Dad Life · Club 52
Club 52 Stop #1 — Pinnacle Mountain
We finally started our Club 52 journey this weekend — the Arkansas State Parks passport adventure. Fifty-two state parks, one passport book, and a stamp waiting at every stop. Stop number one: Pinnacle Mountain State Park, on Sunday, November 1.
We picked Pinnacle for practical reasons. It was close, we had limited time on a Sunday, and more than anything we wanted to get the passport books in hand so this thing could actually begin.
Good thing we went when we did. We loved the visitor center — and the folks there told us the passport books are running low everywhere, because new ones are being printed with two more parks in them. So if you’re thinking about starting, don’t wait around on getting your book.
Emma, Rhett, and Sadie each got their own passport, and Pinnacle Mountain gave them their very first stamp — I got mine stamped too. And Sadie lit up most. That girl loves stamps and stickers, and stamping her own book just made her whole day.
For the hike we took the Kingfisher Trail — a half-mile loop, paved and flat — and finished it in about 31 minutes. Sadie walked maybe half the trail herself and was a neck rider the other half, up on my shoulders taking in the view. Emma and Rhett, meanwhile, wanted to go on the trail — all of it. They weren’t happy we didn’t have enough time this time to hit all the side trails. The kids wanted more trail, not less — and honestly, that’s the best review a first stop can get.
We skipped the summit trails this time — partly the clock, partly having a three-year-old along. Pinnacle’s peak will still be there when Sadie’s legs are longer. That’s the nice thing about a 52-stop journey: we don’t have to do it all in one day, or even one year. We just have to keep showing up.
Dad to dad: it’s an amazing idea, trying to hit all the Arkansas parks. It gives you some adventure, the kids love trying to fill the book, and they learn about all the things in the park along the way — the birds, the plants, and the history tied to it.
That’s stop number one in the books. Next stop: outing number two on November 28 — the Camden battlefield loop. If you want to follow along, or start a passport journey of your own, Club 52 lives here: club52.thatardad.com.
— Chris Uting, That Arkansas Dad