When did you become a climbing advocate? For Dennis Nelms, co-founder of Climb Bentonville gym in Bentonville, Arkansas, the moment came the day he realized that access to nearly every route in the state could disappear overnight. Crags in Arkansas are on a mix of public and private lands, both of which need special protections for long-term access. In Arkansas, those protections are few and far between.
Richland Creek, AR. Ancestral lands of Osage, Quapaw, Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, and Caddo. © Tyler Casey.
Arkansas might not be the first place that comes to mind when one thinks about climbing advocacy, partly because that advocacy work has not always been visible on a national level. But as the state transforms into a hub for the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts, climbers have a unique opportunity to protect and conserve the land, secure sustainable access, and transform communities across the state.
What Does Arkansas Offer?
Arkansas has always been an outdoor enthusiast’s paradise. Hunting, fishing, kayaking, and other recreation opportunities abound throughout the Natural State’s forested woodlands, pristine waterways, and the majestic Ozark Mountains. And those in the know count climbing among one of the state’s best outdoor offerings, too.
Countless bands of high-quality sandstone cliffs hidden away under a dense, mountainous canopy offer a lifetime’s worth of climbing. But even veteran Arkansas climbers like Nelms are still discovering rock just minutes away from urban centers.
As the state continues to activate new forms of recreation, it’s turning into a destination for weekend warriors, vanlife nomads, and everyone in between. “Arkansas is doubling down on developing their recreation economy,” says Erik Murdock, Access Fund interim executive director. “And we don’t have to theorize how that plays out—we can just look at mountain biking.”
A New Way of Working
Cowell, AR. Ancestral lands of Osage, Quapaw, Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, and Caddo. © Levi Harrell.
Nelms watched as the mountain biking community in northwest Arkansas came together, engaged with stakeholders, and redefined what the sport could do for an area. He also saw that transformation’s ripple effect across the state. “Cities and state agencies are starting to understand that outdoor recreation is showing huge results as far as the economic impact on these regions,” says Nelms. “They get it—and they want in.”
For decades, climbers tended to stay under the radar, only reacting to access threats when they arose. But Nelms sees an encouraging trend as Arkansas climbers begin to plan ahead. “Instead of reacting to an access threat, we’re looking at the mountain biking blueprint to be proactive about buffering our climbing areas against future threats.”
Part of that forward-looking approach involves developing smart climbing management strategies that protect the plants, animals, and cultural resources that inhabit these incredible landscapes before a crag ever opens to the public. It’s a tall order, but one in which climbers in Arkansas are already actively engaged.
Partnering for the Future
One place where climbers have already made an impact is Lincoln Lake. Through the advocacy work of Access Fund and local climbers, much of the area’s climbing is on the verge of being permanently protected through a conservation easement to be held by the Northwest Arkansas Land Trust. “We went to NWA Land Trust and made our proposal—conservation with recreation access—and they didn’t hesitate,” says Nelms. “They said ‘Awesome, let’s do it.’” Just like that, with a small coalition of partners, climbers in Arkansas are about to permanently protect a landscape that was threatened by development only a decade ago.
Arkansas’s openness to outdoor recreation has also presented new opportunities to partner with state and local government officials. To continue fostering climbing in the state, Access Fund and the Arkansas Climbers Coalition assisted Arkansas State Parks in completely revamping their statewide climbing policy. The policy was approved by the state legislature in 2022 and is now in effect.
“The policy that Arkansas State Parks adopted for climbing is the new gold standard for statewide climbing policies,” says Access Fund’s national acquisitions director, Brian Tickle. “It’s forward-looking on sustainability and provides rational and clear guidance on fixed anchors.”
Arkansas Climbers Coalition is now solidly aligned with Arkansas State Parks and working to secure additional climbing opportunities in state parks.
“Arkansas State Parks’ partnership with the ARCC allowed both organizations to work together to create a climbing policy that aligns our goals for future partnerships and policies,” says ARCC president Dave Thompson. “Now, we’re looking beyond state parks and ready to help craft sustainable climbing policies along with other land managers across the state.”
And the coalition’s work isn’t limited to public lands. They recently worked with another partner outside of the traditional climbing community to open up sustainable access to a new crag outside of Bentonville—a partner who knows a thing or two about opening up new recreation areas.
Opening Fitzgerald South
Fitzgerald Mountain is a mountain biking destination with more than 12 miles of trails for riders of all skill levels. With the help of Arkansas Climbers Coalition, Access Fund, and Trailblazers, a local nonprofit dedicated to increasing access to outdoor recreation, it will soon boast designed trails, durable belay areas, and more than 50 sport climbs at a range of grades.
Fitzgerald South, Arkansas. Ancestral lands of 𐓏𐒰𐓓𐒰𐓓𐒷 𐒼𐓂𐓊𐒻 𐓆𐒻𐒿𐒷 𐓀𐒰^𐓓𐒰^, O-ga-xpa Ma-zhoⁿ, Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, and Caddo. © Access Fund.
Nelms identified the area’s potential for climbing and started building a coalition of partners to make his vision a reality. He brought in Trailblazers to acquire a piece of adjacent property, Arkansas Climbers Coalition to design the crag and develop new routes, and Access Fund to design and build sustainable access to the crag that will stand up to heavy climber traffic.
Fitzgerald Mountain is peppered with large sandstone boulders and bluffs that offer high-quality climbing at a range of grades. The property is owned and managed by Trailblazers as an urban-adjacent mountain biking park. Now, they’re adding climbing to the mix. The invitation is an opportunity to show one way that an entire crag can be designed and equipped before it’s open to the public. It may just be the perfect project to show state and local officials how to open new climbing areas.
Is Arkansas the Case Study for Protecting America’s Climbing?
“We’ve never seen a state double down on climbing the way Arkansas doubled down on mountain biking,” says Murdock. “If climbers can make it happen, then we’ll have an incredible case study to bring to other states, cities, parks, forests, and more where we can say, ‘Look, it works, and here’s the proof.’”
Arkansas could become the country’s most powerful example of how to tap into climbing as a worthwhile and transformative outdoor activity that nearly any state can add to its outdoor recreation portfolio. “To me, the question is whether Arkansas can maximize its potential for climbing,” says Nelms. “If it can fully realize the vision that climbers here have for the state, then it can be an example for other states to do the same thing.”
To hear Nelms talk about it, it doesn’t seem like much of a question. “We have the rock. We have the momentum. We have the blueprint. We have the community. We just have to keep working to put it all together.”
A Destination to Gather
Maybe you think of your own state as flown over and forgotten as a climbing destination. If so, there are a lot of lessons to learn from Arkansas’ burgeoning-but-strong climbing advocacy movement—and you have a chance to learn them first-hand when Access Fund’s annual Climbing Advocacy Conference lands in Bentonville, Arkansas.
Arkansas climbers have been hard at work protecting and conserving the state’s pristine woodland areas, fighting for sustainable access at the state and local level, and are an incredible example of a welcoming and hardworking climbing community that’s open to all. In fact, climbing advocacy in Arkansas looks like a microcosm of Access Fund’s national work.
From November 10-11, climbers from around the country will gather to share what they’ve learned about advocacy, stewardship, and more over the past year. Will you join us? Click to learn more about this year’s conference.