'Bikepacking' sites set to open at Hobbs State Park

Some back-country campers head down the trail on two feet. Others roll through the forest on two wheels, eager to pitch a tent at the ideal site.

Six new campsites at Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area are designed with bicycling campers in mind. Bikepacking has surged in popularity, with riders pedaling a scenic trail by day and enjoying a cozy campsite by night.

The Hobbs bikepacking campsites are expected to open in mid-November.

The sites are situated along the Karst Loop of the park's Monument Trails system, which is wildly popular with mountain bikers. Hikers, too, delight in walking the trail, which meanders 7.8 miles through the forest and beside the rocky and wooded Van Winkle Hollow arm of Beaver Lake.

All six campsites are near a long ledge of slab rock at the water's edge where jumping in for swim or spreading out a picnic lunch are possibilities. The sites are far enough apart to offer plenty of room. A spur leads from the main Karst Loop trail to the camp area.

What makes these campsites truly unique is the artist's touch at each one. Metal sculpture rises from the ground toward the tree canopy. They're designed to imitate with art the karst topography of the park's 12,000 acres, said Amber Brown, projects manager with the Arkansas Parks and Recreation Foundation. Brown and Brad Kingsley, who helped design the art, led a tour of the campsites Oct. 2.

Hobbs, in east Benton County, is Arkansas' largest state park.

Underground, the porous limestone is fractured and cracked. Caves and sinkholes are numerous at Hobbs and wherever karst occurs. The art mirrors the characteristics of karst, Brown said. Spaces between the metal bars represent the cracks and openings underground. The shape of the sculptures is inspired by sinkholes.

"If you turned one of these sculptures on its side, it'd fit right into a sinkhole," Brown noted. The mission of the sculptures is to unite art and nature, she said.

A team with Hufft architecture and fabrication in Bentonville, which included Kingsley, designed and built the metal sculptures.

The bars were welded together in sections, Kingsley said, then brought to the campsites for installation. Two larger, but similar, metal sculptures have been installed in a new parking area near the Hobbs visitor center. People can relax on concrete semi-circular benches under each sculpture in the lot.

Steel was chosen for its durability. It'll be allowed to rust into a color that will blend with the scenery. Painting won't be necessary so maintenance is reduced.

Semicircular concrete benches are at the six bikepacking campsites. They're close to the fire ring at each site for a cozy night beside a crackling fire. Dead wood is all over the ground around the sites and campers will be welcome to burn it. It's plentiful, for now, Brown noted.

The benches are also make a handy shelf to put camping gear.

"Hobbs is the perfect place for these bikepacking sites," Brown said. "People can park at the visitor center, then it's an eight-mile ride to the campsites."

Hobbs has some 54 miles of trail, Brown added, with around 40 miles available for mountain biking.

Mark Clippinger, superintendent at Hobbs, said a restroom building needs to be finished and signage installed before the sites are ready for campers. When they open, camping information will be available by calling the visitor center at 479-789-5000. Reservations will be required. Cost is expected to be around $20 per night.

Grants from the Walton Family Foundation fund the Monument Trails at Hobbs and those planned at other Arkansas state parks, Brown noted.

Down the highway and over the mountains, a trail network is in the works at Devil's Den State Park. It, too, will feature art inspired by the scenery and natural features of the park, said Suzanne Grobmyer, executive director of the Arkansas Parks and Recreation Foundation.

"In each project, we try to weave in artistic moments. We are still developing what that looks like at Devil's Den," Grobmyer said via email. "I can share that it will be very specific and meaningful to Devil's Den."