Hiking season is here, and that means it’s time for Butterfield to kick off another fantastic series of outdoor excursions. The benefits are undeniable: improved balance and flexibility, increased endorphins to promote a positive mindset, boosted cardiovascular health, stimulated cognition – all wrapped up in the simple joy of fresh perspective and being out in nature with friends.
This autumn has our adventurers back on the trails with a few new hike locations, along with some familiar favorites. Starting off the series when temperatures are still higher, Wellness Director Jennifer Neill and members of her fitness team will lead hikers on slightly shorter, paved trails. Once the heat has had a chance to die down, outings will take participants into the woods for more challenging experiences. As hikers’ skills and stamina progress over the fall series, they can anticipate several of the program’s spring season wooded hikes to feature two different trail routes designed to accommodate varied skill levels.
War Eagle Mill
2023 marks Butterfield’s tenth year of hiking, and the program has created countless great memories as we have explored every imaginable trail in the region. Our very first BTV hike was at the Wildcat Glades Conservation and Audubon Center near Joplin, Mo. Enthusiasm for that initial experience has now led us to offering 20 hikes a year, with incredible community support to enhance those experiences.
Over the past decade we have been fortunate to partner with staff and volunteers from several excellent organizations – Northwest Arkansas Land Trust, Canopy NWA, Siloam Springs Parks and Recreation Department, Hobbs State Park and Devil’s Den State Park forest rangers, Ozark Natural Science Center, Historic Cane Hill and many more. We have even hiked the Razorback Greenway from the Butterfield campus to Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art by completing three-mile sections each week. This experience, along with all of our other hikes, has shown us the stunning beauty of Northwest Arkansas that can easily go unacknowledged when only driving in a car.
BTV Hiking Program Fall 2023 Schedule
September 11
Osage Park – Bentonville
September 18
The Ramble – Fayetteville
September 25
Historic Cane Hill – Cane Hill
October 2
Lake Alma – Alma
October 9
Withrow Springs State
Park – Huntsville
October 16
Wilson Park – Fayetteville
October 23
Walker Park – Fayetteville
October 30
Lake Atalanta – Rogers
Two additional hikes will be announced later in the season.
Also, be watching for information about an early October kayaking excursion at Lake Lincoln with NWA Land Trust.
