At 4.5 miles long, the Seven Hollows Trail in Petit Jean State Park is the second longest trail in the park. The scenery along the entire 4.5 mile stretch is first rate, and diverse – with plant life covering everything from ferns to cacti. The trail takes its name from the seven small streams that run through the area, all of which have carved their own hollows.
The trail follows through four of the seven hollows, and along ridges between the hollows. Blufflines, tumbling water (in spring), and interesting plantlife is abundant.
The trailhead for Seven Hollows is on Highway 154 one mile west of Mather Lodge (and across the highway from the trailhead to Bear Cave Trail). There is a large parking lot here.
The trail starts out at the trail head marker. The trail is blazed light blue (there is another trail that joins it, so you will also see some white markers later on, just be sure to always follow the blue blazes).
The trail starts off into the trees and after about .2, the trail splits. Take the trail to the left (we’ll return on the one straight ahead).
The trail heads downhill for a stretch on a sandy surface.
At about .5, the trail comes along the first small stream and a bluffline comes in view across the way.
From the .5 mile marker (each ½ mile along the trail is marked), to the 1 mile marker there are several small cave-like areas on the opposite side of the stream. There are volunteer spur trails to go see most of them and it’s worth taking some time to check these out. During this stretch the trail crosses back and forth across the creek several times – but crossings are pretty easy to do without getting wet.
This part of the trail, along with several of the parts, is actually going through a bit of a pine forest – so the smell of pine is in the air.
A little ways after the 1 mile marker, the trail goes uphill a bit – a little further from the creek. At about 1.3, the trail passes by a natural bridge. It’s quite a spectacular sight to see. This seemed to be the place of choice long the trail for people to stop, take a break, chat, eat their snacks, or read their book -- and for good reason. This is one of many highlights to the trail.
At about 1.5, the trail heads back down the hill again, crosses the creek for the last time and runs now along the bluff on the opposite side of the creek that you’ve no doubt been admiring for the past mile. The bluff is smaller here though.
Then, at 1.7, the bluff ends and the trail turns sharply right, and heads back up the bluff you were just walking beside. You’re now leaving the first hollow. The trail here heads up the hill through a Glade area. The glade has a completely different type of plant-life and wildflowers. It also has a lot of spectacular rock formations and views of the hollow you just left. There are several of these glade areas where instead of walking on a “trail” you’re just walking across the tops of the rocks. They really are neat areas.
If you look closely, there are also a lot of collared lizards in the area. They’re cute, and fast. So you’ll have to pay close attention if you want to get a look.
There are also great views from atop the bluff.
At about 2 miles, the trail bends to the left, down the hill, back up the hill, and down the hill again.
At 2.1, the trail passes a small stream with a short steep incline in front of you. The main trail heads up this incline, but there is a small spur trail to your right that runs along the bottom of the bluffline.
We’ll continue on the main trail in a minute, but for now, we take the small spur trail. The trail heads along the base of the bluff line and there will be a couple of boulders you have to scramble across. But After about .1 miles, you enter a large Grotto. The Grotto is a HUGE bluff overhang on the right side, a bluffline on the left, and when the water is high, a significant waterfall that falls off into a pool of water below. As I hiked this trail the first day of July, there was no waterfall here, and simply a stagnant pool of water but it was easy to imagine how beautiful this would be with high water. Even without the waterfall it was peaceful and a cool respite along the trail.
Back on the main trail, you’ll head up the steep rock and then the trail turns to the right and back up another glade on the top of the bluffline that was to your left as you hiked back to the grotto. This is another great glade area with cacti and more wildflowers.
The trail bends then to the left and back into the woods, and then turns to the right and back down the hill into another hollow and then up another glade area. It crosses another stream, climbs back up another glade, and then back down into another hollow.
At 2.9 the trail runs over a 50 foot long rock slab, goes up the hill, and then back down into the next hollow.
At the 3 mile marker, you’re back down into another hollow and the next mile of trail is probably my favorite of them all. The trail is pretty level for awhile, following the stream, and now runs through this hollow with huge bluffs (the tallest we’ve seen so far on this trail) on both sides.
As with the first hollow we walked through, there are a lot of interesting rock formations and small cave areas along this route, so if you feel inclined, take some time to explore. The trail then crosses the creek a couple of times and then continues along a bluff overhang.
At 3.8, another trail comes in from the left through a hollow and joins the trail. This is the Boy Scout trail that runs through the entire park. It’s blazed white, so stay straight on the blue-blazed trail. Shortly after passing the Boy Scout trail entrance, the trail continues up again, past another interesting rock formation and more spectacular views.
At the 4 mile marker you’re still headed a bit uphill through a wooded area and at 4.2 you hit another intersection. This is the first intersection you came to. Stay straight, and you’ll be a short distance from the parking lot.
This is a great hike with a LOT to observe and really, every part of the hike is scenic. And while less popular than other hikes in the park, it is still well-travelled (and for good reason!)
While we did this trail in the heart of summer, and loved it, I suspect that the trail is even prettier in the spring when the water is flowing and the fall when the leaves are off the tress and not covering the views of all the bluffs – although, there is probably no wrong time to hike this excellent little trail.
Distance: 4.5 miles (Loop)
Difficulty: Moderate to Difficult
Footwear: Hiking boots – I wore trail shoes but would recommend hiking boots. The trail is pretty rocky, and while there are no major elevation changes, there are a lot of ups and downs and you’ll be thankful for the extra support
Children: Older Kids will be ok. It will be pretty rough on youngsters.
Trail Guide: Tim Ernst’s Arkansas Hiking Trails Book, Vol 3. There are also trail maps available at the Park Visitor’s center, but it’s not nearly as detailed and helpful.
Star rating: 4 stars out of 5
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