Delta Heritage Trail North End: Lake View to Elaine

This 8.4-mile “rails-to-trail” runs from Lake View to Elaine, AR. Lake View Trailhead has a covered seating area with interpretive panels built in the style of an early twentieth century rail depot. There are also parking spaces, trash cans, and a bike repair station. Lake View Trailhead area offers scenic views of Old Town Lake and is located just outside of the community of Lake View. Lake View, AR was one of three communities reserved for black families by the Resettlement Administration as a part of the New Deal in the 1930s.

The Elaine Trailhead is located in downtown Elaine, Arkansas. The trailhead has a restroom, along with a few parking spots, water fountain, trash cans, and bike repair station. The history of this small rural community is marred by an intense outburst of violence that occurred over 100 years ago. The trailhead’s covered seating area (similar to Lake View’s) has interpretive panels that discuss this painful history and the community’s path forward today. The Elaine Trailhead features a culturally significant willow tree that is part of the community’s memorial of the bloody events of 1919. A local non-profit is building a museum right across the street from the trailhead that will further interpret the events of 1919 and its impact today.