A Walk In The Ozark National Forest
Walking The Trail Leads To A Bluff Line
Well now it has been a little over a month since I last updated. In the middle of February the Ozarks experienced one of the coldest and snowiest weeks in many a year. Temperatures dropped to below freezing and stayed there for a week. In addition we had two big snow events leaving my yard with 7 inches of snow, and some of my friends reported over a foot. Activities were canceled and many a plumber worked into the nights to get pipes unfrozen. Fortunately mine did not and I experienced no major problems except a week inside.
A few years ago I was staying at a very nice vacation rental place (now Mulberry Mountain Lodge). One of the best features about this particular place is you can walk right off the property and into the Ozark National Forest. It was a late fall day when I headed across the fields towards the forest. Once at the tree line I descended down into the National Forest and onto a very well maintained trail.The National Forests here in the Ozarks are easily accessible and provide many hundreds of miles of trails for use by hikers, ATV's and horses.
One of the first things I did was mark the little path that led back up to where I was staying. I had a choice to go left or right so I turned left and headed down the trail. The morning sun was rising and there was no wind that I remember. Many of the leaves were down but there was still a little color left.I walked for maybe half a mile then came upon a rock formation and a nice pool. A trickle of water showed that when it rained this was a rocking place. I later learned that this was Mountain Creek and quite popular with the locals who ride their ATV's to go swimming here. I spent some time here exploring a bit further down the trail and then decided to turn back and head the other way.
I went past my heading home marker and continued down the trail for quite a ways. I spent over an hour just wandering around, The sun was up and the wind was down. It was a splendid day for hiking (well walking, I don't power hike) through the forest. I didn't see anyone else the entire time I was here, but I did hear, in the distance, the sound of an ATV. I am sure they were having as good a time as I was. I was actually surprised at the amount of leaves still on the tress for this time of year and it made this hike quite magical. I estimate I hiked about a mile and a half before turning around again and making it back to the point where I walked back up the hill, across the fields and back to my cabin for the night. My total distance walked was probably 4 miles, and it took all morning and into the afternoon, but it was well worth the time.
The Ouachita, Ozark and St. Francis cover millions of acres of forest. The Ozark National Forest encompasses 1.2 million acres across the norther part of Arkansas, primarily in the Ozark Mountain Region. Some of the most remote and scenic areas of the state exist within this national forest. The extensive trail system provides hundreds of miles of hiking, horseback riding and ATV trails. I hope you have the opportunity to explore the Ozark National Forest one day!
The Ouachita, Ozark and St. Francis cover millions of acres of forest. The Ozark National Forest encompasses 1.2 million acres across the norther part of Arkansas, primarily in the Ozark Mountain Region. Some of the most remote and scenic areas of the state exist within this national forest. The extensive trail system provides hundreds of miles of hiking, horseback riding and ATV trails. I hope you have the opportunity to explore the Ozark National Forest one day!