[eastontracks]

hi all,

hopefully this hasnt been asked too much but didnt see much in a general search.

myself and a friend are looking for some spots to go camping, hiking, and maybe swim if thats an option. gonna meet him in dallas and were thinking oklahoma or arkansas. ive driven through (very briefly) nw arkansas and really loved the scnery and wanted to find a place to spend 2-3 days.

doing a general search i came across Ouachita National Forest. Would that be a good choice? wed be out there sometime mid to late aug.

i read in other threads about the mountains, great waterfalls, camping areas and hiking, etc. im hoping to experience that all in one place we choose. i dont want to be in a scenic mountainous area then have to drive 2 hours for a great waterfall, or other very dif scenic setting if that makes sense.

thanks a bunch in advance.

[Rock Climber]

The Ouachitas are in western and SW Arkansas. The Ozarks are their own area.

The best overall area for that kind of stuff in the Ozarks is probably the Jasper/Ponca area. Its about a 1:15 minutes, easy drive, from Fayetteville (which is a great town that deserves a visit itself). This time of year you might have to head out further east to get a good kayak/canoe float on the Buffalo River, but the swimming holes should still be good. The Steel Creek area of the Buffalo has a great one. I'd recommend checking out Horseshoe Canyon Ranch which has rock climbing, zip lining, and also offers quick and easy access to the Buffalo. This is all in the same general area, no long drives to different features. I'd recommend camping at Steel Creek area if you are looking to camp. There are cabins available nearby at a couple of campsites, or better accomodations available at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch.

There are some amazing hikes in that general area which are not dependent on rainfall whatsoever, but be advised that most of the waterfalls won't be impressive if you hit it during a dry patch. The tallest waterfall in this part of the country is at Hemmed In Hollow off the Buffalo River, 200+ feet straight down. Another great hike is The Goat Trail along Big Bluff. Its not for the faint of heart. It is a real adventure.

If you happen to spend any time in the Fayetteville area, Devil's Den offers some great hikes, and its 20 minutes south of here. My favorites are the Yellow Rock trail which has a big cliff overlook that gives broad vistas of the Ozarks, and there are also crevasses in that area with cold air coming up out of the caves.

Fayetteville has a new city park that offers great mountain hiking, called Mt. Kessler Park. It is over 620 acres of parkland, a mountainside and some wonderful rock formations. Its in the city limits.

[Rock Climber]

Here are a few videos. I think I've picked your place for you. Report back on wherever you choose to go. Fayetteville is about five hours north/east of Dallas.

Horseshoe Canyon Ranch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmTGRDwJmNU

The "painted" bluffs in the Steel Creek area:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt0iQf5HwLQ

The Goat Trail hike:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfUpJDMxnok

Hemmed In Hollow:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FzqEdoSE8wo

[Old Fossil]

eastontracks, I'm a Ouachita Mountain/National Forest guy, but I can't out-gun Rock Climber . Come on up, and I'm sure you will find plenty of great places to visit .

[jimnelson1]

Another vote for the Jasper/Ponca area and the Buffalo river.

[Luvvarkansas]

Yeah, Jasper area and Newton County in general is pretty awesome as far as "camp, hike, swim, explore" (your title in original post) is concerned.

*sigh* I haven't been there in years and I can't wait to have a chance to go back.

[eastontracks]

Awesome, thanks a bunch y'all! Definitely will have to look at the videos and all the info of these places.

[shyguylh]

I've visited Jasper and love the spots there, particular Ponca Bridge (36.01870, -93.35710), Pruitt (Lower, I believe, 36.06139, -93.13888), and "The Blue Hole" (about 10-12 miles away, 35.99478, -93.04205).

My only gripe--and I hope I don't upset anybody--is all the canoers. They kind of get in the way sometimes. I also like to find secluded spots (the Blue Hole can be one) to where I can swim, you know, "naturally," and that's the thing--even if the spot is secluded, some freaking canoer is likely to come out of nowhere, and I'm like "go canoe somewhere else dang it!" At least the "Blue Hole" seems far enough away from where the canoing action is at--if no one else is there, you can feel pretty safe in being a little adventurous.

Also, the water with all is nice in terms of being cooler in July vs how water in the lakes and such can sometimes be too warm, but that probably means it takes longer to warm up in April/May and it probably cools off faster during end season. Nothing's perfect--even so, those spots are great.

[Rock Climber]

Yeah canoes can be a pain if you're just looking to swim. This time of year, though, the upper Buffalo should be free of canoes. The Steel Creek to Kyle's Landing stretch is rarely floatable after early June, and only after good rainfall.

As for in the buff swimming, I have heard there is a place on Beaver where nude bathing is the general custom, but I've not been there.

[bkern1989]

I feel like you wouldn't have a hard time finding a secluded camping spot, but the problem is that there may not be much of anything in the way of hiking and waterfalls. At the same time, it depends on what you mean by secluded. There are many campgrounds in the "mountains", but you typically wont be the only one there. Driving in the Mcllroy Management area in Madison Country North of Huntsville, I came across several areas with fire pits. Saw tents out there a few times. The area has four known waterfalls, but none of them are towering. Three of the four are almost right off the road, but one requires a bit more of a hike and typically doesn't run unless there's recently been a heavy rain storm. As for whether there are any regulations to camping in the area, I'm not too sure. As for Steele Creek, I enjoy making the drive down there to sit by the river and take in the nature, but I only do that during the Winter months. I went in early June and it was PACKED! I turned around immediately without even getting out of the car. I too, don't like the overcrowding areas. The Haw Creek area is also a neat area and typically isn't too crowded. I went the same day as Steele Creek and while there was people there, it wasn't overcrowded at all. Hike through the "mountains" on an April Day and you're likely going to find more waterfalls than you can count.

Speaking of Haw Creek...you are within 10 miles of several nice waterfalls, one of which is called Native American Falls and is my favorite that I've seen in the state, though I don't advise attempting it during the Summer. There is no trail and the area gets very overgrown during the Summer months. I went in March and it was a relaxing hike. Went again in June and backed out because it was too difficult to navigate.