Nature & Trails

Length: 0.5 mile
Surface: Hard surface, walking and biking trail
Difficulty: Moderate slope with incline

The Art Trail connects the museum’s south entrance to the Crystal Bridges Trail, and features a variety of sculptures, native plants, and waterways.

Length: 0.25 mile
Surface: Crushed granite, hiking trail
Difficulty: Moderate slope with steps

The Crystal Spring Trail, accessible from the Museum’s South Lawn, takes visitors to the heart of Crystal Bridges’ grounds: the natural spring from which the Museum derives its name. Crystal Spring bubbles up from the Ozark limestone at the base of a ravine just a short walk from the Museum’s south entrance. The spring produces 100 to 125 gallons of fresh water per minute, at a chill 52 degrees year-round. It has been an important source of water for the area’s human and animal residents for more than 100 years.

Length: 1000 feet
Surface: Hard surface, walking and biking trail
Difficulty: Steep slope with steps

Climb the stairs on the east side of Walker Landing to discover a delightful hidden gem: the museum’s East Terrace and Switchback. Carved out of the ravine face and surrounded by towering trees, the East Terrace features Celeste Roberge’s sculpture Chaise Gabion and a long, zig-zag trail up the steep hillside to the colonnade at the museum’s main entrance. This trail provides a lovely variety of blooms in the spring, including Cherokee Princess dogwoods, Virginia Bluebells, and Sunshine Selections Lenten Rose hellebores, as well as Robyn Horn’s redwood sculpture Already Set in Motion.

Length: 1.4 miles loop
Surface: Hard surface, walking and biking trail
Difficulty: Moderate slope

The longest trail on Crystal Bridges’ property, the paved North Forest Trail features several outdoor sculptures and hundreds of spring-blooming dogwoods.

Length: 0.5 mile
Surface: Hard surface, walking and biking trail
Difficulty: Gentle slope

The Orchard Trail provides access to Crystal Bridges’ main entrance from Orchards Park and NE J Street. The trail features an evergreen forest with several species of pine trees as well as Eastern red cedars and Buckminster Fuller’s Fly’s Eye Dome.

Trail is currently closed.

Length: 0.5 mile
Surface: Crushed granite, hiking trail
Difficulty: Moderate slope with steps

The Rock Ledge Trail takes its name from the rock bluffs once carved into the hills to make way for a nineteenth-century railroad that was never completed. This pedestrian-only trail features large colonies of serviceberry and wild hydrangeas.

Length: 0.75 mile
Surface: Crushed granite, hiking trail
Difficulty: Moderate slope with steps

The Tulip Tree Trail features some of the largest trees on the Crystal Bridges grounds and includes the Tulip Tree Shelter, a scale mock-up of the museum’s roof structure created during the design phase. Forming a loop from the Tulip Tree Trail, Crystal Spring Trail features a natural spring that flows from the ground at a cool 50 degrees and feeds into the museum’s ponds.

Length: 800 feet
Surface: Hard surface, walking and biking trail
Difficulty: Flat

This paved trail follows the west bank of Town Branch Creek and the museum’s upper pond. The path is lined with American beech trees and Swamp Hibiscus, and features a group of several giant clusters of Arkansas quartz crystals from Avant Mines near Hot Springs, the largest quartz crystal mining operation in the world. Note: there is no access to the museum from this trail.

Length: 1 mile
Surface: Hard surface, walking and biking trail
Difficulty: Moderate slope with steep incline

Part of the City of Bentonville Trail System and the Razorback Greenway, Crystal Bridges Trail connects the Art Trail with downtown Bentonville. The trail begins at NE 3rd Street, and culminates at NE A Street at the northern edge of the museum grounds, near the trailheads for Slaughter Pen Hollow. Crystal Bridges Trail features a beautiful walk through Compton Gardens, a mountain bike trail, and an overlook area where visitors can view the museum campus from the ridge above.