Author: Scott Hallmark
Hike to Terry Keefe Falls
With the recent rain, the next few days will be a great time to see some waterfalls in Arkansas. I have written before about the many options along Falling Water Rd in the Richland Creek Wilderness. On my last venture to this area, I took a friend out that wanted to spend a day seeing some falls. On our last stop of the day, we made the beautiful hike to Terry Keefe Falls. Before we started this h...
Hemmed in Hollow Falls Via the Buffalo River
Did you know that the highest waterfall between the Appalachians and the Rocky Mountains is located right here in Arkansas? Yep, that’s right. Hemmed in Hollow, located on the Buffalo National River, is 209 feet tall. That makes it the highest waterfall in Mid-America, according the National Park Service. From the regular trail head it’s a pretty tough hike. It starts in the hills abov...
Helton’s Farm to Long Pool on Big Piney Creek
A lot of people know about the extreme paddling of the Cossatot River in the Ouachita Mountains of western Arkansas. But did you know you can go whitewater rafting in the Ozarks? It may not be the extreme whitewater rafting you see in Colorado or the Grand Canyon. But when the water is right, floating Helton’s Farm to Long Pool on Big Piney Creek can be some pretty intense paddling. I had a ...
Overnight Float on the Buffalo River – Pruitt to Carver
The Buffalo River will be open again for camping effective May 29, 2020. This is great news for the paddling community! But you can rest assured that the campgrounds around the Buffalo will be full this weekend. Even if you can get a spot, if you’re concerned about social distancing, that might be kind of difficult in the campgrounds. Have you ever considered an overnight camping float on th...
Floating High Bank to Byrd’s on the Mulberry River
We are over halfway through May, and the window to consistently float the upper end of most rivers will be closing soon. Last week, I wrote about floating Ponca to Kyle’s Landing on the Buffalo while you can. Floating High Bank to Byrd’s on the Mulberry River is very similar. The water gets too low to float once summer gets really hot and we get less rain. Unless you have the flexibili...
Floating Ponca to Kyle’s Landing on the Buffalo River
Float season is fully underway in the Natural State. If you’re a paddler and haven’t been on at least one float yet, you have really missed out. The Caddo and Mulberry have been awesome. I’ve done those while the Buffalo has been closed. But great news – the Buffalo opens back up this weekend!!! So it’s time to start planning those float trips on the Buffalo. And this...
Six Finger Falls and Fuzzy Butt Falls
Falling Water Road near Ben Hur is home to many popular Ozark waterfalls. Some of them require a short, easy hike to see. Some of them are longer, tougher hikes. Others, such as the ever-popular Falling Water Falls, can be seen from the road. Six Finger Falls and Fuzzy Butt Falls are two others that are very accessible and easy to get to. Six Finger Falls, just like Falling Water Falls, is one tha...
Hike to Sandstone Castles
I recently made the hike to Sandstone Castles, but I have to admit I had never heard of it until this year. Some friends and I were planning an overnight hike to Twin Falls. My friend David had been to Twin Falls before and suggested we add Sandstone Castles to the hike. He had not been there before either. He looked for them on his last hike to Twin Falls but took a wrong turn and missed them. On...
Richland Falls and Twin Falls Hike
There are several hikes in the state that have eluded me for years, for one reason or another. Trying to coordinate with friends, busy schedules, weather, float trips, social commitments – the list goes on. The Richland Falls and Twin Falls hike is one of those for me. It’s been on my to do list for quite some time. Well this spring, the planets aligned and I finally got to do it. And ...
Falls Creek Falls at Lake Catherine
I have seen several people on social media ask where to see waterfalls close to Central Arkansas. Some have specifically asked about “the waterfalls close to Malvern/Hot Springs/Lake Catherine”. They would be referring to Falls Creek Falls at Lake Catherine State Park. For anyone that’s asked or has wondered the same thing, this post is for you. I actually hiked to Falls Creek Fa...
Hiking the Mt Nebo Rim Trail
The weather in Arkansas has been perfect lately for hiking. There’s been just enough rain to keep most of the waterfalls flowing. But also lots of sunny days for those great vista view hikes. I love a hike that has both. A great one for that – one of my old favorites – is the Mt Nebo Rim Trail. Mt Nebo is a popular Arkansas State Park near Dardanelle in the Arkansas River Valley....
Floating the Lower Ouachita River
As the mid-Summer sun beats the Arkansas paddling rivers down to an unfloatable trickle, finding a place to paddle becomes a challenge. This is when it becomes necessary to turn to spring-fed options like the Eleven Point River, or dam-fed options like the Little Red or Little Missouri Rivers. For many in Central and South Arkansas, floating the Lower Ouachita River from Lake Catherine to Malvern ...
