After two trips to Broken Bow this year, Ben and I decided to travel a little further from home. We wanted a place where we could do some hiking and see the leaves changing.
I somehow stumbled on the Buffalo National River area of Arkansas which still had some cabins available at the beginning of November. So we booked a cabin in Ponca, Arkansas, about a 6.5 hour drive from Dallas. Ben and I enjoyed our trip to Hot Springs a few years ago and had always wanted to visit Arkansas again in the fall.
Isn't this beautiful? I was really hoping this is what we would see on our trip!
The picture above is Whitaker Point, the most photographed place in Arkansas. Spoiler alert: we didn't go there. The road to get there requires an SUV unfortunately. But we saw some pretty amazing scenery anyway.
Ready to hit the road!
The drive to Arkansas was really beautiful and the 7 hours passed quickly. I tried to capture the scenery on the drive but it's really hard when you're going 75 miles an hour!
We made it!
We stopped at a rest stop to eat our sandwiches that I had packed.
We drove through the Boxley Valley Historic District on the way to our cabin. The
valley includes a number of family farms dating as far back as 1870 and some are still operated by the descendants of the original homesteaders. This a great area to see elk but we had arrived just a bit late for elk season and didn't see any.
We stopped at the Buffalo Outdoor Center to pick up our key and some sandwiches and then it was off to our cabin.
I picked our cabin kind of on a whim. I wanted us to have a great view and a hot tub. Ben and I love a hot tub after a long day of hiking and a view of the trees was a must for me. So we chose a treetop cabin with a view of the Buffalo River valley.
We unpacked and ate our sandwiches and then went out on the deck for sunset.
I set the alarm for 6:00 am because I wanted to be out on the porch by 6:30 for sunrise. The time change really worked in my favor because it would feel like 7:00 am to me.
We woke up at 5:45 am and the colors were already starting. I loved that we could see this view from our bed!
The sunlight made all the leaves around our porch turn red.
We took our picture before we left so that everyone would have something to remember us by!
The first 3 miles of the hike is mostly downhill which meant that the last 3 miles would be straight up. It was extremely rocky too and slightly wet so Ben and I had to watch every step we took. But I tried to take some pictures along the way when we would stop and rest.
It was a beautiful morning with the temperatures in the low 40's. Let's do this!
This picture shows some of the rocks and at some points, large wet rocks WERE the trail!
Finally we made it to the Goat Trail -- the trail that would take us to Big Bluff. It
gets its name from the feral descendants of domesticated goats brought by
pioneers.
Here we go!
At the bluff, right before we turn for the cliff!
As you turn the corner, there is an opening that you crawl through to get onto the bluff. You can actually go down onto the ledge and avoid the hole which is what I voted for. But Ben insisted we go through as part of the experience!
Made it!
The views were incredible and we had the entire bluff to ourselves. HINT: You can click on any of the pictures to see them in full resolution.
I really wanted Ben to walk as far as he could on the bluff so I could get the iconic picture of me from all the way across. But the cliff was wet as you can see in this picture and Ben would have had to cross it, something I definitely did not want him to do.
Ben did not appreciate some of my antics!
One of the videos that Ben took:
We found a place where we could sit safely and have a snack before the 3 mile uphill hike back.
We did it! This hike was incredible and we were so proud of ourselves.
Now it was 3 miles back alllll uphill!
Taking a break.
Success!
When we got back to our car, we realized we had a small problem. The battery in our key fob was dying and Ben had some trouble starting the car with it. We decided we might need to take a drive to see if we could find another battery somewhere.
Luckily I had a list of scenic drives we could do, one of which would take us through the small town of Jasper on the way to a scenic overlook called the Arkansas Grand Canyon. So we made the 30-minute drive, got a battery, and saw some scenery along the way.
The Arkansas Grand Canyon was a pretty little overlook just outside of Jasper, Arkansas.
It was mid-day by now so we were ready to get back to the cabin for a late lunch and that much-needed hot tub!
Ben grilled burgers for our dinner while I got things ready in the cabin.
Delicious!
We watched sunset from the hot tub.
After an hour or so in the tub, we were pooped! I think we were asleep by 10:00!
The next day started with a beautiful sunrise once again.
Today we planned to do a 2 mile hike called Lost Valley which ended with a waterfall. This hike was in the Boxley Valley area of the Buffalo River national park.
It was another beautiful fall day for hiking!
This hike had a little bit of everything: trees, rocks, caves and waterfalls. It's the most popular hike in the area but once again, since we started early, we had it almost all to ourselves until we were leaving.
I thought this tree was so cool!
Steps leading up to the falls.
Cob Cave is a cave dated to be 2,000 years old
The payoff at the end is Eden Falls.
We really enjoyed this hike, there was a lot to see and it was fairly easy. A great way to start our day!
We took some pictures in Boxley Valley after leaving the park.
The road leading to our cabin was very steep and difficult to navigate. This meant we had to do and see everything before heading back to the cabin for the day -- there was no easy way to go back and forth.
So since it was still early, we decided to find another small hike to do. I consulted the list of hikes I had made, and we settled on the 3-mile Steel Creek Overlook. This hike would lead us to another overlook of the Buffalo River valley. It would also require us to cross over the creek, also known as a wet crossing -- another first for us.
I was happy because the hike started at the Steel Creek campground that has a famous bluff, Roark Bluff, so I got to check that off my list also!
Here we go!
This hike was very steep and narrow and almost as difficult as the hike to Big Bluff so I didn't take many pictures on the way up. Ben took this one picture of me next to some lichen -- you can see how narrow the trail was.
When we got to Steel Creek, it was beautiful!
The wet crossing was easy -- we wouldn't have done it otherwise!
Are we there yet?? The last quarter of a mile seemed to take forever!
Finally we made it! The Steel Creek Overlook.
There's our car!
We sat and rested and took in the view for awhile. Then back down we go! The mid-afternoon colors were stunning!
When we got back to the campground, we realized, we could see the overlook from below -- the cliffs in this picture are where we hiked to. No wonder I was pooped!
Back in the car, I told Ben the last thing I wanted to do was to see some of the old homesteads in Boxley Valley. I knew we were very close to a trail that would lead us to a log cabin that was built in the 1800's by one of the early settlers. We just needed to find it.
So we stopped at the historical landmark we had passed on the way in and it told us right where the trail was.
This is a log cabin originally built in 1850 where James "Beaver Jim" Villines was born. Beaver Jim was one of the early settlers and got his nickname due to his keen trapping ability.
In 1880, Beaver Jim built his own homestead across the river and there is a short trail leading to it. We parked at the river to access the trail. The Buffalo National River is really beautiful with turquoise blue water from the mineral deposits. In the summer, many visitors travel to Arkansas to float down the river.
Just across the river is the trail to the homestead. The homestead structures were built in 1880 and include the main house, barn, cellar, and even the outhouse!
The barn:
We came around the back of the house first. I had read on the internet that people had gone in and there were no signs saying we couldn't. It was pretty cool to walk around an old log cabin. The floor and roof were still in great shape. There was even still wallpaper on the walls!
I would love to have this view from my bathroom!
The cellar and smokehouse.
I can only imagine how beautiful a place this must have been to live in 1880.
When we got to the front of the house, we saw this sign. Oops. Oh well, we were respectful visitors and left no trace.
It was another great day in Arkansas!
Back at the cabin, we showered, ate, and looked at pictures. We went out on the porch for our last Arkansas sunset.
We sat in the hot tub for awhile and then watched some of the election returns before bed. I had my popcorn ready!
Ben and I have an unspoken rule -- on the last morning, he packs up the cabin and let's me stay out on the porch for some quiet time. This cabin was so quiet, you could literally hear a pin drop on the back porch. I sat and enjoyed my last beautiful Arkansas morning.
Then it was time to pack up and hit the road.
Goodbye Arkansas, you were breathtaking!
The leaves were starting to fall as we left the cabin -- we had timed the trip perfectly!
Ben and I stopped at the Buffalo Outdoor Center to turn in our key and grab a breakfast burrito. We sat out at the Elk Education Center to have our breakfast.
Back on the road, I took pictures along the way to pass the time.
I would love to explore Oklahoma more on a future trip, it was really beautiful too.
Soon we were back home.
This was an amazing trip that exceeded even my high expectations. Even though we hiked almost 15 miles in two days, we didn't scratch the surface of the great hiking and views Arkansas offers, especially in the fall. I think we will be back!
Until the next journey.
