Hiking The Buffalo River Trail - Pruitt To Ozark
The Bluffs At Pruitt
January 26th, 2001, the sun was shining and the temperature was above 50. Adventure Bill had a new digital camera and the day off, so he wrangled me into a day hike. We decided to hike from Pruitt Landing to Ozark Landing, and back again.
The hike started by going uphill from Pruitt, then over the mountains and down. As I walked the trail, I could hear birds chirping, and we did see geese moving northward already!! There was no one else on the trail, that we could see and as I walked above and along the Buffalo National River, I once again reminded myself how lucky I was to live so close to such natural beauty. The view of the river and the surrounding woods was clear and unobstructed, and we could see quite a distance.
We arrived at the Ozark Campground after a slow walk that took about 1 1/2 hrs. This campground boasts toilets, camping areas w/grills, a nice swimming area, and a canoe access area. We stopped at the pavilion for a relaxing snack.
The bluffs at Ozark Campground are impressive. We spent quite a bit of time looking at them before we started hiking back to Pruitt. This hike took a total of 2 1/2 hrs of walking, covering 5 miles of rolling terrain. I would recommend this hike to anyone who wishes a moderate afternoon hike.
A Picture For My Mom, Hi Mom!
One of the exciting aspects about the Ozark Mountains is that the hiking gets much better over the late fall and winter. The leaves are down by then, and the views get even more spectacular than in the summer. You can see much further then. I invite all of you that have some spare time over the winter, to come to the Arkansas Ozark Mountains and hike in the wilderness areas or along the Buffalo National River.