Arkansas- The Hidden Gem

While working in Louisiana we were so close to Arkansas that we had to visit. Surprisingly there were several mountain ranges to see and spring was the perfect time to visit. Our first trip to Arkansas we visited the Ouachita National Forest which was just to the west of Hot Springs. We did a two night backpacking trip in these beautiful woods.

We had a very wet camping experience and lots of scary moments in our two night backpacking trip. From 60 foot pine trees falling near our campsite to having to wade in waist deep rapidly moving water after all the rain fall. On the way hiking in the streams and rivers were crossable by rock jumping but on the way out after the rain the water had risen and I was one cranky and scared woman having to cross all the rapid and deep moving water. Of course Matt was able to fish on this camping trip and was successful catching some small mouth bass and trout.

Usually after a few days of backpacking we try to treat ourselves by staying in a hotel or Airbnb and getting fresh showers and a delicious meal and that we did. We headed over to Hot springs and checked into our hotel and got cleaned up for dinner. We headed out to a place in downtown Hot Springs called the Ohio Club.

We had delicious pub food while we listened to a live band. The next day we explored downtown Hot Springs and of course visited the Hot Springs that runs through the town.

As we headed back home to our camper in Louisiana we stopped at a beautiful place called Garvan Gardens. It was located just south of Hot Springs but it is known for its botanical gardens and a gorgeous wood glass chapel. We enjoyed the afternoon roaming the tulip gardens and then made our way back home that night.

We loved Arkansas so much that we visited again about a month later, except this time we went a littler further North into the Ozark Mountains near Ponca, Arkansas. From where we lived in Louisiana it was about a 9 hour drive to the Ozarks and we made it about 2 hours before dark, camping in a national forest campground. The next day we headed out to several hikes, the first one being Glory Hole Falls.

This hike was about 3 miles round trip and was very wooded but took you to a unique waterfall. This waterfall had actually made a hole through the rock. After we got done with that hike we headed to our cabin for the next two nights. On our way to the cabin we were starving and ran up on this old barn they had made into a restaurant called “The Ozone Burger Barn.” A hole in the wall place to eat but those are the best because the burgers we ate were phenomenal! When we arrived at our cabin it was a very quaint cabin with no cell service and no tv just what Matt and I love, and the views of the green mountains was perfect.

After unpacking, we headed out to our next hike to Whitaker point. This hike took you to Arkansas’s most photographed location. Another beautiful hike with beautiful views.

On our way home that evening it was just becoming sunset when we saw something with big white butts, we had no clue what it was so we turned the car around when someone stopped next to us and said “Did y’all see those elk?” We were stunned we had never seen elk before so we turned the car around and of course there they were grazing on the side of the road and then we looked into the field in the distance and there were probably about 20 elk grazing.

We could not believe our eyes and were so excited that we saw elk for the first time! After a relaxing evening at the cabin and a good nights rest the next day we went exploring again taking us to another hike called Big Bluff. This hike took you along a bluff that overlooked the Buffalo national river which we were planning on kayaking the next day.

The views were amazing and got us all excited about our kayaking adventure. The next day we checked out of our cabin early and headed to put in our kayaks for a full day of kayaking on the Buffalo National River. We had set it up for the truck to be transported to our take out location prior to getting on the river. The float was supposed to be about 10 or 11 miles and we were going to camp along the river that night. We finally got on the water with Chaca in my yak and we hit a couple of small rapids in the beginning but with no trouble.

The float was beautiful especially when we arrived near the big bluffs we had hiked the day before. Matt tried to do a little fishing but didn’t have any luck especially after him and Chaca flipped on some rapids. Luckily, I was behind them and was able to save his fly rod, fishing bag, and thankfully the cooler that had our food and water for the day and night! After getting adjusted we continued our float down the river. We came up on a hike called hemmed-in-hollow. So we parked our kayaks and we headed to the falls which was only about a half mile in. It is the tallest waterfall in Arkansas.

After our hike we got back on the water and started looking for a camping spot along the river. We came up on a nice spot to camp and hung up our hammocks which is what we brought to sleep in for the night due to storage space in the kayaks. After getting things set up we made a fire and Matt did a little more fishing while there was still daylight. The plan was to get up the next morning and finish our kayaking trip which was probably about 3 or 4 more miles because there was supposed to be rain coming the next day.

Well, about mid night in the dead of sleep a big crash of thunder started and then rain began. We thought to ourselves this is not good because everyone knows rivers rise when it rains. It continued to rain the next 6 hours until sunrise came and it was still raining. We were able to see our kayaks by then and good thing we had tied them off because they were now floating in the river due to the sudden river rise from the rain. All I could think was that we were going to die… I did not want to get on the river because I didn’t want to get electrocuted by lightening and the rapids that were class 1 or 2 was now 3 pushing class 4. I was terrified but thankfully I had a very mellow husband that was able to keep me calm and talk me into getting into the water and finishing the trip. This was probably the first time Matt and I had ever worn our life jackets that’s how scary it was. So I put Chaca on my kayak with me and she rode on the back so I could paddle without her weight shifting us. I went first and Matt was behind me in case I flipped and needed help. Somehow, only God knows how, we made it through all those rapids in that raging water. What should had been a two hour float was probably 30 minutes long. We safely made it to the landing where the truck was parked. Man we were so happy to see land and our truck! After getting the kayaks loaded we went to the bathrooms to change into dry clothes because of course we were soaked. The next thing we did was find the nearest place to eat breakfast and that was in Jasper, Arkansas. We went to the Ozark Café, where we probably had the best breakfast we had ever eaten in our lives! After getting our bellies full we made the long ride home thanking Jesus all the way that he watched over us on that scary adventure!