Camp Robinson, Arkansas

Excellent Trails but not well marked
REVIEWER: Treva  rbarlranch@aristotle.net

There are miles of trails at the Field Trial Area of Camp Robinson near Mayflower, AR. The trails are used by dog trainers mostly. Several Arkansas trail clubs ride there also. The trails are mostly gravel or dirt trails that have been cut through fields and woods. The riding is easy and there is usually water available from small creeks. There is a Game and Fish pond that the horses can drink from that always has water. Lake Conway is there but we have never found a place with good footing for the horses and we worry about old fishing line and lures. There are several camping spaces with water and electric. I have never camped and there are some rules posted but I think it is free. No horses or dogs allowed in campsites during field trials. I don't know if this schedule is posted or not. There is also ample parking in a gravel lot. There are stalls in a shed row for use by campers and a few portable corral pens. The trails are not marked in any way but most of them circle around to the road and come back to the camp. I suggest riding with a local or someone who has been there before. I have ridden out there without shoes but stayed to the fields and dirt trails. To ride all over and up the ridge I would suggest shoes for the horses. It is a great place for a leisure ride through the woods or a good fast clip around the trails. The field trial folks are really moving when they come through. We enjoy meeting up with friends out there for day rides.

Lonesome D  New Blaine, Arkansas


REVIEWER: Terri Folks, Oklahoma Horse Online publisher

Lonesome D is located on Highway 22 by New Blaine (southeast of Fort Smith). Lonesome D is located next to the Ozark Mountain St. Francis National Forest and Huckleberry Mountain and Mount Magazine horse trails. They have 42 sites with hook ups (many are pull throughs). There is a bathhouse with two showers and three restrooms on each side for men and women. Two cabins are also available for rent that sleep 6.

Each campsite comes with one horse pen and extra corrals are available to rent. You can use the trees for picket lines. A middle meadow area is available for primitive camping. Many day riders come to Lonesome D also. The campground is somewhat protected too because it is down in this meadow area.

I have heard that the trails at Lonesome D are not well marked. However, the map is not very easy to read. The first day, we followed a friend's instructions and had no trouble following the trail, even having lunch at the nearby Sorghum Hollow Horse camp (complete with picnic tables, picket poles, chemical toilet and mounting area.) We had a lovely 4 ½ hour ride and thought, this is easy! The trails are very rocky and some are very steep. But the scenery is just breathtaking. You ride along the ridges of the mountains, but not too close where you feel like you are going to fall off the edge. The leaves were just starting to turn, it was the most beautiful riding I have done so far. Hunters were everywhere so be sure and wear your orange vest when riding during hunting season.

On Friday, my friend, Dar and I, ventured out on our own, thinking, we can find our way. Just follow the map, the ribbons and no problem. WELL…..we rode for seven hours and only saw one human, an older gentleman on an ATV who was kind enough to turn it off as we rode by. However, if you have Cingular cell phone service, there is cell phone service at Lonesome D and in the mountains! Luckily I called camp (programmed the number into my phone before we left camp) and after two phone calls, made it back (with the divine intervention of Teri W. who was practicing riding alone with her new horse and pointed us back to camp when we came to the last crossroad and were unsure which way to go). We were only planning for a 4-5 hour ride (now named the Gilligan’s Island Trail Ride). We only got off the horses for about 15 minutes because we were getting concerned that it was getting later and later in the afternoon and we would get caught out at dark with no flashlights! At one point, one friend even called me concerned with our whereabouts. She knew that we didn’t plan on staying gone that long. We were four tired travelers when we got back to camp. The horses never peeped a cheep!

Lonesome D is building a convenience store. Ice and a vending machine for pop is available at the camp. We never had to leave camp for anything. If you want to ride out for a meal, there is a restaurant you can ride to for a 4 ½ hour ride. For more information about Lonesome D, visit their website at www.lonesomed.com