#moderatehike
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 ̶...
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 ...
Hiking to Glory Hole Falls in the Ozarks
Now is the time of year that the waterfall hunters seem to be out in full force. So I am continuing on with my recent waterfall theme today. We have a nice variety of waterfalls here in Arkansas. Short to tall, with or without grottos, free-falling or cascading, they are all unique. One of the most unique though, is Glory Hole Falls. It is a stream that has eroded its way through the top of a grotto to form a hole all the way through the stone. The waterfall doesn’t flow over the top of the grotto like most falls – it flows through it. If you are a waterfall hunter in Arkansas, hiking to Glory Hole Falls has to be on your to-do list. Located near the headwaters of the Upper Buffalo in the Big Piney Ranger District, it’s in the middle of the most waterfall dense area of th...
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 Falls at Lake Catherine years ago. But I recently made a return trip to refresh my memory and get new pics. The things I do for my readers. (Me, pretending to have readers, lol). Wow, I had forgotten what a great hiking spot this is! Why? Keep reading and I’ll tell you all about it. But first… Directions Where is it? It’s very easy to find. The trail system is located in Lake Cathe...
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. They have quite a few different trails to hike or mountain bike. You’ll pass several trailheads as you drive to the top. Most of the State Park’s facilities are at the top of the mountain. This includes the visitor center, swimming pool, campground, and cabins. There are also some nice private homes and cabins up there. The whole park can be seen by car, from Sunrise Point to Sunset P...
Petit Jean State Park – Boy Scout Trail
Welcome to Part Five of the Petit Jean State Park hiking series, the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Boy Scout Trail. Petit Jean is Arkansas’ first state park. It’s also one of my go-to spots when I want a spur-of-the-moment, close to home day hike. It’s great because there are so many options there. Whether you want waterfalls, vista views, caves, or cool rock formations, Petit Jean has it all. If you missed Part Four, I covered the Cedar Creek Trail and mentioned this section of the Boy Scout Trail a couple of times. So now I’ll cover that a little deeper. I have not hiked the entire trail yet. So for this post I’ll mostly focus on the section around Turtle Rocks, Rock House Cave, and Cedar Creek. Directions Petit Jean State Park is a few miles southwest of Morrilto...
Petit Jean State Park – Cedar Creek Trail
Welcome to Part Four of the Petit Jean State Park hiking series, the Cedar Creek Trail. Petit Jean is Arkansas’ first state park. It’s also one of my go-to spots when I want a spur-of-the-moment, close to home day hike. It’s great because there are so many options there. Whether you want waterfalls, vista views, caves, or cool rock formations, Petit Jean has it all. If you missed Part One, I covered the most popular hike in the park. That would the Cedar Falls Trail, with it’s massive grotto and 90-ft Waterfall. Cedar Creek is what actually creates Cedar Falls. So the trail explores areas above the falls on both sides of the creek. This is a great hike to do if you want to avoid the crowds at the Falls. Or if you’ve done the other trails and want to see someth...
Petit Jean State Park – Seven Hollows Trail
Welcome to Part Two of the Petit Jean State Park hiking series, the Seven Hollows Trail. Petit Jean is Arkansas’ first state park. It’s also one of my go-to spots when I want a spur-of-the-moment, close to home day hike. It’s great because there are so many options there. Whether you want waterfalls, vista views, caves, or cool rock formations, Petit Jean has it all. If you missed Part One, I covered the most popular hike in the park. That would the Cedar Falls Trail, with it’s massive grotto and 90-ft Waterfall. In my opinion, the Seven Hollows trail is just as impressive in it’s own way. There is actually MORE to see. It also has a grotto and waterfall. But in addition to that, you’ll see lots of impressive bluffs, a natural bridge, several caves, and ...
Petit Jean State Park – Cedar Falls Trail
You can’t have an outdoors blog in Arkansas without giving some serious attention to Petit Jean State Park. It is Arkansas’ first state park. It’s also one of my go-to spots when I want a spur-of-the-moment, close to home day hike. It’s great because there are so many options there. Whether you want waterfalls, vista views, caves, or cool rock formations, Petit Jean has it all. And that’s just the hiking part. There is also a lake, car museum, full hookup campgrounds, cabins, restaurant, and Mather Lodge. Trying to fit it all into one post will make for a really long read. So this will be another blog series. Part One – You know it has to be the flagship trail. One of the most popular trails in the state. The ever-popular… Cedar Falls Trail Petit J...
Hike to Pam’s Grotto near Haw Creek
This hike to Pam’s Grotto is part 2 of a waterfall group hike series. In case you missed part one, I wrote in that post about how some friends saw my first pics of Falling Water Falls and wanted to do a group hike. So I researched a few spots for us to hike and see some waterfalls. We started the day off with a short hike to Pack Rat Falls at Haw Creek Recreation Area. I had read about Pam’s Grotto and finally figured out where the trail is. It’s actually very close to Haw Creek. So this was a perfect spot to take a large group and not have to drive much between stops. Once we finished up at Pack Rat, we headed back down Hwy 123 to find the trail for Pam’s Grotto. Quick Glance Distance: Approximately 1 mile round-trip Difficulty: Easy to Moderate Parking Coordinates...
Hiking to Longpool Falls on Big Piney Creek
Today’s blog post has us hiking to Longpool Falls on Big Piney Creek in the Piney Forest District of the Ozarks. This is a massive Grotto and a really nice waterfall when the water is flowing well. It is a short drive from Russellville, and is a relatively easy hike. I have an annual camping trip with some friends at Longpool Campground. We have done this short hike several times and it’s always great. If you have not been here before, you definitely need to have this one on your list. Directions From I-40, take the Highway 7 exit to Dover. About 10 miles north of Dover turn off Highway 7 on to Highway. From there follow the signs to Long pool Campground. If you get lost, the nice Folks at Moore’s Outdoors Outfitters can help you out. Once you are inside Longpool Ca...
Hike to Kings Bluff Falls
Welcome back! This is Part 2 of a series of my first Ozark Waterfall hikes. This is the second stop on a day trip spent hiking in the Big Piney Forest near Pelsor. If you missed it, Part 1 was the first leg of our day trip at Haw Creek Falls. So be sure to check that out for more info, maps, and pics. Our next stop that day was a hike to Kings Bluff Falls. Directions From Haw Creek, this was a backtrack to Hwy 7. (North on Hwy 7 past Dover to the Sand Gap/Pelsor area). At the intersection at Pelsor Post Office you take a right on Hwy 16 towards Ben Hur. See Google map below for directions to this and Falling Water Falls (Part 3). You will see a sign on the right for Pedestal Rocks / Kings Bluff Falls. Once you park, you’ll find the two trail heads are pretty close togethe...
