The Tanyard Creek Trail is a great hiking trail that is right in the heart of Bella Vista in Northwest Arkansas. The trail is an easy hike, and offers a bit of everything: creeks, lakes, waterfalls, bridges, cascades, a bit of history, and abundant bird life.
Trail signs say that the trail is about 2.2 miles in length, but I logged about 2.4 on my most recent visit and didn't even hit all of the trails.
The trail is very close to town, and, near a golf course and a driving range, yet still feels very secluded. There is a fully functioning bathroom at the trail head, along with a pavilion for picnics.
The trail is also family friendly (including four legged family), and well marked, and makes for a nice way to spend an afternoon out on the trail. Because the trails make a variety of loops and connections, you can spend 30 minutes here hiking to the waterfall or a 1/2 day hiking the trails, looking at wildflowers, bird watching and reading all of the interpretive signs. Even though it's family friendly, the trail has a lot to offer and would be enjoyed even by serious outdoorsman.
Getting there
To get to the trail head, from Highway 71 in Bella Vista, take 340 Highway WEST for .9 miles and then turn left onto Nature Trail Lane and into the parking area. Highway 340 is 2.1 miles south of the Missouri/Arkansas border.
From the parking area, the trail heads down hill just past the Pavilion.
The Trail
The trail is a little more than 2.2 miles in length, and is essentially made up of four different loops that allow for the trail to be shorter or longer depending on what you want to see and the amount of time and energy you want to expend.
I'm going to take you on the route that I usually take, which goes to the waterfall first. The waterfall is definitely a highlight for me and I always want to be sure I don't run out of time and get to see it!
From the trail head, take the trail down hill just a little ways. Shortly, another paved trail will head to the right. This is the last of the four loops I plan to cover and is a .3 mile loop through some low grassland area that is full of small birds living in the trees.
You'll also pass by a trail on your left & right, and cross over a small bridge. I take this second left just past the bridge -- it's the trail that heads to the waterfall. There is a signboard with a map in this area that will help you find your way. Taking a picture of the map with your phone may be helpful with all of the trail crossings.
The trail quickly passes a small, mossy pond on the right. There is generally a lot of bird life in this area. The hill behind the pond is a damn that makes of Windsor Lake. The nature trail area rests mostly below the damn.
Continue straight. There is a trail that turns right off the main trail through the grass and up the damn. I ignore it and stay straight into the woods. There is then a second trail that veers left - I remain on the main trail which goes up hill a bit to the overlook to the waterfall. This is Tanyard Creek Falls.
Tanyard Creek Falls isn't truly a natural waterfall -- it is actually the spillway that comes down from Windsor Lake. However, it is a really beautiful waterfall, and has a very nice natural feel, and is a nice place to relax. It's also good that, unlike most Northwest Arkansas waterfalls, Tanyard Creeks Falls isn't seasonal - and tends to have water flowing nearly year around.
From the waterfall, turn back the way you came and then take the first left. This is a trail that heads UP the hill toward Windsor Lake. There is a nice view of the lake from the damn, and it is common to see folks who live along the lake walking their dogs along the damn. Windsor Lake was created in 1975 and covers 220 acres and is 79 feet deep. You can add a walk along the damn as a part of your hike as well.
From the damn, I go back down the same trail I took up, and then turn left onto the main trail. Then, I take the first right. This right takes you down the hill a bit and across a bridge over Tanyard Creek.
From the bridge, the trail goes both right and left. Take a right and just up the trail a bit is a view of a nice cascade that is coming down just below Tanyard Creek Falls.
From here, turn back. At the bridge, stay straight. This is where you could have turned left off the bridge and the beginning part of the second loop.
This trail quickly veers right and starts following an old road bed above Tanyard Creek. This old road was the route used by early settlers of the area. The trail has a lot of signs that highlight many of the tree varieties and some of the history of the area - including a tree that has grown up around an old rail road spike that was driven into the tree as a surveyor marker.
The trail drops down the hill and when it reaches the bottom of the hill, near the creek. It reaches a rock bluff shelter and then turns sharply left and runs along the creek. The trail then passes the remnants of an old house. Not much remains of this old homestead.
Just beyond that, the trail crosses over a suspension bridge. Even as an adult I get a bit giddy at the sight of a suspension bridge.
The trail then goes a bit further along the creek and some low woodlands until it eventually connects back with the main trail.
That's the completion of Loop 2.
To hit loop 3, turn left and go a few yards until you turn right just before crossing the bridge.
This trail follows the creek, then turns sharply left at a bridge crossing the creek and then crosses the creek several times as it heads back to the main trail.
Then from the main trail, turn left, cross back over the bridge and take the second trail on your left, and then take the paved trail in the open grassland area. This is loop 4. From here, head back to your car.
In total, there is a bit more than 2.2 miles of trail here that can be mixed and matched for a variety of different experiences and distances. But all are great hikes that are good for young, old and even serious outdoor enthusiasts.
Trail Details
Distance: 2.2+ miles
Difficulty: Easy
Kid Friendly: Yes!
Footwear: Trail Shoes are advised, but tennis shoes should be fine
Trail Guide: Tim Ernst's Arkansas Nature Lovers Guide (the hike just to the waterfall is also covered in Ernst's Arkansas Waterfalls book.
Rating: 4.5 of 5
Nearby: The Back 40 Mountain-Biking Trails, Bentonville Trail System
