Hobbs State Park

Hobbs State Park – Conservation Area is blessed with beautiful terrain and a diverse eco-system. Twenty-two of the park’s 60 miles of border stretch along the shores of Beaver Lake. The park lies between Beaver Lake to the north and War Eagle Creek to the south with acreage stretching across a part of Benton County southeast of Beaver Lake and extending into Madison and Carroll counties.

Hiking & Camping

The park includes a wide variety of trails. If you’re into biking, or even riding horses, you can also do that in the park. Check out a map of the park.

The newest trails to Hobbs State Park are the Monument Trails. Begin at the visitors center and head east on the 2-mile Tunnel Connector Trail. The first right is a one-way downhill for mountain bikers called Sawtooth which is 1-mile long. Continuing down the Tunnel Connector on the next right is a one-way uphill Return Trail which is 1-mile long for mountain bikers using Sawtooth or the other downhill Timberjack. You will then come to the tunnel itself which safely allows riders to pass under Highway 12 (please do not walk or ride across or along Highway 12). Then you will come upon another one-way downhill and it meets Sawtooth at the bottom with a return if needed. After the tunnel, the East Wolf Den and West Wolf Den, each 2 miles, flow downhill. Fun and fast trails that connect to Karst Loop Trail which is 8 miles long. Going counter-clockwise, riders will experience a short climb before miles of flowing ridge riding before dropping down to Beaver Lake. Riders can then head back up to the East or West Wolf Den Trails and back to the Tunnel Connector or head to the 22-mile Hidden Diversity Trail.

Shooting Range

Besides being the state’s largest park, Hobbs is also the only park with a public, outdoor shooting range with a bullet trap and the only park that offers regulated seasonal hunting. The shooting range is open Tuesday through Sunday. Please note the shooting range is closed during permitted hunting seasons including fall gun and muzzle loading deer seasons and fall youth gun deer season.

Visitor’s Center

If you need a break from hiking, or just want to do something this summer out of the heat, the Hobbs State Park Visitor’s Center is a great place to go. The center is huge, covering 17,531-square-feet. This state-of-the-art facility features Ozark-focused exhibits including interactive kiosks, classroom space, a retail sales area, and the park’s administrative offices. There are artifacts, photographs, videos, and sculptures  that teach about the park and surrounding area. There is a section where visitors are encouraged to touch items, like skulls, animal skins, feathers, antlers, etc. The visitor center is on Ark. 12 near the junction with War Eagle Road. Park interpreters offer a wide diversity of programs and workshops throughout the year.