State Park Offers Outdoor Adventures, Fall Festivities

Brooke Burger
Senior Staff Writer

Courtesy of Cane Creek State Park

On the Road - To get to Star City's Cane Creek State Park, leave Monticello heading north on Highway 425.  Once you reach Star City, turn right on Highway 293 and follow it into the park.

   Though an Arkansas summer doesn’t go quietly into the night, signs of fall are beginning to take over.  As the vibrant greens of the trees fade to shades of yellow, the deep hues of purple, red and orange begin to creep into the scenery, inspiring a renewed passion for the outdoors.  The air becomes more crisp and fresh as the heat slowly retreats, and memories of last fall bring on a sort of nostalgia.

   As the temperature begins to cool, many may begin venturing back outdoors.  If you’re looking to beat the last stretch of summer, or if you’re planning for the cooler fall days ahead, you might find just what you’re looking for at Star City’s Cane Creek State Park, a 2,053-acre park located between the West Gulf Coastal Plain and the Mississippi Alluvial Plain.

   The drive to the park takes approximately 30 minutes from Monticello, heading north on Highway 425 to Star City. Once you turn off the highway, you find yourself driving down a long and curvy tree-lined road.  The thick canopy of green provides a beautiful contrast against the clear blue sky dotted with only a few wispy, thin clouds.  The sunlight penetrates the thick foliage, providing surreal scenery, highlighting some trees out of the thousands so they appear to radiate with the last life of summer.

   As you pull into the entrance of the park, you approach the Visitor Center and Bait Shop.  Orange lights illuminate fake bats and spider webs and witch and Frankenstein piñatas around the two buildings.  Along the roads of the park, sheet ghosts wave in the breeze as they dangle from tree branches, and pumpkin, skeleton and Frankenstein signs line the roads.  It’s evident the park staff has been readying the park for the upcoming Halloween festivities.

A Halloween Retreat

   Every Halloween, the state park hosts its annual Ghost Roast.  Last year, the park estimated approximately 4,000 visitors for the event, which provides children with a safe environment to trick-or-treat and enjoy the traditional Halloween festivities, such as costume contests and hay rides.

   The Ghost Roast began when a few friends decided to decorate their campsites in the Halloween spirit.  It eventually developed into an annual tradition for the entire city, with many traveling from out of town to join in on the fun.  The park now holds a campsite-decorating contest, and the event has become so popular, people campout in front of the Visitor Center to be the first to reserve their campsites for the Ghost Roast tradition.

   In addition to the campsite-decorating contest and trick-or-treating, the event also includes three costume contests for ages 5 and under, 6-10 and 11-15; hayrides from the parking areas to all events; a haunted house sponsored by the Star City Boy Scouts; and a carnival tent with free games.  Food vendors will also be set up at the Visitor Center. 

   The event costs $2 per vehicle and an extra $2 admission for the haunted house, which can be purchased at the door.  Festivities will begin at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31 and continue until 10 p.m.

An Award-Winning Park

   Cane Creek State Park received Overall Park of the Year for the state of Arkansas.  The park claims the most awards, having won the title four times.  The title is based on a point system that includes income, occupancy ratings and participation numbers for programs, among other criteria.  The park offers several interactive programs and workshops throughout the year. 

   In addition to the annual Ghost Roast, the park also has several other events lined up for the remainder of the year, including:

• The Great Arkansas Cleanup will take place Oct. 25 from 8 a.m. to noon.
• The Junior Fishing Derby will take place Nov. 8 from 8 to 10 a.m. for children 16 years and under.  Prizes for the highest weight will be awarded, and the park will provide fishing poles if needed.  Admission is free.
• Fishermen can participate in the Winter Bites Crappie Tournament Dec. 6 to see who can catch the most crappie.  Contact the park for further details on admission costs and how to register.

   The park will also offer special programs for children throughout the month of November.  Park interpreters will offer 30-minute interactive programs for children Nov. 1 through Nov. 2, including Spiders: Friend or Foe, Feed the Animals, Night Prowl, What Do You See?, Beaver and Nutria: America’s Biggest Rodents and Monarch Butterfly.  Admission for these programs is free.  Please visit the park's Web site to check official dates and times.  In addition to the park's educational programs, Cane Creek State Park also offers a teacher's guide for secondary school teachers to plan and initiate field trips to the park.

   Cane Creek State Park offers several workshops for adults as well, including Dutch-oven cooking, GPS and “The Cane Creek Outdoor Woman” workshops.  As well, it offers day camps for different age groups, and special events such as Music in the Park and holiday events.  In addition, the park staff offers guided walking, biking, kayaking and birding tours, as well as other interpretive programs throughout the year.  Visit the park’s Web site to learn more about its programs and workshops.

Courtesy of Cane Creek State Park

Riding High - Cane Creek State Park's newest trail, the Cane Creek Lake Trail, is a 15.5-mile multi-use trail.  Hikers and bikers can enjoy the scenery, which covers several streams and creeks over several small bridges and three large suspension bridges, as pictured above.

   In March, the park held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new 15.5-mile multi-use trail in celebration of the 75th anniversary of Arkansas State Parks.  The Cane Creek Lake Trail, the longest in this part of the state, follows the rolling terrain along the lake.  The trail crosses several streams and creeks, and features approximately 40 bridges, including three large suspension bridges.

  The Cane Creek Lake Trail is particularly popular with mountain bikers, though it is also used for day hiking and backpacking.  The park staff hopes to complete campsites, including tent sites and log shelters, along the trail by next year.

   The multi-use trail took about two years to complete with the help of AmeriCorps and the Boy Scouts, in addition to the park staff.  Boy Scouts from all over the southern part of the state came to build the smaller bridges along the trail, which earned them their Eagle Scout badges.  AmeriCorps helped to build the large suspension bridges.

   The park also provides the Delta View Trail, a 2.5-mile multi-use trail, as well as picnic sites, two pavilions, a playground, 29 campsites and one Rent-an-RV site.  In addition, Cane Creek State Park offers rentals for fishing boats and recreational solo and tandem kayaks for visitors to fully enjoy the 1,675-acre Cane Creek Lake, a timbered Delta lake that spills into Bayou Bartholomew, the world’s longest bayou.

Aquatic Adventures

   What was once just Cane Creek became a man-made lake through the cooperative efforts of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.  With an average depth of 6 feet, the lake was once the largest resource, conservation and development council project in the United States.

   Visitors can also take advantage of the Cane Creek Lake by participating in a kayak tour.  The park offers three kayak tours a month – the Afternoon, Sunset and Full Moon tours.  The tours take patrons around different areas of the lake where they can witness the aquatic and avian wildlife within the park.

   The tour begins at the dock and follows a 2.5-mile path around the lake.  As you paddle around the docks, you enter into a deadwood forest area called the Beaver Pond.  Several birds find nesting within these dead trees, including woodpeckers.  This area of the lake is particularly beautiful and creepy during the full moon tour, as the moon shines down through the limbs, illuminating parts of the lake and leaving others hidden in the shadows.

   The tour then takes you around to the Cypress Brake, which leaves you surrounded by large cypress trees.  Within the break, you can paddle up to an active beaver lodge and listen for sounds of young beavers tucked away inside.  As you come out of the Cypress Brake, you head into an area of the lake covered in lily pads.

   During the full moon tour, the moonlight reflects off the dark water, providing you with a shimmering trail through the lily pads back to the docks.  Though the mosquitoes attempt to dampen your spirits, they have little affect amidst such tranquil beauty.

   “You can come out here and see stars you never even knew were out there,” said Courtney Todd, a part-time park interpreter and kayak tour guide.  “That’s what state parks are for – to give you a place to escape the lights and sounds of the city.”

   Upcoming kayak tours will take place Nov. 1, Nov. 8, Nov. 15, Dec. 6 and Dec. 20.  The fee costs $15 for adults and $10 for children 12 and under.  The fee includes kayak rental, life jacket, paddle, safety tips and guide service.  Patrons can reserve a spot on the tour by calling at least a day before the tour.  Kayak rental prices are different than tour prices, so check the State Park's Web site for additional information on costs of rentals.

   For more information about Cane Creek State Park, contact Park Interpreter Jessica McFadden at 870-628-4714 or JessicaMcFadden@Arkansas.gov.  You can also e-mail the park directly at CaneCreek@Arkansas.com or visit the park’s Web site.  Cane Creek State Park is located at 50 State Park Road in Star City.

Disclaimer:  Cane Creek State Park provided the kayak tour to the reporter in order to write this review.

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