North Forest Trail – Crystal Bridges

My latest outdoor retreat was to Crystal Bridges in Bentonville, Arkansas. The art exhibit is currently closed, but the trails surrounding the facility are open and beautiful. My parents and I parked at the top parking area and walked down towards the front entrance. We have walked the back Tulip Tree and Art Trails so we decided to try the North Forest Trail. Over the winter this area was closed for the North Forest Lights exhibit which was well reviewed however we didn’t see it.

The trail was well cared for and cultivated. Much of the landscape was covered in blooming flowers and trees. As you walked around the 1.6 mile trail, you could see some of the lights still in the woods from the winter exhibit. One of my favorite parts of walking around Crystal Bridges is coming across sculptures tucked away on the trail. Some of the art looks natural and it’s made of wood or stone. Other pieces are made of glass and metal. As I looked at one delicate glass sphere I wondered how it holds up under Arkansas weather conditions. My favorite sculpture on the trail was the huge thing of canoes tied together. It is called the Monochrome II, and it is supposed to “create the illusion that the canoes are frozen in time and space” according to Crystal Bridges website.

The trail was lightly trafficked. We only saw a couple of runners, one young family of bikers, and a few people reading on the benches. I thought that it would be a nice little get-away spot to read a good book.

After walking around the loop, we walked down to the North Lawn to look at the Fly’s Eye Dome which is quite unique. Overall it was another very pleasant experience at Crystal Bridges.

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