Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville has tastefully merged fine art with the great outdoors. Eight trails wind a total of four miles through the museum’s 120-acre site. And the Ozark landscape beautifully frames some amazing art installations.
Many of the trails are accessible to people with disabilities. For example, the North Forest Trail has a wheelchair-accessible elevator to take guests to the trailhead and is being made more user-friendly for people who have vision loss.
“We are creating 3D scans of some of the works of art on our North Forest Trail which we will then use to create touchable bronze 3D models,” said Kim Crowell, senior museum educator and accessibility coordinator. “The scaled-down models can be touched by everyone. We will also provide a large-print version of the label text next to a braille version, so everyone can read about the art on the trail.”
The museum trails, which have paved and crushed-granite surfaces, are part of the Bentonville Trail System and connect to the Razorback Regional Greenway, a 37.6-mile shared-use trail that connects Fayetteville and Bella Vista.
So if you want to get some culture while you exercise and take in some fresh air and gorgeous scenery in the process, this northwest Arkansas masterpiece may be in the picture.
For more on Crystal Bridges, visit the museum’s website.
The Trails at Crystal Bridges
Art Trail: Paved walking/biking trail with a moderate slope (0.5 miles)
Crystal Spring Trail: Crushed granite hiking trail with a moderate slope and steps (0.5 miles)
Crystal Bridges Trail: Paved walking/biking trail with some steep inclines (1 mile)
North Forest Trail: Paved walking/biking loop trail with a moderate slope (1.1 miles)
North Lawn Trail: Paved walking/biking trail with a moderate slope (0.25 miles)
Orchard Trail: Paved walking/biking trail with a gentle slope (0.5 miles)
Rock Ledge Trail: Crushed granite hiking trail with a moderate slope and steps (0.5 miles)
Tulip Tree Trail: Crushed granite hiking trail with a moderate slope and steps (0.75 miles)