Outdoor Recreation

Trails

Trails of all types stretch nearly 40 miles around Chaffee Crossing. Click here to view a recreation/amenity map that includes the Chaffee Crossing Trail System. Throughout the development, paved walking trails connect residential areas to parks and museums. Nature trails cross the 200-acre Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center campus. Mountain bike trails connect Chaffee Crossing to the 1,100-acre Ben Geren Regional Park.

FCRA and the City of Fort Smith are partnering to build 6.5 miles of trails that will connect all of Chaffee Crossing to the Fort Smith Master Trail Plan and regional trails. Phase I of the $3.5 million plan was completed in 2018. It runs parallel to Wells Lake Road from McClure Drive to Roberts Blvd. then east to the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education Campus along Chad Colley to Roberts Blvd. Phase II will connect Phase I from McClure Drive to Massard Road. Phase III is still in the design phase, but the overall plan is for it to connect Wells Lake Road near the Nature Center along Custer Blvd. to Taylor Ave. and the north to the Chaffee Crossing HIstoric & Entertainment District and Frontier Road. The ARDOT program to widen and expand Highway 255 through Chaffee Crossing includes bike lanes on both sides. This will ultimately create an inner loop connecting the Historic & Entertainment District to the Arkansas Colleges of Health Education campus.

Nearby Ben Geren Regional Park also has walking trails, playgrounds, disc golf, mini-golf, soccer, and softball fields. Click here to see the Sebastian County bike trail map that also passes through Chaffee Crossing.

Springhill Mountain Bike Park is a destination trail located at Springhill Park, adjacent to Chaffee Crossing. Mountain bikers from all over the region come here to ride for recreation and competitively.

There are several unpaved trails across the 200-acre Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center campus. Hiking through nature not only provides opportunities to exercise but also offers up-close experiences with nature and wildlife. Deer, ducks, geese, indigenous birds, squirrels, raccoons, opossums, armadillos, frogs, and insects are just a few members of the animal kingdom who call Chaffee Crossing their home.

Fort Smith has several multi-use trails and sharrows around the city. The Fort Smith Master Trail Plan offers a comprehensive view of what the city is working to complete as funding is available. Click here to see maps of current trails through the city.

Chaffee Crossing Pickleball Complex

In 2018, FCRA completed the transformation of two former WWII-era tennis courts into eight pickleball courts. Today, this is a City of Fort Smith public park that is open seven days a week and is in constant use. Courts are open first come first serve.

Open Monday through Sunday, 6:00 am - 11:00 pm

Western Arkansas Pickleball Advocates (WAPA) plays Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 6:30 p.m. during the summer months.

Website Questions: 479.784.2368

Address: 7220 Mahogany Ave., Fort Smith, AR 72916

Deer Trails Country Club

Deer Trails Country Club is a 9-hole/18-tee box course in the naturally beautiful, park-like setting of Chaffee Crossing in Fort Smith, Arkansas. The course is open to the public seven days a week.

Deer Trails offers excellent hybrid Bermuda greens. This is a good golf course for the everyday golfer and a fair challenge for the lower handicapper. Deer Trails Golf Course hosts multiple leagues and tournaments throughout the season. Guests can enjoy lunch and dinner in the clubhouse restaurant, Links at Chaffee Crossing, specializing in smoked meats.

Features: 9-hole course with 18 tee boxes

Driving range, putting green, chipping area

Links BBQ restaurant and pro-shop

Sign up for: Men's Leagues Women's Leagues Couples' Leagues

Ask about hosting tournaments for fundraisers, church, or group activities.

The course is located at 11707 Custer Blvd., Fort Smith, AR

479-478-6971 * deertrailscc@yahoo.com

Fishing, Kayaking & Canoeing

Well-known by the locals for family-friendly fishing and canoeing, Wells Lake is located adjacent to the Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center, which offers canoe rentals. Wildlife abounds in the water and the surrounding woods. A walking trail circles the lake, providing plenty of opportunities to spend a full day enjoying nature.

Located on Chad Colley Boulevard south of Massard Road is Torraine Lake. In the past, fishermen called this 15-acre fishing hole "Stick Lake". Recent improvements include a fishing pier, a multi-use trail that encircles the lake, a covered pavilion, and a paved accessible parking lot. This Sebastian County facility is free and open to the public.

Cycling & Running

Thousands of outdoor enthusiasts utilize the roads and trails at Chaffee Crossing each year. Cycling groups, runners, and walkers enjoy the beautiful scenery along more than 40 miles of paved and natural trails that connect residential areas to multiple residential neighborhoods, parks, and museums. Adventure-seekers love the miles of off-road hiking and biking trails. Each year multiple 5k runs and walks take place in Chaffee Crossing for the benefit of regional charities and organizations.

Runners and walkers (every week on Mondays and Thursdays) and cyclists (every Tuesday) utilize the relatively quiet roads throughout the property, particularly in the Chaffee Crossing Historic District where streets are wide and traffic levels are low in the evenings and on weekends. It's a great area for kids to learn to ride a bike and for families to exercise together. Western Arkansas Runners maintains a clubhouse in the Chaffee Crossing Historic District. The group hosts 5k runs and running clinics throughout the year.

Soccer

Sebastian County Parks owns and operates the Chaffee Crossing Soccer Fields located at Taylor Ave. and Fort Chaffee Blvd., Fort Smith. The NCAA standard fields are used for youth teams of all ages. Two new fields, a paved parking lot, and restrooms were added in 2017 to allow Sebastian County Parks to offer more tournament play.