Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Arkansas / Ozark Mountains

Pigeon Roost Trail (Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area)

Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area, Arkansas State Parks (south shore of Beaver Lake, Benton County)

The Pigeon Roost Trail is Hobbs State Park’s backpacking trail, a figure-eight of two loops through the hollows and ridges above Beaver Lake in northwest Arkansas. Arkansas State Parks says it was built as a short day loop of about 4 miles and a longer 8.5-mile loop for overnight use, with five designated campsites on a ridge overlooking the lake. Friends of Hobbs calls it excellent for beginners, Scouts, and families.

The trail is named for the passenger pigeon, now extinct, which once roosted here by the millions.

The hike

Arkansas State Parks says the trailhead parking lot is on the north side of State Highway 12, about 0.7 mile east of War Eagle Road. From the lot, the trail heads straight down the ridgeline on an access spur for about half a mile, then drops west into a hollow to meet the loop. ArkOkHiker describes the layout as a 0.7-mile starting spur and two loops, Dry Creek and Huckleberry, with a 0.6-mile overlap in the middle.

The Dry Creek Loop comes first. Birding Hotspots gives it as 4.1 miles. ArkOkHiker says the trail heads northwest to the Beaver Lake overlook, at the northernmost point of the Dry Creek Loop, then reaches the junction with the Huckleberry Loop about half a mile later. Kate Pantier, a local writer, suggests a 1.2-mile round trip to the lake and back as a shorter outing and describes resting benches at the top of the hill near the lake view and small paths down to the water.

The Huckleberry Loop holds the campsites. Birding Hotspots puts it at 4.3 miles with five primitive tent sites, some overlooking the Van Winkle Hollow arm of Beaver Lake. ArkOkHiker says its highlight is a stretch close to a Beaver Lake beach area at the loop’s north end. Stav is Lost found only one spot with real access to the lake, plus short detours to campsites where you can reach the water.

Arkansas State Parks says the trail winds through narrow hollows and up along rugged ridges, with several spots offering great views of the Van Hollow branch of Beaver Lake when the leaves are off. Hiking Project describes the trail following old logging roads along the ridge and down into hollows, mostly on gravel, and mentions sinkholes beside the trail. ArkOkHiker notes that although the net elevation change is only about 300 feet, there’s a lot of up-and-down. Arkansas State Parks says the hills give the trail its difficulty rating.

Friends of Hobbs says wild turkey and white-tailed deer are commonly seen. Birding Hotspots adds that bald eagles soar above Beaver Lake and perch along high ridges in fall and winter. It describes Hobbs as Arkansas’s largest state park, covering about 12,054 acres on Beaver Lake’s southern shore.

The trail is foot traffic only. Kate Pantier notes it’s one of the few trails in the park not shared with mountain bikers. Hobbs also has six bike-in/hike-in campsites on the separate Karst Loop of the Monument Trail system, according to Arkansas State Parks.

An AllTrails reviewer who backpacked it in June 2026 called the Beaver Lake view really cool.

For another Ozark overnight, see the Butterfield Hiking Trail.

Tips

Camping

Camping on the Pigeon Roost Trail is allowed only at the five designated campsites on the Huckleberry Loop, and Arkansas State Parks says they require a reservation. Friends of Hobbs says each campsite is marked with signs and has one or more tent pads and a fire ring, with no water or electricity. Arkansas State Parks describes Campsite 1 as one 8-by-8 tent pad for up to four campers, closest to the lake view, and Campsite 2 as three tent pads for up to eight campers, farthest from the lake and other sites.

Inside Intel: Pick your site by what you want to see. Arkansas State Parks says Campsite 1 sits closest to Beaver Lake by view, visible when the leaves are off, while Campsite 2 is the most secluded, farthest from the lake and the other sites. Stav is Lost noted campsites with short detours down to the water. Birding Hotspots says the trail is popular with Scout troops and families, so book early.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

A tent pad above Beaver Lake:

Pigeon Roost's designated sites come with tent pads, so a good sleeping pad finishes the job. See which pads testers recommend.

Compare the top 5 →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.