Delta Heritage Trail State Park

Every visit to Delta Heritage Trail State Park is one to remember. Walking or riding along the trail, you may encounter a variety of wildlife and plants. When the rail-to-trail project is complete, it will be an astounding 84.5-miles long. To date, there are 44.4 miles of trail completed. The completed northern corridor is 20.6 miles from Lexa to Elaine. The completed southern corridor is 23.8 miles from Watson to Arkansas City, including 14.4 miles of shared-use roadway on the Mississippi River Mainline Levee. Eventually, the trail will cross the White and Arkansas rivers.

There are currently eight trailheads at Lexa, Barton, Lick Creek, Lake View, Elaine, Watson, Rohwer, and Arkansas City. Trailhead restrooms are available at Barton, Elaine, and Arkansas City. (See trail map in green Brochure/Map section.)

The Barton Trailhead is located at Delta Heritage Trail State Park's visitor center. There are 24-hour access restrooms (no showers), five primitive campsites with tent pads, picnic tables, standing grills, and a community water spigot. The visitor center also has a gift shop. Bikes are available to rent and interpretive programming is offered. The Pedal & Paddle Tour is a bike ride from Barton to Lakeview (about 12 miles one way), then kayaking on Old Town Lake, and then a bike ride back to Barton. Call the park for more information. 

The Arkansas City Trailhead includes a multi-use building designed in the style of historic rail depots that houses administrative functions, bathhouse facilities, and an open pavilion. Visitors can also enjoy picnic areas, a water fountain, a bicycle repair station, two oversized tent pads for camping visitors, and a large group charcoal grill. Interpretative elements provide information on the DHT, background about the town's history, and local recreational offerings.

The trail is being built in phases by Arkansas State Parks. When completed, the rails to trails portion will stretch from six miles west of Helena to Rohwer. From there, the trail will extend via the Mississippi River Levee to Arkansas City. 

You can print the map to the complete Delta Heritage Trail by clicking here. It is also Geo-Enhanced and can be downloaded for use with smartphone application like Avenza Maps. Please refer to the application instructions for use.