One of the Largest Municipal Parks in the United States
Size matters in parks, and Burns Park in North Little Rock makes the point emphatically. At 1,700 acres, it’s one of the largest municipal parks in the United States — a figure that invites comparison with major metropolitan parks across the country and that North Little Rock residents are justifiably proud of. But raw acreage is only the beginning of what makes Burns Park remarkable.
Where many large parks achieve their size through undeveloped green space or natural preserve, Burns Park fills its 1,700 acres with a density and variety of developed recreational amenities that would seem ambitious for a city three times North Little Rock’s size. Championship golf, disc golf on three separate courses, amusement rides, equestrian trails, an archery range, baseball complexes, soccer complexes, fishing, camping, BMX — the inventory goes on in ways that make Burns Park less a single destination than an entire recreational district that happens to sit within city limits.
Location and Getting There
Burns Park is located along the Arkansas River in North Little Rock, accessed primarily via Burns Park Drive off Lakeview Road. From downtown Little Rock, cross the Arkansas River on the Broadway Bridge or I-30 bridge into North Little Rock, then follow signs northwest along the river to the park complex. From I-40, take the Burns Park exit and follow the access road to the main entrance areas.
The park is large enough that different amenities have different access points — the golf complex, the sports fields, the amusement area, and the camping facilities each have their own parking areas. Plan your visit with a specific destination in mind so you arrive at the right part of the complex. Maps are available at the main park offices and online through the City of North Little Rock Parks and Recreation department.
The Golf Complex: Covered Bridge Course
The Covered Bridge Golf Course at Burns Park is a full 18-hole championship layout that has become one of the better-regarded public courses in the Little Rock metro area. The course takes its name from the historic covered bridge that serves as one of its signature features — a preserved wooden covered bridge that dates to an earlier era of Arkansas transportation and now frames one of the course’s more photographed holes.
The course is open to the public and offers the kind of setting — mature trees, varied terrain, the river corridor as backdrop — that would make a private club proud. Green fees are reasonable for the quality of the experience, and the course is well-maintained through the playing season. Check the City of North Little Rock website for current rates and tee time reservation procedures.
Disc Golf: Three Courses in One Park
Three separate disc golf courses within a single municipal park is unusual by any standard. Burns Park’s disc golf infrastructure has built a dedicated following among central Arkansas players who appreciate both the quantity and quality of the layouts available. The courses range in difficulty and character, providing options for players at different experience levels and ensuring that repeat visits don’t feel redundant.
Disc golf at Burns Park is free and open during park hours. The courses are well-used on evenings and weekends, and organized league play is common — check the park schedule if you’re planning a casual round and want to know whether competition is scheduled on a specific course.
Funland Amusement Area
For families with younger children, the Funland amusement area brings a dimension to Burns Park that few municipal parks can match. Amusement rides scaled for kids, carnival-style attractions, and the kind of simple outdoor entertainment that’s become increasingly rare in the era of indoor entertainment complexes make Funland a distinctly nostalgic and genuinely fun experience for the right age group.
Operating on a seasonal schedule — typically spring through fall — Funland is worth checking on specific dates and hours before building a family visit around it. The area charges for individual rides rather than a flat admission, which gives you flexibility on how much you spend based on your group’s appetite for the rides available.
Sports Complexes, Camping, and More
Beyond golf, disc golf, and Funland, Burns Park’s inventory continues expanding in ways that make it genuinely difficult to cover comprehensively. Soccer complexes that host regional tournaments sit alongside baseball facilities used extensively by North Little Rock’s youth leagues. Equestrian trails wind through the park’s more natural sections. An archery range serves the region’s bow hunters and target archers. BMX tracks draw dedicated riders on weekends. A 10-acre lake provides fishing access.
Camping is available within Burns Park, making it possible to anchor an extended visit — or to use Burns Park as a base for exploring central Arkansas more broadly. Hookups and primitive sites are both available. Contact the North Little Rock Parks and Recreation department for current campsite availability and reservation procedures.
Burns Park and the March 2023 Tornado
North Little Rock cannot be discussed without acknowledging March 31, 2023 — the date an EF3 tornado carved a path through the city that left a lasting mark on neighborhoods, businesses, and the community’s collective memory. The storm tracked directly through some of North Little Rock’s residential areas, producing damage that required months of repair and recovery work across the affected zones.
Burns Park itself sits to the northwest of the city’s densest residential development, but many of the neighborhoods that Burns Park serves — the communities whose families use the park’s facilities, whose kids play in the disc golf courses and fishing spots — were directly in the storm’s path. The recovery that followed the March 2023 tornado represented North Little Rock at its most resilient: neighbors helping neighbors, contractors working through backlogs of damage claims, and a community that was shaken but not broken.
That storm also generated one of the largest roof insurance claim caseloads in central Arkansas history. Hail, straight-line winds, and direct tornado damage each require different assessment approaches, and many North Little Rock homeowners navigated the insurance claims process for the first time in the months that followed. If your home was affected by the March 2023 storm and you have ongoing concerns about your roof’s condition — even repairs that were completed but may not have addressed all the damage — a follow-up inspection is worthwhile.
The Lifetime Construction Builders team serves the greater Little Rock metro area, including North Little Rock. We have experience with storm damage documentation and storm damage roof repair and can assess whether your home’s roof has been fully restored to proper condition. We also assist with insurance claim documentation for homeowners navigating the process.
Best Time to Visit
Burns Park’s scale and amenity diversity mean there’s genuinely something worth visiting in any season. Spring and fall are the most comfortable for golf, disc golf, and exploring the park’s natural sections. Summer brings Funland to full operation and activates the fishing and camping areas, though the heat warrants early morning starts for any extended outdoor activity. Winter provides dramatically quieter conditions — the golf course operates through most of the winter on playable-weather days, and the park’s natural sections see minimal crowds.
Practical Tips for Burns Park
- Plan your specific destination before arriving — the park is large enough that different amenities have different entrances
- Covered Bridge Golf Course: check current rates and reserve tee times online
- Funland operates seasonally (typically spring through fall) — confirm hours before a family visit
- Three disc golf courses are free and open year-round during park hours
- Camping reservations through North Little Rock Parks and Recreation
- The park’s river proximity means mosquitoes can be significant in warm months — plan accordingly
- Soccer and baseball complex schedules vary — check for tournament conflicts before planning casual play
A Park That Defines Its City
Parks at the scale of Burns Park shape a city’s identity in ways that smaller recreational amenities simply can’t. North Little Rock residents who grew up with Burns Park as their backyard understand this instinctively — it’s the place where childhood memories are made, where family traditions develop, where the community gathers for something other than commerce or obligation. The park’s 1,700 acres represent a commitment to public space that pays dividends across generations.
North Little Rock has been through significant challenges — the March 2023 tornado chief among recent trials — and has come through them with the kind of community cohesion that places like Burns Park help sustain. A city that invests in shared space for recreation and gathering is a city that understands what keeps communities whole.
Written by the team at Lifetime Construction Builders LLC, serving North Little Rock and the greater central Arkansas community.