Delta Heritage Trail South End: Watson to Yancopin

Watson Trailhead, located in the middle of the tiny town of Watson, Arkansas, is located about 3.5 miles south of the current terminus of the Desha County “rails-to-trails” portion of the Delta Heritage Trail at a location known as Yancopin just inside the Arkansas River Levee. The trail surface is finely crushed gravel.

Watson Trailhead has two small parking lots, a full-service restroom with water fountains, trash cans, a bike repair station, and numerous picnic tables. A covered seating area, designed to resemble a rail depot from the early 1900s, contains interpretive panels describing Watson’s history and it's important role in rail operations. 

Right now, this section of trail ends abruptly at a bridge crossing Great River Rd. near one of the park’s maintenance complexes. A sign indicates that the trail does not continue on past the bridge but visitors can enjoy looking down the former rail line to see what it looked like before conversion to the Delta Heritage Trail. For now park visitors either have to backtrack to Watson or shuttle themselves from Watson to the terminus point at Yancopin.