Arkansas trails · Bench Trail
Bench Trail
A 3.5-mile network in Arkansas, with 257 ft of climbing. Reaches Darling Spring and other spring/summit/viewpoint destinations. Managed by the state.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the final third: 47% of the ascent falls between mile 2.3 and mile 3.5. It gives back about 308 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Darling Spring (spring)
- Sunset Point (summit)
- Sunrise Point (summit)
- Sunset Point (viewpoint)
- Sunrise Point (viewpoint)
- Bench Overlook (viewpoint)
Getting there
Bench Trail access — parking nearby. About 21 min drive (11 mi) from Russellville. 35.22420, -93.24923 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:52 a.m., the sun rises at 7:18 a.m. and sets at 6:39 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:04 p.m. (CDT) — 11 h 21 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 3.5-mile route takes roughly 1 h 26 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 8:43 a.m. — 9 h 56 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Rim Trail + Access Trail + Bench Trail — 3.6 mi loop, 894 ft gain
- Bench Trail + Gum Springs Trail — 1.0 mi loop, 146 ft gain
- Rim Trail + Nebo Springs Trail + Bench Trail — 1.5 mi loop, 433 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Millers Goat — 0.0 mi
- Rim Trail — 0.5 mi
- Huckleberry Mtn-Orange — 15.1 mi
- Winthrop P. Rockefeller Boy Scout Trail — 19.5 mi