Woolly Cabin at Woolly Hollow State Park in Greenbrier.
Woolly Cabin at Woolly Hollow State Park in Greenbrier.

Woolly Hollow State Park is located at 82 Woolly Hollow Road in Greenbrier. 

“Woolly Hollow is a unique place to visit,” said Robert Giles, superintendent at Woolly Hollow State Park. “Our proximity to Conway and Hwy 65 makes us a busy park. We are a relatively small park at under 500 acres, but there are a variety of things to do here. We offer camping, hiking, mountain biking, swimming, kayaking, fishing, bird watching, star gazing, local history, and national history. Lake Bennett is the perfect location for all manners of paddle sports. We limit the lake to electric trolling motors only, so paddle sporting enthusiasts don’t have to worry about boats and the wake they produce. Our swimming beach is also very popular. It’s been a destination for swimming in the area since the lake was completed in the 1940s and has been a lifeguarded beach since we became a state park in 1971.”

View of Lake Bennett at Woolly Hollow State Park.
View of Lake Bennett at Woolly Hollow State Park.
View of entrance sign for Woolly Hollow State Park.
View of entrance sign for Woolly Hollow State Park.

Lake Bennett, which was named in honor of Hugh Hammond Bennett, is also tied to an important piece of history.  

“During the 1930s and the Dust Bowl there was a need for a soil conservation study to preserve the topsoil in agricultural areas,” said Giles. “Dr. Hugh Hammond Bennet performed his research in Faulkner County. The area that is now Woolly Hollow State Park and Lake Bennett was decided on to perform a major portion of the study. Dr. Bennett decided to construct a dam and watershed here. This lake drains approximately 2,700 acres, and the area surrounding what is currently the state park was mostly cotton fields at the time. The dam was built to help collect sediment from the surrounding areas and keep it on the lake bed. This is the area of one of the first soil conservation studies. The dam was constructed with help from the CCC [Civilian Conservation Corps] and the WPA [Works Progress Administration].”

For those interested in this piece of history, the park has interpretative signage as well as programming on the history of the lake, dam and the CCC and WPA. Giles said the park is also in the midst of a cleanup project to help visitors better see this historic dam and the craftsmanship of it. 

One can learn more about the history of the Lake Bennett Dam via this Arkansas Farm Bureau article and video. 

Lake Bennett at Woolly Hollow State Park.
Lake Bennett at Woolly Hollow State Park.
Fishing pier at Lake Bennett at Woolly Hollow State Park.
Fishing pier at Lake Bennett at Woolly Hollow State Park.

The Woolly Cabin is another historic structure at the park that helps highlight homesteading history in Arkansas. The cabin is named after the Woolly family. “The Woolly family moved to the area in 1851 after receiving a parcel of land from the U.S. Government as part of the westward expansion of the U.S.,” said Giles. “The Woolly Cabin was built by Martin Alfred and Mary Caroline Woolly in 1882. The homestead was built approximately 3 miles from where the cabin sits today. The cabin underwent several additions throughout its lifespan serving the descendants of the Woollys until the last resident moved out in the mid 1950s. The park at that time belonged to the county and was known as Centerville Park. The land was then donated to the state and we became a state park in 1971. The Woolly family donated the Woolly family cabin to the park to preserve it for future generations. We got our name from them since they were the first settlers in this area. We have descendants of the Woolly family come visit yearly.”

The park has weekly cabin tours where both the cabin and family are highlighted. 

Woolly Hollow Cabin at Woolly Hollow State Park.
Woolly Hollow Cabin at Woolly Hollow State Park.
Woolly Hollow Cabin at Woolly Hollow State Park.
Woolly Hollow Cabin at Woolly Hollow State Park.

Woolly Hollow State Park also has camping and trails for those that enjoy the outdoors. The campground was remodeled and expanded in 2010 and there are currently 30 AAA RV sites and 10 class D tent sites. “This smaller campground provides an intimate camping experience void of the noises of larger campgrounds,” said Giles. “This makes our campground very popular. During peak visitation it is very difficult to get a reservation unless you plan several months in advance.” 

The trails at the park are also a draw for the park. “Our proximity to a large city, Greenbrier, Conway, Cabot, Little Rock, make the trails at Woolly Hollow a very attractive option for guests,” said Giles. “The Huckleberry Trail and the Ender Fault Mountain Bike Trail are our busiest trails. The Huckleberry Trail offers a large variety of scenery along the trail. It crosses many wet weather streams, passes by the highest point in the park and passes by the historic dam and its spillway. When the spillway is flowing it provides an awesome cascading waterfall with a foot bridge crossing for the trail at the base of the waterfall. The Enders Fault Mountain Bike Trail provides a 9-mile trail ride experience with lots of technical riding opportunities.”  

On the way to Enders Fault Mountain Bike Trail there is also an interpretive sign about the history of the road known as the Springfield-Searcy Road. A small remnant of this road, which was used by settlers, farmers, Civil War soldiers, and others, is preserved at the park.

Sign for Huckleberry Trail at Woolly Hollow State Park.
Sign for Huckleberry Trail at Woolly Hollow State Park.
Sign for Enders Fault Mountain Bike Trail at Woolly Hollow State Park.
Sign for Enders Fault Mountain Bike Trail at Woolly Hollow State Park.

The park also has fishing, a fishing pier, canoe and kayak rentals and from Memorial Day to Labor day there is also a snack bar near the swim beach. 

“Woolly Hollow is a great family friendly park that has a lot to offer in a small package,” said Giles. “We average almost 200,000 visitors annually. It is a convenient place for many campers since we are only 6 miles from Greenbrier but it feels like you are tucked away somewhere.” 

For more information about Woolly Hollow State Park, visit arkansasstateparks.com/parks/woolly-hollow-state-park.