Hiking
Paige Falls and Broadwater Hollow Falls
I have written a few articles lately about hiking around the Upper Buffalo River. That’s because there are so many great places there to hike. And most of them are not that far from each other, so it’s easy to do several in a day. All the trails have something different to offer. Some of them have waterfalls, others have majestic views, and some have caves and weird rock formations. They range from easy to difficult, short to long. And some of them are barely a hike at all. Paige Falls and Broadwater Hallow Falls is one of those. Much like Six Finger Falls and Fuzzy Butt Falls, it’s really hard to call this one a hike because the falls are so close to the road. The hike may be really short, but that doesn’t make the waterfalls here less impressive. In fact, this is ...
Hike to Hideout Hollow
As much as I hate for summer to end, there is a silver lining to Fall and cooler weather getting here. It’s my favorite time of the year to go hiking, for so many reasons. Overgrown trails become more clean. Ticks, chiggers and snakes go away. I can hike all day without sweating my ass off. The fall colors make the drive and the hike even more scenic. And late Fall means more rain, which means the waterfalls are running! This Fall I picked the perfect day to make the hike to Hideout Hollow. Hideout Hollow is a huge grotto/gorge (a hollow) encased in steep bluff walls with a 40 foot waterfall in the middle. Beneath the cliffs you can find the remains of an old “hideout” structure used by outlaws years ago. Hence the name “Hideout Hollow”. Stories vary on who th...
Hike to Balanced Rock Falls
The Buffalo River is well-known as probably the most popular floating and paddling river in Arkansas. But the lands around it are home to some of the best hiking spots in the state. In particular the Upper Buffalo area near Ponca, Boxley Valley and Compton is where you’ll find a lot of the most popular trails. There is a lesser-known hike in this area that is worth a look and that is the hike to Balanced Rock Falls. You won’t find the trailhead for this one on Google maps like the other ones. Nor is it listed on the Buffalo River NPS hiking page or the Hiking Project App. But you can find it on the AllTrails app I found this hike when I saw pictures of Balanced Rock Falls posted on some of the Facebook hiking pages that I follow. I like interesting rock formations as much as I ...
Climbing and Hiking at Sam’s Throne
Summer is over, and before long the Ozarks will be covered up with the colors of Fall. And one of my favorite spots to see all the Fall colors is Sam’s Throne. This is a hike along the top of a bluff line to a point overlooking a valley, and the views here are gorgeous! Hiking at Sam’s Throne can be a very short hike, or a longer hike depending on what you want to see. Either way, it’s a great place to hang out for a while and enjoy the views. Sam’s Throne is also a popular rock climbing destination. I’m not a climber myself, so I won’t write any about that and risk putting bad info out there. But it’s worth mentioning to anyone interested in climbing…and I do like watching the climbers scale the walls. Between that, the views, and the drive ...
Hike to Whitaker Point(Hawksbill Crag)
If you do a lot of hiking in Arkansas and haven’t made the hike to Whitaker Point, you have to add this one to your to-do list. It’s one of the more popular hikes in the Ozarks. Even if you don’t know what Whitaker Point is, you’ve probably seen a picture of it somewhere. Also known as Hawksbill Crag, it is one of the most photographed scenic spots in Arkansas. Lots of marriage proposals happen here and people actually pay photographers to capture the moment from far off. So what is it? Hawksbill Crag is a large rock outcropping sticking out from the top of a really high bluff. The bluff overlooks Whitaker creek in the valley below. On the AllTrails app, it is listed as “Whitaker Point Trail (Hawksbill Crag)”. On Google maps, you’ll find both ̶...
Hiking the Big Bluff Goat Trail on the Buffalo River
I have written a few articles about certain popular hikes or floats that have always eluded me for whatever reason. Hiking the Big Bluff Goat Trail is one of those that has been on my list for years, but just never happened. But this summer, I finally got to mark this hike off my list. And it was everything I expected it to be. In a time where waterfall hikes are all the rage, this a great hike to do when those falls are all dried up. What a great hike this one is. It’s not too long, not too short, slightly challenging, and definitely one of the most rewarding. If you have not made this hike yet, I highly recommend adding it to your list. If you use the AllTrails app, this hike is called Centerpoint to Goat Trail. I think you can get all the way to Hemmed-In Hollow from this trail, b...
Hike to Pedestal Rocks
Well, here we are in the middle of Summer – the dog days. Most of the rivers are really low for floating. Most of the waterfalls are just a trickle, if not dry. And man, is it HOT! If you don’t have a pool, or a boat for enjoying the lake, don’t worry. There are still some fun things to do outdoors. Even in the low rivers, there are still some swimming holes out there. So why not do a hike and swim? During another sweltering summer a few years ago, some friends and I did exactly that with a hike to Pedestal Rocks. You may be thinking “wait a minute…Pedestal Rocks doesn’t have a swimming hole. It doesn’t have any water at all!” You would be correct. It doesn’t. But just 13 minutes down the road is the ever-popular swimming hole at Fallin...
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 hike, we had made stops at Falling Water Falls, Six Finger Falls and Fuzzy Butt Falls. We were prepared to see others after Keefe Falls, but those got rained out. I have seen other people comment in different forums that Terry Keefe Falls was not their favorite in the area. I would have to agree, but only because the other falls in the area are so great. This waterfall is still absolutely worth hik...
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 above the top of the falls and ends at the bottom of the falls. So the steep uphill hike out of there is the difficult part. But for anyone that’s physically unable to do this hike, I have good news. You can access Hemmed in Hollow Falls via the Buffalo River and it’s a very short, easy hike. OK, so if you thought I was going to tell you about some special elevator, zip line or something, ...
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 that you can see from the road. You literally park next to it, walk 50 feet down a rocky trail, and you are there. Fuzzy Butt Falls on the other hand, cannot be seen from the road. But it is so close that I hardly even consider it a hike. If you are not a big hiker but still want to see some awesome waterfalls, these two are for you. They are so close together that if you are going to make the drive ...
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. Once he told me about them and their proximity to Twin Falls, I was sold. We decided we would tackle this on Day 2 of our overnight group hike. In case you missed Day 1, we started off from the Richland Creek Campground. We hiked the trail along Richland Creek to Richland Falls, and then on to Twin Falls. You can read all about Part 1 of this hike here, along with all the pics and video. In fact, I ...
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 it was everything I hoped it would be. I usually give each waterfall its own article, but it makes sense to put these two together. It’s pretty much the same hike, with one waterfall appearing after the other on basically the same trail. If you are going to go through the trouble to see one, you might as well see them both. I had always thought that I wanted to do this one as an overnight hi...
