Archery trail plan comes to life at Wappapello Lake

WAPPAPELLO — An idea for a new recreational opportunity at Wappapello Lake, hatched in the mind of a park ranger a decade and a half ago, is coming to fruition over the next several months.

A new archery trail is being constructed below the dam and is expected to be ready for use by early next summer.

“Probably 15 years ago, the folks I was working with said ‘come up with something good for use,’ so I bridged this idea of a self-guided archery trail,” said Park Ranger Jeremy Jackson.

Wappapello Lake Park Ranger Jeremy Jackson shows a section of a new archery trail being constructed below the dam at the lake. Officials hope to trail, with up to 24 targets, will be ready to open by early summer.DAR/Paul Davis

For whatever reasons, Jackson said, the trail project never happened, but he didn’t let go of the idea.

“It’s kind of one of those stories of don’t give up,” he said. “Over the last three or four years, we put it back into a budget proposal package, and it was funded this year.”

Jackson said U.S. Army Corps of Engineers staff “feel like we need to provide the opportunity. Outside of camping in the summer, I think probably hunting and fishing is our biggest draw as far as recreational opportunities. We’re an outdoor-oriented project.”

The archery trail will begin where the softball field currently sits below the dam, on the north side of the St. Francis River.

“The plan is to put up a shelter and a range, with 10-, 20-, 30- and 40-yard targets. That’s where you’ll start,” Jackson said.

“We’re going to build a small parking lot there, and the plan is to build some sidewalks, but it will be a long process,” Jackson added.

From the range and parking lot, the actual trail, which will be approximately 8-feet wide, with an out-and-back layout, will enter the nearby timber and meander to the south.

“It will work its way down past the beaver pond and end up at a little food plot we have,” said Jackson.

From that point, archers will be able to walk the same trail back to the parking lot or access the nearby open field to get back to their vehicles.

Work on the trail began about two weeks ago, Jackson said, with fellow rangers Tyler Stahl and Eric Limanen taking the lead and coordinating much of the work.

“We had to wait until Nov. 1 to do tree removal because of Fish and Wildlife Service guidance,” explained Jackson. “Part of the goal was to minimize tree removal. We’ve tried to maneuver the trail and paths going through there to minimize the damage.”

The trail, Jackson said, ultimately will be about a half-mile long, with the first third to half of it paved with asphalt to allow for easier access.

“The first part will be a section with six to eight targets that will be paved to make it ADA accessible,” said Jackson. “We want to make at least a section of this trail to where they will be able to get out and stay on a hard surface.”

Beyond the paved section, the trail will be constructed with bark mulch.

Along its entire length, archers will have the opportunity to shoot targets at various distances to simulate hunting conditions.

“Our hope is to have 3-D targets. Part of the concern is the targets could disappear, so we have to figure out a way to protect our investment,” said Jackson.

The end goal, he said, is to have “a minimum of 12 targets, but maybe up to 18 or 24, depending on what works.”

While staff have cut most of the trail already, the paving work will have to wait until spring.

“I think the big key is going to be when the asphalt plants open. I’m hoping by early summer we’re ready to go, but there are a lot of variables that could change that,” Jackson said.

Once complete, Jackson said, he thinks the trail will be popular with visitors.

“I think it’s really going to go over well. It’s going to be kind of a cool experience,” he said.