Rattlesnake Ridge Natural Area is a 370-acre tract owned by The Nature Conservancy. It lies south of Lake Maumelle and west of Pinnacle Mountain State Park. It features 5 interconnected trails of about 6 miles open to hikers and mountain bikes. There are two rock climbing areas. The trail head is at 34.8389°N 92.5216°W, on the north side of Barrett Rd (through a gate that looks like it leads into private property). OpenStreetMap view.
The area is bordered on the west by Blue Mountain Natural Area, which has its own trail system. The two trail systems connect near the boundary.
Maps
My map is a 1-page PDF that will be about 1:7000 scale on 8.5″x11″ paper. Here’s some general info about my maps. Every time I update the map the file will have a different name so if you want to bookmark or share it, link to this page – not the file.
The trails on the map are colored according to the blazes used on the actual trails. I omitted the usual greenish landcover layer from the map since the whole area is forested anyway and it made some of the trail lines a bit harder to see.
Trails
The trails are open to hikers and mountain bikers with exceptions noted. Apparently the trails might be closed if judged to be too wet. For details you have to use Facebook! Elevations range from about 300′ at the trail head to 680′ at the top of Cliffbrake and a max of 640′ on Diamondback. It’s generally a pretty mild gradient. The area is criss-crossed by several service roads that I don’t currently show on my map.
Cliffbrake: 1.8 miles. Bikes go uphill only. Leads to a rock climbing area and then winds around the bluff and on to the top.
Diamondback: 1.5 miles.
Lower Kanob: 1.2 miles. Connects to Tarantula Hawk trail in Blue Mountain Natural Area.
Mountain Boomer: 1.8 miles.
Timber: Though shown on the trail head sign, I could not find this trail. There is one kinda nearby that I show on my map. It connects to Mountain Boomer and has very little resemblance to the purported Timber trail.
Photos
Last updated/reviewed: Oct 15 2025
The Compulsive Hiker 