragile limestone landscape and created cave-related features including numerous sinkholes.
HSPCA is managed jointly by Arkansas State Parks, the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, and the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The park is 10 miles east of Rogers on Ark. 12, which bisects the park property.
The park's 17,531-square-foot visitor center opened in May 2009. This $4.5 million, state-of-the-art facility features Ozark focused exhibits including interactive kiosks, classroom space, a retail sales area, and the park's administrative offices. Wi-Fi wireless Internet access is available here. The visitor center is on Ark. 12 near the junction with War Eagle Road. Details about the visitor center are listed in this news release.
Park interpreters offer a wide diversity of programs and workshops throughout the year.
The park includes a wide variety of trails. The Historic Van Winkle Trail is a half-mile trail that leads hikers through a tunnel under Ark. 12 to the site of the historic Van Winkle lumber mill and home in Van Winkle Hollow on the West Fork of Little Clifty Creek. View the remnants of a sawmill and an antebellum garden owned by Peter Van Winkle during the 19th century. Beginning in the 1840s and continuing throughout his life, Van Winkle acquired approximately 17,000 acres of land throughout Washington, Benton, Madison, and Carroll counties by filing for land patents and purchasing foreclosed land. The tunnel and associated walkways were designed to provide barrier-free access to the historic site. Wayside interpretive panels along the trail provide hikers with information about this historic area. The trailhead features a parking lot large enough to accommodate three school buses or recreational vehicles and 18 automobiles. Water fountains and a composting toilet are located adjacent to the parking area.
