by Tyler Hale

Officials gathered at the Barton Visitor Center in Helena-West Helena today (Jan. 30) to announce a major donation that will enable the completion of the Delta Heritage Trail. The Walton Family Foundation is providing a $20 million matching grant that is aimed at completing the 84.5-mile biking and walking trail that stretches through the Arkansas Delta region.

The grant is designed to help the Arkansas State Parks department continue its work on the trail and complete the project over the course of five years, according to a state news release. State officials reportedly plan to apply for federal funding to reduce the state’s cost in the $40 million investment.

Currently, the trail is more than half-way finished. There are 44.4 completed miles in the trail, which is expected to extend from Lexa to Arkansas City when finished. The finished sections include a 20.6-mile section of crushed gravel between Lexa and Elaine, a 14.4-mile roadway between Rohwer and Arkansas City and a 9.4 m-mile gravel section between Rohwer and Watson.

The Delta Heritage Trail

For Gov. Asa Hutchinson, the Delta Heritage Trail represents a new opportunity for southeast Arkansas, bringing in new energy as well as tourism dollars. He estimates that the project will be a boon for economic development in the region, creating roughly 600 jobs.

“This is great news for cyclists and hikers, who have waited more than 20 years for the completion of this rails-to-trails project. The matching grant we announced today, combined with Arkansas Parks and Tourism funds, means that the wait is almost over,” Hutchinson said in a statement. “The $7 million in tourism that the 85-mile trail will attract, along with the 600 jobs it will create, will infuse renewed energy into southeast Arkansas along the trail. Hikers and bikers will see bottomland hardwood forests and views from the levee that we don’t see from our cars. This is a great project for Arkansas.”

Tourism is increasingly becoming a larger industry in Arkansas. As shown in the Arkansas Tourism Economic Impact report, tourism in the state has grown across all reported categories. From 2017 to 2018, the state had a 4.4 percent increase of total travel expenditures in state, rising from $7.06 billion to $7.37 billion.

Travel-generated taxes also increased during this time period. Local taxes collected through travel rose from $156 million to $161 million, an increase of 2.9 percent. Meanwhile, the state taxes rose by 2.7 percent, from $397 million to $408 million.

The Delta Heritage Trail project has been in the works since the early 1990s. The trail is a “rails-to-trails” project. According to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, the project was enabled by the National Trail Systems Act, which allowed the state to reclaim abandoned railroads to use for recreational purposes. The trail sits on abandoned Union Pacific Railroad land, which runs through Phillips and Desha counties. According to the Arkansas State Parks, the trail sits on the route of the Delta Eagle, the passenger train for Missouri Pacific.

Delta Heritage Trail State Park

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, a nonprofit that works to preserve railroad corridors, lists 21 total rails-to-trails project in Arkansas with nine projects currently in the works. According to the site, there are 240 miles of potential rails-to-trails property.

The state of Arkansas acquired the Union Pacific Railroad property in December 1992 with the original plan for the trail being approved in 1997.

“The original Delta Heritage Trail Master Plan was approved in 1997 and in 2020, it’s still not complete,” Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism Secretary Stacy Hurst said. “Because of this generous matching gift, we’ll be able to complete the Delta Heritage Trail in five years providing an enhanced recreational opportunity for residents, bringing more visitors to the area, and increased economic growth to local communities. The completed trail will provide users a unique glimpse into the rich history and natural beauty of the Arkansas Delta.”

The trail is intended to highlight the state’s natural beauty and settings. State Parks director Grady Spann says the trail will cross both the White and Arkansas rivers, as well as passing by the Dale Bumpers National Wildlife Refuge.

“In this area of the refuge, sections of Delta Heritage Trail State Park are elevated, providing an exceptional view of the scenery,” Spann says. “Guests will be able to have extraordinary birding and wildlife watching opportunities and may even catch a glimpse of one of the many black bears, which is considered the best genetic representative of the historic bear population that existed in the Lower Mississippi Valley of Arkansas.”

Once completed, the trail is expected to be one of the longest biking and pedestrian trails in Arkansas.

READ MORE: Challenge Accepted: Stacy Hurst Takes on Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism Secretary Role

Images courtesy of Arkansas State Parks