Month: December 2020
Hike to Winding Stairs on Eagle Rock Loop
I continue to be blown away by the natural beauty in our state. Just when I think I’ve seen the prettiest hike in Arkansas, I eventually go on another one that changes my mind. The hike to Winding Stairs on the Eagle Rock Loop Trail in the Ouachitas is the latest one. I’ll admit that I have not given enough attention to the Ouachita Mountain region so far. Sometimes I get in the habit of heading straight to the Ozarks for hiking waterfalls and paddling rivers. But there are areas of the Ouachitas that are just as great and in my opinion, very underrated. This area around the Eagle Rock Loop is right up there with some of the best spots in the Ozarks. Many people have gotten confused and lost trying to follow this trail. Unless you download a map, it can be easy to get off the t...
Alum Cove Natural Bridge
Many of the hikes I have written about so far are located in the areas between Russellville and Jasper, or Clarksville and Ponca. Nestled right in the middle of all those hills, creeks, and waterfalls lies Alum Cove Natural Bridge Recreation Area. In all my trips through this area, I’ve passed really close to Alum Cove probably a hundred times. And until recently, I had never stopped to visit – always in a rush to get somewhere else. But this past November, I made it a point to specifically stop in to check out Alum Cove. I was not disappointed. I had actually set out to do a different hike that day a little further north. But the road to that trailhead was flooded so I had to call an audible. I’d been saving the Alum Cove area trail as a backup plan for just such an occa...
Mountain Bike Trails at Mt. Nebo State Park
There has been a surge of new mountain bike trails constructed all over the state in the past few years. New trails are being finished faster than I can keep up with them. Not only is the quantity of trails in Arkansas increasing, but so is the quality. For years, I was used to riding on trails that basically amounted to hiking trails you could ride bikes on. But these new trails are professionally constructed specifically for mountain biking. The mountain bike trails at Mt. Nebo State Park are a great example. They are part of the Arkansas State Parks Monument trails collection, which you can read more about here. Much like the new trails around Bentonville, Hot Springs, and Pinnacle Mountain, these new trails make mountain biking more fun. That’s because they are designed for bikin...
