Exploring Northwest Arkansas

Elk

Last month, we were down Elk watching in the Boxley Valley and stumbled across this guy.  That evening we counted just under 100 elk grazing in the valley --- it truly was a sight to behold.

 

Hawksbill Crag/Whitaker Point

If you’ve spent much time in the Buffalo River Area at all, you’ve seen pictures of Hawksbill Crag – it is easily one of the most photographed areas in the area, and with good reason.

The hike is a short one, and relatively easy. Getting to the trailhead is a bit trickier.

To get to the trailhead, take Highway 43 from Ponca to Boxley. When the highway merges with Highway 21, take the southern route and continue on to Boxley. Right before you cross the Buffalo River, there is a gravel road that heads off to the road called Cave Mountain Road. Turn right onto Cave Mountain Road – you’ll know you’re at the right place when the gravel road heads up, seemingly straight up. This is a rough, rocky, steep road. I will note that we’ve made the trip many a time in our 2 wheel drive car without problems, but never when the road is wet and potentially slippery.

The road will eventually level out, and continue on Cave Mountain Road for a total of 6 miles – it will feel like a lot more.  When you pass the Cave Mountain Church and cemetery you’re just a bit more than a ½ mile away.  

At 6 miles you’ll come to a small parking area marked “Wilderness Access – find a spot to park here, or on the side of the road if the lot is full.  The trail starts out on the opposite side of the road from the parking lot. 

This is a heavily used trail, so following it should not be much of a problem.  It starts off down the hill (getting back up this hill at the end of the hike is easily the toughest part of the hike).  After going down a bit, the trail eventually levels out.

At about the 1 mile mark the trail will dip down a bit and cross a small stream.  If there is water flowing in this stream, there is a nice little waterfall that will be down to your right over the bluff. This waterfall is called Haley Falls – named after a six year old girl who got lost from her group in this area for 3 days and 2 nights and was eventually found near here.  If you go down to the bluff, there is a tree there that can help you get down to the upper version of this falls (and more importantly, back up).  There is a lower version of the falls that I’ve never been down to because we usually do this hike in October when the leaves are turning because the views here are so tremendous – but there is seldom much water here in October.

As you cross the stream, you’ll have an option to turn either left or right. Both trails lead to the same place (the Crag), just take different routes to get there. To the left the trail heads up on a higher path, further into the woods and further away from the bluffline.  The trail to the right heads right along the edge of the bluffline.

While the upper path is a very nice hike, we generally take the path to the right and come back on the other route.  If you go to the right, the next  .5 miles of the hike will be filled with interesting rock formations,  great views of the Upper Buffalo Wilderness and a lot of places to stop for a snack or just to soak it all in (and really, hitting this area in late October when the trees are in full color is just breathtaking).  As you observe all of the breathtaking views, PLEASE BE CAREFUL.  The bluff below you falls several hundred feet and a fall would be deadly. 

After .5 miles of bluff top views, you’ll get to the Crag. The views from here are incredible, and of course, there are a lot of little places to get pictures of the Crag itself.  Again, when you venture out on the Crag, be careful., it’s a long way down.

After taking time out here to enjoy the area, head on back the way you came in. When it starts getting steep you’re getting close.

Length: 3 miles round trip

Star rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

Footwear: Hiking boots or trail runners are fine

Difficulty: Easy/Moderate (only for the climb out)

Kids: Yes – but please keep them close when near blufflines

Guidebook: None required, but covered in Tim Ernst: Buffalo River Hiking Trails

This trail, unlike most in the Buffalo River area, does allow dogs on leashes.  Again, if your dog is the type that will pull you trying to chase a critter, this may not be the best path to take them on.

Rush - Morningstar Loop and Old Mine Trail

These two trails combine for a nice little family-friendly hike and educational tour through the Historic Ghost Town of Rush. 

The oldest structure in Rush.

To get to the community of Rush, follow the instructions here, then park at the first parking area you come to on your left (just past the row of old buildings that are on your right). 

The Morningstar Loop has a lot of signs to tell the story of Rush.

We're going to start on the Morningstar Loop Trail, which is a short .1 mile loop that starts off to your left.  The trail starts off and passes and old smelter – the oldest structure in Rush dating back to 1886, then continues up, passed the remains of an old Livery Barn that was built in the 1890s, a great view through the trees at the old homes and general store you passed on the way in, passed an old Blacksmith shop (that is still standing and pictured here) and then the remains of the Morning Star Processing Mill, and several other old ruins.

A view of the old general store below.

This little loop (which is about .2 miles long) has a lot of history and reading --- and worth taking the time to spend reading the plaques to learn about the history of the area.

The old livery barn is in great condition.

Midway through the Morningstar Loop is a route that heads to the left and UP the hill. At this point, if you're just doing the short Morningstar Loop, you can continue off to your right past some more old ruins and back down to the main parking area.  If you are doing the Old Mine Trail, then you'll turn left and head up the hill.  This is a pretty steep climb but the trail is really good so it shouldn’t be too bad.

Once at the top (.2 miles) the trail levels out.  There is a small, unmarked path to the left here that is the start of the Monte Cristo Loop Hike from this direction.   For our purposes, stay on the main trail (it’s easy to tell which is the main trail). 

As you follow along this main trail you’ll pass at least 7 different mine sites. The trail is pretty level with a few ups and downs – but is all very easy to follow.  The mines are pretty interesting by themselves, and the remnants of the old Zinc Ore mining that was the whole reason for this former community’s existence. Zinc was mined here from about 1880 until after World War I.  Things stopped for awhile and the mines were re-opened in the 1960s – but only for a brief amount of time.

All of the mines here are fenced off, with additional grates that prevent you from entering the mines if you go around the fencing. Please obey the fencing – these old mines are unstable and not safe to enter.

As you pass the last of the mines on this trail, the road will head back down hill. At one point, the main trail heads LEFT off the old road.  Take this to the left, and it will head off into the woods (straight will take you to the main road). 

Eventually the trail hits an intersection.  The path to the right takes you to the second parking area, the toilet and the River access. The left takes you up the Monte Cristo Trail (which can loop you back to the starting point but please read my overview of that trail before doing so).

If you are just hiking the Morning Star Trail and the Old Mine Trail, you can either head back to your car via the main road or back the way you came for a round trip hike of about 3 miles.

Length: 3 miles (out and back)

Rating:  3 stars (out of 5)

Difficulty:  Easy

Kids: Definitely

Footwear: Tennis Shoes or trail runners are fine

Trail Book:  None Required, but covered in Buffalo River Hiking Trails

Rush -- The Monte Cristo Trail

The Monte Cristo Trail is one of three short hiking trails in the Rush area.  It is a short little trail, but probably my favorite of the trails.  There is an extended part of this trail at the end that can connect to the other trails in the area to create a loop hike that I'll talk about at the end.

The trail is scenic and easy to follow.

To take this trail, start off at the second trailhead in the Rush area (near the shelter with the picnic tables and toilet and near the River).  The trail starts off into the woods back behind the parking area. There is a small ruin here at the start – it is the remnants White Eagle Mine.

Head off into the woods, and after a short stretch you’ll hit an intersection.  To the left is the Old Mine Trail, to the right is the Monte Cristo Trail. Stay right.

This part of the trail is on an old road -- and is a great part of the trail.

The trail runs off into the woods and eventually swings off to the left. Down below you have some great views of the Buffalo River and Clabber Creek.  At about .4, the trail intersects with an old road, turn left on this road.

The view of Clabber Creek below.

This old road serves as a beautiful little hiking trail. It heads up the hill at a somewhat gentle grade, to your left are some bluff lines along Rush Mountain, and to the right is a steep drop-off to Clabber Creek with more mountains in the distance.  I really do love this little stretch of trail.

Old mining equipment from the '60s.

At .5 miles you get to the Monte Cristo mine – you’ll know it when you see it!  It’s the largest of the mine openings in the area.  There is also some old mining equipment that sits outside – leftover from the somewhat brief mine reopening in the 1960s. You can follow the road another .2 miles until the end of the maintained trail. At this point, you can turn around and head back – for a round-trip route of 1.4 miles.  I recommend this route (and all of “conclusion” data below reflects this option). 

However, if you want to make this a loop hike, there is an option to do so.  It’s not a maintained trail, it’s hard to follow, and a bit dangerous, but if you’re into bushwacking and finding your own way, there are some great views from the top of this trail.

So, if you decide to go on the loop hike, go to the sign where it says “end of maintained trail” and instead of turning around, head off onto the tracked route to the left. This is pretty easy to spot because everyone enters at the same place.

Now, the trail is sort of marked – there are blue trail markers around if you’re looking out for them. There are a lot of downed trees along the ‘trail”, so it is easy to lose. The trail goes up, then to the right, and then up again. At  1 mile from the trailhead, the trail goes straight up to the left through a little break in the bluff line (there is a tree in the middle of this break with a blue tag on it).  It is the only real break in the bluff line, so it’s important that you keep an eye out for it.

Once through this break in the Bluff, we never really found a trail again. The best advice I can give you is to find the easiest way to the top and then follow the trail ridge across the top of the Mountain. There really are some great views from up here when the leaves are off the trees.

If you decide to go over the mountain ridge, be cautious and enjoy the views.

Follow the mountain ridge for quite awhile here (it has a slight uphill grade).  At some point the trail heads back down the mountain. I confess, we never found the trail down – but it’s hard to get lost here, because you’re at the top of the mountain, and you know you have to go down on your left. However, my hint here is to stay on the ridge much longer than you think you need to. Just like the side of the mountain you just came up, there is a steep bluff line on this side as well, so there aren’t many options to get down. And, that side of the ridge is a series of mines (the ones you’ll pass by on the Mine Trail) – so there is a lot of fencing, deep drop offs and likely some unstable ground.  But assuming you find your way down, you’ll hit a the mine trail – to the right takes you to the Morningstar Parking area, to the left, down the old Mine Trail. If you make this entire loop, it’s about 3.6 total miles (depending on how close to the original trail you stay.

If you take the loop route, be careful, take a good topographical map, and do your best to stay on the trail.  I hope someday they can complete this trail, because right now, it’s really rough bushwacking.

Monte Cristo Trail:

Distance: 1.4 (roundtrip on the actual trail – 3.6 miles if you try the loop)

Difficulty: Easy for the hiking portion, Difficult for the “loop” hike version over the mountain.

Rating: 4 stars

Footwear: Trail Runners – although Hiking Boots are advised for the Loop hike

Kids: Yes (for the out and back route, definitely not for the loop).

Guidebook:  none required if you stay on the trail, but if you plan to attempt the Loop Hike take the Buffalo River Hiking Trails Book for guidance.

Rush -- Historic District

Rush is a really interesting little area right along the Buffalo River.  The community dates back to the 1880s when mines opened as prospectors mined for Zinc Ore that was discovered in the mountains here. The mines were eventually shut down, and then reopened in the 1960s, only to eventually close down again.  Rush was once a booming community with an estimated 11,000 residents, but the entire place is now abandoned, with little left other than a few abandoned buildings, the remains of a few others, and a few hiking trails that connect them all.  No one has lived in this area for 4 decades, so it is a unique little ghost town right along the Buffalo River.

The Buffalo River in Rush

To get to Rush, simply take Highway 14 South from Yellville. About 10 miles south of Yellville, there will be a sign that clearly marks the left hand turn to Rush. Turn here and follow the paved road all the down the hill to the River area. 

One of several old houses along the stretch of road entering Rush.

There will be two parking spots here.  The first will be right after you pass a row of abandoned old buildings.  Several of them are houses, and one, is what remains of the town General  Store. This store used to be the town center and all of these old buildings date back to around 1899 when the community was at its peak.  Across the road is a series of old stone fences, stair steps, and old foundations that are also fun to explore.

The old General Store -- once the center of town.

Just after this row of abandoned houses (which makes up the majority of the Rush “Ghost town” area, there is a parking spot to the left).  This is the trailhead to the Morning Star Loop (a short and historic loop trail). If you follow down the road further you’ll get to a split in the road – to the right is the campground, to the left is another parking area with a small shelter house.  This spot is closer to the river and I prefer to park here because the river makes a nice little place to cool off after your hikes are completed. 

Michelle explores an old staircase.

There are 3 different hiking trails here. The very short Morning Star Loop Hike which hits a lot of the historic highlights of the community. The Mine Trail, which is a mostly level trail that runs past many of the historic mine entrances (all of which are fenced off – so obey the fences and signs and stay out – they are unstable).  I will cover these two trails together in a separate blog entry.

The final trail is the Monte Cristo Trail – a short uphill hike that I think is the most interesting of the trails.  There is also a primitive trail that can connect all three of these routes together into a 3.6 mile loop hike – I discuss this option with the Monte Cristo trail breakdown.

Rush is one of those unique little areas along the Buffalo that is totally different from the other  areas  along the river. There is a lot to explore here, so give yourself plenty of time to explore.

There is a lot of history here and is clearly defined. Obey their warnings though.

Old Villines Homestead

Over the past couple of years, the Buffalo River National River folks have been spending a lot of time and money fixing up many of the old homesteads along the river.

The Villines  Homestead is one that has been getting a lot of attention.

The Homestead was build between 1880 and 1940 and belonged to Jim Villines.  “Beaver Jim” as he was known built the cabin when he got married to his wife Rachael.  His boyhood home is across the river at the interchange from Highway 43 to the Ponca River Access and is driven by tens of thousands of tourists a year.

Beaver Jim’s adult homestead is easily accessible from the Ponca Buffalo River access. Just head down to the Ponca river access and park on the side of the river you came in on. Cross the old Ponca low-water bridge and then head out on the old road to the left. This is a part of the Buffalo River trail to Steel Creek.

Quickly, the trail will split – the Buffalo River Trail will head off to the left and the road trace to the right --- up the hill. Head up the road trace and within a few hundred yards you’ll see the old Barn. Go check that area out.

On the back side of the barn is a short trail that heads up the hill to the home site. While the barn area is not structurally sound enough to enter, the home site appears to be. Up here there is an outhouse, a root cellar, another old building and the home itself.  The home was once an small cabin, but appears to have been added onto several times and is a good size now. 

Stroll around the homestead for awhile and you can head back on the old road – down the hill this time to your car by the river. Round trip this is only about a ¼ mile stroll.

Mileage: .25 roundtrip

Difficulty Level:  Very Easy

Trailbook:  None

Kids: Definitely

Star Rating: 3 out of 5

Lost Valley -- Fall Hike

The Lost Valley trail is the most popular hiking trail in the Buffalo River area – and for good reason. It’s easy to get to, easy to hike, very family friendly, and has more “bang for your buck” than nearly any hike anywhere.  This is the first trail I ever hiked in Arkansas – and is one of the many reasons I fell in love with the area – it has everything, a natural bridge, high bluffs, beautiful woods, moss-covered rocks, a beautiful waterfall, and even a cave (that also has a waterfall).

To get to the trailhead, take Highway 43 from Ponca to Boxley through the Boxley Valley. There is a sign that very clearly marks the turnoff to the Lost Valley Campground and hiking area. Turn here, and about a half mile down the road you’ll get to a large parking lot with some restrooms and a shelter. The campground here was closed down in Spring 2011 after some very heavy rains washed away many of the campsites and caused a LOT of damage to the trails here. They’ve been working hard getting the trail back in good shape, and I hope they figure out a good solution for the camping areas. It’s such a magical place that I hope they can maximize the number of people who get to use it.

At the back of the parking lot, the hiking trail heads down across a newly-built rock bridge that heads across a little creek.  This is Clark Creek and you’ll be following it through the valley. It’s usually dry here, but there is often great water at the falls even if it’s dry in this spot.

The trail is very easy to follow – in fact, nearly the entire first half of the trail is handicap accessible.   The woods here is very pretty, almost tropical. I has a lot of fern-type vegetation in the spring and summer, and a lot of moss-covered rocks that in the fall provide a nice, bright green balance to the leaves on the ground.  There are also a lot of hollowed out trees in this area that are fun for kids (and adults) to take a look at.

At about .7, the trail splits. The left heads up, the right heads down. Go right. This heads down to a natural bridge with a little waterfall that tumbles out of it into a nice blue pool of water. It is possible to climb through this little bridge to the other side – although, if the water is high, it is easier to climb in from the other side.

After taking time to enjoy this little spot, the trail heads up to the left and around the bridge. There are some rock stairs here that were rebuilt after the flooding this spring. As you get around to the other side of the bridge, it is possible to climb down into the cave from the other side.  It’s pretty neat inside, so I do recommend it.

Back on the trail, the stairs continue to head up and eventually hit another trail (this is the trail that you passed when you turned right instead of left a little ways back). Turn right here. After a short stretch, the trail will split again at 1 mile into your hike.  Again, go right. This route goes down into Cob Cave – a GIGANTIC rock overhand that is great to explore.

As you follow the trail a few yards further you get to Eden Falls. There is usually some water here, but during the wet season, this is just a spectacular waterfall. It actually begins all the way up at Eden Cave, tumbles 31 feet out of the falls, then changes directions a few times, and then 53 feet into a beautiful blue pool of water.  The sound of the falls echoes through the canyon, and Cob Cave and really is just a special place. Sit for awhile and enjoy.

When you’re ready, head up the hill and you’ll once again reconnect with the original trail. Turn right, and this will take you up to Eden Cave.  This last section is a pretty steep climb, and is not nearly as easy as the route that got you here. Head on up this final .2 miles to the entrance to the cave. The way up has more great views of Eden Falls, and at the entrance to the cave you have a great look down at upper Eden Falls.  You will be tempted to try to scamper down to get a better photo of the water coming out of the cave – but let me warn you, this area is slick, and it’s quite a tumble down.  Just a few weeks ago a young man was trying to get this picture and slipped and fell, and his wife went to help him and she met the same fate.  Both had to be airlifted to a nearby hospital, so don’t let this be you – be content to enjoy the falls from above.

When you get to the cave, if you remembered to bring a flashlight (one for each person in your party), you can climb back into Eden Cave.  At the back of the cave is another waterfall actually inside the cave. Some day I will have the right camera, the right clothes, the right flashlight and the right water flow to slither back there and get this picture, but I don’t have it yet. Go into the cave as far as you’re comfortable and then head back.

When you are done at the cave, you can head back the way you came. Staying to the right each time you hit an intersection is the most direct route back and covers all the paths you skipped on the way here.

While this is a pretty short little hike, please leave yourself plenty of time to explore and just enjoy this magical little place and it’s definitely one the entire family can enjoy.

Distance: 2.3 miles round trip

Difficulty: Easy

Footwear: Trail shoes are generally fine,  but it can be rocky at the end, so if you have weak ankles, feel free to wear hiking boots.

Kids: Absolutely – only the last section to Eden Cave is not easy for kids.

Guidebook: None required, but covered in Tim Ernst’s Buffalo River Hiking Trails and also the Arkansa Waterfalls Guidebook.