A year after publicly introducing his idea, Bill Jones’ push to turn Bayou Bartholomew into a tourism destination for Pine Bluff is in full swing.
Delivering the keynote address at the Pine Bluff Regional Chamber of Commerce banquet Thursday night, the Sissy’s Log Cabin CEO broke down the phases to his Bayou Bartholomew Water Trail project before a full ballroom inside the Pine Bluff Country Club. Phase I, which encompasses the construction of landings and access to the 364-mile long waterway from Pine Bluff to Sterlington, La., is on course for completion by the end of this year. Phase II will bring a bike trail, and Phase III will see a nature center constructed behind Southwood Elementary.
The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, city of Pine Bluff and Saracen Casino Resort are funding the project, which Jones said is expected to be completed in three to five years. Jones is a Game and Fish commissioner.
“Something like this is much more difficult than you think because of all the permits you’ve got to get,” Jones said. “You’ve got to pull the money together and the designs together, get the county and city MOUs (memoranda of understanding). It’s a lot to it, but it’s got full legs now.”
The estimated total project cost is more than $16.2 million, according to a January 2025 article covering Jones’ presentation to the Jefferson County Quorum Court.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“The hardest thing about this whole project is cleaning the whole bayou out,” Jones said.
Landings at Old Warren Road and Hazel Street are to be constructed during Phase I. A kayak launch sponsored by Saracen will be added during Phase II, when a landing and boardwalk at Olive Street will be built.
Bayou Bartholomew is the longest bayou in the world and is also seen as the dividing line between the south Arkansas timberlands and the Delta. The bayou is one of the most diverse ecosystems for a stream in North America and the world with more than 100 species, according to multiple sources.
The project is the “most exciting thing” Saracen Chief Marketing Officer Carlton Saffa said he’s seen in years.
“You take your natural strengths and you build on them,” Saffa said. “You get a lot of credit for being good, but being the best? Being the biggest? How many biggest of anything in the world exist in Arkansas? Walmart is a shining icon for our state, right? Well, from a natural resources perspective, Bayou Bartholomew is the biggest something in the world – here.”
The goal of the Water Trail, according to Jones, is to protect, improve and share a natural resource that dates back 2,200 years.
“I know the tourism is going to be amazing,” Jones said. “I know Saracen loves the idea because it’s high-profile and (because of) the fact that people come to spend the weekend. Golf is one thing, but being able to bike? Being able to float? An ecosystem like this is No. 2 in the world.”
Thanks to the wide array of species, Jones anticipates visitors will be able to enjoy bank fishing on the bayou once the Water Trail project is completed.
“Bill doesn’t make bad decisions,” Saffa said. “When Bill showed me this – his enthusiasm is so effusive – it just made sense. It will help the casino. It will help tourism. It will help Jefferson County.”
Bayou Bartholomew is also Pine Bluff’s No. 1 tourism opportunity, as identified by Mayor Vivian Flowers’ advisory council.
“I said a long time ago, the best ideas come from constituents, people who are service-minded,” Flowers said. “That’s what we have in Bill Jones, that’s what we have in (city tourism development director) Jimmy Cunningham and anybody who ever has had anything to do with Bayou Bartholomew. I am super, super-excited about what this is going to mean for our city, for tourism, for people who live in this city who are going to have access to such a beautiful gem for the state and the city of Pine Bluff.”
