#northwestarkansas
Hike to Devils Canyon Falls
On the rare occasion that I get much further west than the town of Ozark, it’s usually because I’m spending the night somewhere in Northwest Arkansas. It’s a little far for a day trip from Central Arkansas (my home), especially during the short Winter days when I do most of my hiking. So any time I travel to Northwest Arkansas, I try to check one of the waterfall hikes west of Ozark off my list. One of those hikes that had been on my list for a long time was the hike to Devils Canyon Falls. When I finally had an opportunity to peel off I-40 for a few hours to do it, this hike instantly made my favorites list. A short list that includes hikes like Thunder Canyon, Richland Creek, Winding Stairs, and Tea Kettle Falls, among others. The hike to Devils Canyon Falls is a somewh...
Tea Kettle Falls Hike (with Reynolds Hollow Falls)
Tea Kettle Falls is one of the more well-known and unique waterfalls in Arkansas. The base of the waterfall is a massive grotto style bluff that is quite an impressive sight on it’s own. The creek flowing over the top of the bluff has carved a hole in the rock at the top of it. Much like Glory Hole Falls, the water drops through this hole before ever making it to the edge of the bluff. But where the hole at Glory Hole falls drops straight down through the bluff, Tea Kettle is different. Instead of the hole coming out the bottom, it re-routes horizontally, shooting the water out the side of the bluff. This rock formation resembles the spout of a kettle, which is how Tea Kettle Falls gets its name. I’ve wanted to do the Tea Kettle Falls hike for quite a while, and finally got the...
Mountain Biking at Hobbs State Park
Here in Arkansas, we are fortunate to have some truly awesome State Parks. Most of them are located near lakes, rivers, or mountains offering a wide variety of outdoor recreation. Most of the State Parks have at least a few hiking trails, and some of them also have mountain bike trails. If you’re a mountain biker, there are four State Parks that should be on your favorites lists. They are the ones that have been blessed with Monument Trails. Those are Pinnacle Mountain, Mt. Nebo , Devil’s Den, and Hobbs State Park. I’ve been on a mission to ride them all. And this year, I finally got to do some mountain biking at Hobbs State Park, where the Monument Trails were born. You may be wondering, “what are Monument Trails?” The best description is straight from the Ar...
