About Hike NWA
Hike NWA is a Northwest Arkansas nonprofit on a mission to inspire and empower more people to confidently enjoy and care for our local trails. What began as a handful of neighbors learning to hike together has grown into an organization devoted to removing the barriers that keep people off the trail—so everyone in our community can share in the health, joy, and friendships that come from getting outside.
How Hike NWA Began · What We Do · Our Team
How Hike NWA began
Hike NWA began with one person’s decision to get healthier. In early 2025, founder Joy Miller was facing uncontrolled blood pressure and carrying more than forty extra pounds when she resolved to turn her health around. By that spring she was losing weight but still wasn’t active, so in May 2025 she decided to try hiking for the very first time.
When Joy asked around on social media, she found she wasn’t alone—plenty of people wanted to get out on the trails but didn’t know how to start or had no one to go with. So she gathered a small group and created a private Facebook community, Bella Vista Walks & Hikes, to coordinate group hikes. They completed their very first outing—just 2.4 miles—on May 5, 2025, and kept going, learning the trails one route at a time.
Ten months after that first 2.4-mile hike, the group took on its first major challenge, the Tunnel Vision Trifecta, hiking the entire 26.2-mile Tunnel Vision loop in Bella Vista over three days, covering as much as 9.5 miles in a single day. A 2.4-mile first hike had grown into a marathon’s worth of trail.
By then, Joy was leading hikes five days a week, and Bella Vista Walks & Hikes had become a genuine community. It was on one of those hikes that the idea of starting a nonprofit first took shape, and that idea became Hike NWA. Most of the organization’s board came from that original hiking group—people who had seen firsthand how much difference a little encouragement and a few good resources can make.
What we do
Hike NWA exists to make hiking accessible and enjoyable for everyone in Northwest Arkansas. Rather than assume people already know where to go or how to begin, the organization focuses on the barriers that most often keep people off the trail—and offers a practical answer to each one.
“I don’t have anyone to hike with.” Volunteer hike leaders organize regular group hikes through our private Bella Vista Walks & Hikes Facebook group, so no one has to head out alone.
“I don’t know where the trails are, or where to park.” Hike NWA maintains an easy-to-use parking map and a library of hundreds of hiking routes, so finding a trail and a trailhead is simple.
“I don’t know how to navigate the trails.” Hike NWA points hikers to the Komoot app for navigation and regularly hosts Komoot training hikes, so anyone can learn to confidently find their way on the trails.
For Hike NWA, this is about more than logistics—it’s a movement. Everyone deserves the health, joy, and friendships that come from getting outside, and helping more people take that first step onto the trail is what the organization is all about. Right now that work is focused on Bella Vista and Bentonville, with more Northwest Arkansas communities to come.
Our team
Hike NWA is guided by a volunteer board, most of whom first came together on the trails through Bella Vista Walks & Hikes. They share a simple belief—the trails are for everyone, and a little encouragement goes a long way.
Meet some of the people behind Hike NWA.
Joy Miller
Founder, Board President & Community Director
In May 2025, Joy took up hiking for the very first time to reclaim her health and started Bella Vista Walks & Hikes to keep herself accountable and find people to hike with. As she began helping others get out on the trails and creating resources to make it easier, that work grew into Hike NWA, which was launched as a nonprofit in 2026. Joy has a background in human services and prior nonprofit leadership experience, and she leads Hike NWA’s mission to inspire and empower more people in Northwest Arkansas to confidently enjoy and care for our local trails.
M.E. Graves
Vice President
M.E. joined the Bella Vista Walks & Hikes Facebook group in August of 2025 and immediately started hiking regularly. She quickly found the group to be a welcoming community of active people and a great boost for both her mental and physical health. Through hiking, she’s discovered new places, events, and restaurants around the area and made friends who share her love of the outdoors, from mountain biking to paddle boarding. M. E. believes hiking is something anyone can do at any age, and that it’s always better with someone to share the trail. She holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration and management and has spent her career working with the public, a background that translates naturally to Hike NWA.
Linda DuBose
Secretary
An experienced hiker who has explored the trails with several local groups, Linda joined Bella Vista Walks & Hikes in November 2025 after a friend introduced her to the community. For her, hiking is one of the best ways to meet people and enjoy the miles of amazing trails right in our backyard—and it’s improved her health and fitness and led to wonderful friendships along the way. After several years on the trails across Northwest Arkansas, Linda knows the area well, and she’s excited to help Hike NWA give newcomers the education and encouragement they need to take that first step onto the trail.
Gary Elbert
Treasurer
After more than 30 years living south of Houston, Texas, Gary and his wife moved to Bella Vista in June 2025 in search of new opportunities to enjoy the great outdoors. Eager to learn the extensive NWA trail system and meet others who share his outdoor interests, he quickly found the Bella Vista Walks & Hikes Facebook group and joined as many hikes as he could. For Gary, hiking is a perfect way to get exercise and fresh air, meet like-minded people, and take in the ever-changing beauty of the area — a foundation for overall health that builds strength, balance, and friendships, and carries over into his other pursuits like biking, paddling, and trail running. With everything NWA has to offer in our own backyard, Gary would love to see everyone get out and enjoy our many beautiful trails.
David Johnson
Education Director
A lifelong trail hiker and runner with some forty years on the trails, David found Bella Vista Walks & Hikes while working to rebuild his mobility after an injury. For him, hiking has always been central to his mental well-being—a way to keep moving, find clarity, and share the trail with friends. As Education Director, he’s driven to help others safely explore and enjoy the natural beauty that surrounds Northwest Arkansas.
Jason Vore
Events & Trail Stewardship Director
A trail runner and dedicated volunteer trail adopter, Jason is passionate about helping others feel welcomed by the trail community and comfortable exploring the trails all around them. For him, getting involved has brought a stronger sense of community, better health, and lifelong friendships. Motivated by community involvement, he puts that spirit to work in his stewardship role — helping care for and maintain the trails that make Northwest Arkansas such a special place to explore.
Stacy McKean
Outreach Coordinator
After a scary fall while trail running alone, Stacy went looking for active groups to join for a greater sense of safety and connection in nature, and found Bella Vista Walks & Hikes. For Stacy, hiking is both a wonderful way to enjoy the outdoors and a spiritual experience—it helped her work through the grief and stress of some big losses and surrounded her with people who’ve become close friends. A Northwest Arkansas native and a Bentonville educator for 32 years, Stacy brings deep community roots, a wide local network, and the confident communication skills of a lifelong teacher to her outreach role. She’s also a committed trail steward — making a point to pick up litter on her hikes to help keep the Natural State pristine — and she occasionally leads Happy Hour Hikes for folks who enjoy socializing over dinner and drinks afterward. Above all, Stacy wants to help others discover the fun, fitness, and stunning beauty of our local trails.
Jana Crittenden
Volunteer Coordinator
As a new resident of Bella Vista, Jana found the Bella Vista Walks & Hikes Facebook group, came out to a hike, and quickly discovered a source of friendship, resources, support, and advice. For Jana, exercise is how she handles stress and unwinds from all the craziness life brings, and good company makes the long hikes feel short, full of talking, laughing, and enjoying nature. As she puts it, hiking soothes her soul and lifts her spirits. She loves the benefits of being active—especially outdoors—and wants to encourage others to find the same joy and peace she’s found. Knowing the hardest part is simply starting, she’s eager to welcome newcomers to the trail.
Jeanne Slauson
Volunteer Coordinator
After moving from Wisconsin and knowing absolutely no one, Jeanne found that the Bella Vista Walks & Hikes group was the best thing for her—and the friendships she’s built through hiking have made all the difference. For Jeanne, hiking is a chance to explore beautiful places, challenge herself, and spend quality time with the people she cares about. Whether it’s a mountain trail or a peaceful forest path, she always comes away feeling refreshed and grateful. It has challenged her both physically and mentally, showing her she can accomplish more than she sometimes thinks—one step at a time. A former teacher who loves helping others learn, Jeanne looks forward to helping people connect with nature in a safe and welcoming way, and to sharing a place so beautiful you can get outside nearly every day of the year.
Ready to hit the trail?
Whether you’re brand-new to hiking or ready to give back, there’s a place for you at Hike NWA. Ask to join our private Bella Vista Walks & Hikes Facebook group to find a group hike, or become a hike lead.