By Jim Warnock – Published in the @Urban Magazine (now Do South Magazine) of Fort Smith in October, 2012

Whether you’re a parent looking for an easy day hike to introduce your children to the gentle pleasures of nature or a trail runner looking for a heart-throbbing, rock-hopping, scrambling good time, Lake Alma Trail is for you!

Chuck Dovish, of Exploring Arkansas with AETN, said, “It’s amazing that so much variety and diversity of scenery is found right inside the town of Alma.”

Step onto this little 4-mile trail and your eyes are in for a treat. You’ll see bluff lines and moss-covered boulder fields up close.  You’ll walk beside clear streams, rocky cascades and small waterfalls.   Situated within a diverse mixed hardwood forest, you may spot deer, rabbit, fox, great blue heron, and a variety of songbirds.  Watch your step and give right-of-way to the many terrapin turtles…