Arkansas Wild

The latest issue is on newsstands now! 

By Matt McNair

Sunny Outlook

Hello and well-met from the blessedly air-conditioned confines of Catfish Tower, where we’ve been huddled up in the sweet air for the last little bit to put the finishing touches on the Summer 2026 edition of Arkansas Wild.

Speaking of summer editions, this is the 250th edition of summer in the United States of America, as you may have heard. Seems like a pretty big deal! Since this issue will hit stands just a couple of weeks before the 4th of July, by the time you see this you might’ve already had your fill of firecrackers and gotten to see the great big on-the-nose celebrations of America’s first quarter-millennium, but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep the party going in other ways. To that end, we’ve put together a guide to summer fun that hits every corner of the state. There’s a lot of the usual-suspect activities on display—you can’t have too many mentions of fishing and hiking and the like in a state as fit for’em as ours, in my opinion—but we’ve got some things you might not have thought about. It being the 190th edition summertime in the state of Arkansas, we’ve tried to include plenty of ways to beat the heat, even if it means getting inside for a little bit (we’re Wild, not crazy), although we won’t get you too far from the great outdoors even then.

Along with a grab bag of summertime fun, we’ve got a piece on hiking with your four-legged friends; turns out it’s not as simple as just leashing’em up and heading out, but a little bit of prep makes the trip more fun for everybody, including other folks (and critters) that are sharing the trail.

Speaking of learning, I have learned from our conservation correspondent that, despite my strong suspicion to the contrary, paddling the Bayou DeView water trail in the summer will not end with your canoe filled to the brim with cottonmouths. Check out his story to confirm that happy fact and learn a little more about this great water trail tucked away in the Arkansas Delta.

Another thing you’ll learn if you read closely: where the westernmost skirmish of the Revolutionary War occurred. (Hint: It’s Arkansas.) Considering it’s America’s 250th and all, I reckon it’s basically your patriotic duty to read through ’til you figure out exactly where that is.

We’ve also got a photo essay, a first for me as editor. Contributor Brandon Markin paid a visit to Fox Pass Pottery, where Jim and Barbara Larkin have been creating functional art for five decades. He took me along for the ride, and I’ll just say you have to see it to believe it. So flip the pages and go see it, and then head down to Garland County and see it—and them—in person.

All this and more await you in this summer’s Arkansas Wild. As always, we appreciate you picking up our little magazine. And honestly, if you need to, use it as a fan at the picnic. We won’t mind.

It’s summertime in Arkansas, after all.