Woolly Hollow State Park, nestling in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains, uniquely stands out among the fifty-two state parks of Arkansas and is the best place for history connoisseurs because of its rich and interesting foundations.
The state park owes its name from William Riley Woolly whose family resided in the now known Woolly Cabin. The cabin used to be the homestead of the Woolly family known to be as the Woolly Hollow until it was opened to the public as a state park in 1973.
The state park’s well-known Lake Bennet started as North America’s first watershed project which aims to scientifically study soil and silt erosion. It is a man-made lake dam built by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) under the supervision of Dr. Hugh Bennett. After years of study, Bennett was able to formulate new ways of land management such as strip cropping and crop rotation practices. This practices also include terracing of land areas and enabling vegetation through scientific planting which helped to further enhance the state park’s area.
The now 40-acre, peaceful and clear water of the lake is best for water recreation activities such as fishing, swimming or kayaking, to name a few.
The three-and-a-half mile Huckleberry Trail surrounding Lake Bennett is also another project of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).The trail starts at the campground bathhouse for hot showers and is proceeded by the lake’s area and a ridge climb for visitors to further be astonished by the lake’s view. To complete the Huckleberry Trail, visitors need to cross the Earthen dam and hike through a hardwood forest.
Visitors who are mountain biking enthusiast may have some action in the park’s 9.4-mile Enders Fault Mountain Bike Trail. This attraction is established in 2014 and has two loops of varying difficulty for the visitors to enjoy.
To this day, the lake now offers more amenities and activities that visitors of all ages may avail. The park’s visitors can bring their own poles and baits and avail some of the amenities and facilities such as picnic sites, boat rentals, snack bar and gift shop.