Our Favorite Day Hikes in Central Arkansas

We have been hiking in Central Arkansas for a couple of decades. I am a transplant from Wisconsin. Moving here took some adjusting, but I have really grown to love the Natural State. There are so many great places to explore and so much to do.

Here are some of the trails we return to for great day hikes again and again. We enjoy these trails because they are loops (unless otherwise noted), they can be done within a few hours on the trail, and they are less than two hours from where we live near Little Rock.

Mrs Gavagai and Me at Iron Springs Recreation Area

All of these trails are also accessible by way of paved and well maintained roads with one exception that I will note below.

Are These Trails Good for Kids?

Some of my friends with kids ask me about whether a given trail they know we hiked is good for kids. It's difficult to say whether any given hike is suitable for kids, but my general recommendation is to start out with a shorter easier trail to set a baseline of how they do, then proceed to some more challenging trails as you learn more about your kids' abilities and interests. If you take them out to a hike that they hate because it's too difficult, they won't likely be interested in hiking the next time you bring it up. Keep it short. Take your time, and make it fun. Bring water and snacks. Take breaks if you or the kids need to.

Lake Catherine

Lake Catherine State Park is located on Lake Catherine near Hot Springs. They have three trails I consider hiking trails (the other one is just a little over half a mile and paved, so doesn't qualify). They start near the lake and all involve some elevation gain to cross or walk along one or more mountain ridges. They vary in length and difficulty.

Also worth noting, at the beginning of this year, 2023, Lake Catherine State Park closed for improvements that included renovation to some of the trails. They did a great job making the trails safer and easier to follow. They rerouted Falls Branch and Horseshoe Mountain in a couple of places. The new routes follow less steep slopes, and they are wider as well. Great job, Arkansas State Parks.

Falls Branch

This trail is just 2 miles long and it is possibly the most picturesque trails of the three at Lake Catherine. There are several foot bridges that crisscross a creek on the west side (turning to the right from the parking lot trail spur and going counter clockwise) as you make your way up to the mountain ridge. You walk along the ridge, then the trail descends back down to a creek, passes a waterfall (rain fed falls, so best time to see it is during or shortly after a good rain) and the follows the lake back to the parking area. Takes about 1 to 1.5 hours depending on your pace. The state park website says it take 1 to 2 hours. I guess it might take some people that long, but you would be moving rather slow if you are only walking 1 mph.

I recorded this video of the Falls Branch Falls on a recent trip to Lake Catherine in November 2023. We had rain for a couple of days during the week.

The Falls from above on the same day.

We have hiked this trail many times and I enjoy it every time. The trail improvements they made at the beginning of this year greatly improved this trail. It still follows roughly the same route along the creek going down to Falls Creek and then to the falls, but that descending trail used to be on the opposite side of the small drainage. It was narrow and more steep. You get the same view, but less risk.

Horseshoe Mountain

Horseshoe Mountain trail is 3.5 miles long. If you hike counter clockwise (turn right from the parking area trail spur), you go up hill doing a couple of switchbacks until you curve around to the top of the mountain ridge. You dip down to a junction with the Falls Branch trail, then gradually back down to the lakeside, just beyond the waterfall. If you want to see the waterfall and you hike this trail, you will have to do a short trip back along the lake/creek once the Horseshoe Mountain trail connects with the Falls Branch trail by the lake.

The website says this trail takes between 2 and 2.5 hours to hike. I would say that's probably average. It's somewhat funny to me because this trail is quite a bit longer and I believe the elevation gain is more substantial than the Falls Branch trail, but their time estimate isn't proportional. Go figure.

Dam Mountain

The Dam Mountain trail is longest and the most challenging of these three trails. It is 4.5 miles long and has a relatively steep climb if you go clockwise or a steep descent if you go counter clockwise. I don't believe the trail improvements they did at Lake Catherine earlier this year included improvements to this trail. In my opinion, the section that goes from the falls up to the ridge going left after the falls could use a few switchbacks. It's very steep.

Having said that, it's a nice trail. It's not hard to follow. You begin by following the Falls Branch Trail to the left from the parking lot along the lake, but when you get to the Falls Creek Falls, you actually cross the creek to get to the Dam Mountain trail. Once you cross the creek, you can either go left or right. My preference is to go right and hike the trail counter clockwise. The elevation gain is much more gradual in this direction and you get to follow the creek and walk along the valleys between the mountains for a good distance. When you get to the top, there are some nice overlooks of the lake, including some views of the dam (best viewing during leaf off season in the winter months). The descent back down to the falls is steep, so be careful whether you go up that way or back down. Having trekking poles on this hike is helpful on that section and also for crossing the creek. There is no bridge. You have to either rock hop or wade. If the water is high and fast moving, you might consider trying to cross further down away from the falls, but don't take unnecessary risks. 

2.5 to 3 hours does seem like a reasonable amount of time for his trail. The climbs can be challenging, depending on your fitness and experience level, but take breaks on your way up if you need to. Once you get to the top, it's not bad.

Lake Ouachita (area)

I say Lake Ouachita area because there is a Lake Ouachita State Park, which does have a trail or two, but there are other trails in the Ouachita National Forest around Lake Ouachita as well that are not part of the state park and are worth checking out.

Lake Ouachita State Park is nice. They have a couple of beaches, a marina, campsites and lodges of varying degrees of comfort. This is one of the places I camped with our sons when they were young. You can also read about a recent visit where I camped at Lake Ouachita State Park and learned a valuable lesson in proper tent staking by clicking here.

There is another trail that I won't detail here called the Dogwood trail because it's only a half mile. We haven't done it. It's probably lovely in the spring when the dogwood trees are blossoming, but I don't know much about it.

Caddo Bend

Caddo Bend is a loop trail at Lake Ouachita State Park. It's a 4 mile trail that takes between 2.5 and 3 hours to hike. The trail takes you along the lake on a peninsula. You get pretty views of the lake pretty much the whole time you're on the trail. Like most of the other trails in this list, Caddo Bend is a loop trail.

One thing that makes Caddo Bend different is that it has options on the south side of the trail, to cut the trail short. You can essentially bail out on the 4 mile loop at three different trail junctions that will take you to a service road on the ridge of the peninsula where you can walk back to the trailhead.

Caddo Bend Trail

If you take the road back, you don't get the views, but it's a way to shorten your trip if you discover you bit off more than you can chew with the 4 mile hike.

A couple of other points about this trail. The website and state park information about the trail says this is a strenuous hike. They have overstated the difficulty in my opinion. There are a few sections with some elevation gain, but overall, it's not that difficult. If you have done a 3 mile hike with any ups and downs that are common on Arkansas trails no matter where you go, you can do this one without difficulty.

Also, there is a sign cautioning hikers as you start north near the tip of the peninsula that almost makes it sound like you're going to require climbing equipment because of rocks and boulders. It is true that there is a section with rocks. It's not a long section and the rocks are really not very bad at all. For comparison, a lot of people are familiar with the east summit trail at Pinnacle Mountain. Some people call it "the hard side" because it literally requires a scramble climb over huge boulders. That is a truly strenuous climb that requires you to use your hands and legs to pull yourself up the trail. Caddo Bend has nothing even close to that level of difficulty. You just have to be careful and watch where you are stepping. The rocks are not so large that you can't step onto them. No need to use your hands to scale them. You just step up. They aren't formed stairs, so things are uneven. Again, I think their caution sign probably scares people away unnecessarily.

One last item to note about this trail. At the southern tip of the trail there's a nice overlook deck with seats and I think there is even a picnic table. Bring a lunch or just a snack and enjoy it there. It's also around the halfway mark (a little less if you're hiking clockwise and a little more if you're going counter clockwise). Great place to take a break.

I like this trail. This year was the first year we tried it and we have gone back to hike it a few times. 

Little Blakely Loops *dirt road access*

This is the one trail on this list where you can only access the trailhead by way of a dirt forest road. Forest roads can sometimes be rugged, they can have obstacles, and they may not be passible with smaller vehicles with low clearance. Having said that, I have driven to Little Blakely Loops trailhead in my Toyota Prius with no problem. Dirt road conditions can change due to bad weather though, so it's possible that I got through on one day with my Prius and the next day it storms, the road gets washed out in one place and it's not passible anymore. 

Once you get to the trailhead parking, it can also be confusing. The maps from the Forest Service are not very detailed and by looking at the map, it looks like you can to right or left right from the parking and trailhead. That is not true. There is a sign with a map just down the stairs from the parking area and to the right. Follow the path past that sign. You will see a creek with a foot bridge. Once you cross the footbridge, you're on the trail. There is another sign on the left just a few yards from the bridge. There is a slope that goes up to the left. That is the path that goes south for the south loop. If you don't go that way, you continue to the other loop options. There are many ways you can hike this set of trail loops because they are interconnected. You can do a lot of miles or only a few. Here is a map to help you because it's much easier to understand when you see the map.

So far, we have only done the south loop, but we have done that loop in both directions and we like it. We intend to go back to do more of the Little Blakely trails.

Hiking the south loop clockwise, there are a lot of ups and downs going over finger ridges and drainage areas from the ridge that extends down the peninsula. None of them is too strenuous. However, as you turn northward and away from the lake, there is a fairly steep climb. Mrs. Gavagai had to take a break or two going up that hill. If you go counter clockwise around that south loop, the climb to the highest elevation is much more gradual. We enjoyed the hike in both directions, but that steep section was a challenge for my wife going clockwise. Once you get to the highest point, it's a cakewalk from there.

Dispersed Camping

Another thing to note about the Little Blakely Loops is that because it is on National Forest land, dispersed camping is allowed. You can hike in, find a place to camp and stay the night, no charge. Some areas have better access to the lake and water than others, so it's good to take that into account.

LOViT Tompkins Bend Loop

LOViT stands for Lake Ouachita Vista Trail. Clever, right? So, LOViT is a 40 mile long trail system, but near the western end of that long trail, there is a lovely loop near Tompkins Bend Campground. Here is a map of the section of the LOViT trail where you can find the Tompkins Bend loop. The Loop is just over 3 miles. It has a few ups and downs, but in general, it's one of the most level trails we have ever done. I would compare it to the Base Trail at Pinnacle Mountain State Park for those who are familiar with that trail. Depending on your pace, you can finish this in anywhere between 1 hour (if you're hustling) and 2 hours. The drive to get to the Tompkins Bend area from where we live near Little Rock was just under an hour and a half. Roads were all paved and the majority of the trip was highway.

There are three trailheads, two that are right on the loop. The trailhead in the middle and on the far end have restrooms and trash. The trailhead on the loop to the south has parking and trash, but no restrooms. The middle trailhead also has a playground for kids. Parking is available next to that playground. To hike the loop clockwise, you will need to cross the road and look for the trailhead on the opposite side of the road from the playground. The other trailhead which would take you counterclockwise to the east is just behind the parking by the playground. There is a big sign. It's easy to find.

The day that I am writing this was the first time we went to this trail system. Here are my thoughts on it. It's short, but a pleasant walk along the lake on the east side. The views aren't spectacular, but it's a nice walk. The west side of the loop was a little tricky to follow in some places because we were hiking during fall and the trail was covered in leaves. It was our first visit and we managed fine in the middle of the morning. If you got a late start and the light wasn't great, I imagine you might struggle to keep on the trail. There are blazes (white), but they are a spaced far apart in some places and they aren't super bright.

Also, this is a dual use trail for hiking and mountain bikes. The benefit of a trail that is for bikes is that it's quite smooth and there are also footbridges over drainage areas. The drawback of biking trails is they seem to really like to snake their way through the forest in ways that wouldn't be necessary for hiking. There are a lot of twists and turns in the trail that seemed ...unnecessary to me.

With all that said, this is a nice trail and if you wanted to take some younger kids on a first hike, this would be a good place to go. Level, short, there's a playground, if you finished one side and the kids were too tired, you could walk the road back to the trailhead where you were parked. It's also got the playground, so you could use that as incentive for the kids if they got fussy.

One last note on this trail. As I indicated at the top of this entry, this is a small part of a 40 mile trail. If you are looking to get a taste of a through hike, this is not a bad option. Dispersed camping along the trail is allowed. I have not hiked the whole trail system, but hope to in the near future. The west end of the trail is apparently more flat, but the east end has some steeper grades on the trail and is more challenging. 

Pinnacle Mountain

Pinnacle Mountain State Park is a very popular state park, in part because it's very near to Little Rock, but also because it is genuinely a very pretty area with great facilities and a variety of activities you can do. Beside hiking, you can fish, float on the Little Maumelle river, there are a couple of paved walking paths, there is a playground and the trails truly range in difficulty from easy to challenging.

Base Trail

The Base Trail now runs around the entire base of Pinnacle Mountain. In my opinion, it is the easiest of the actual trails (excluding the 2 paved pathways; King Fisher and the Arboretum). The Base Trail is around 3 miles long and can be hiked in just under 2 hours. The information about the trail on the state park website is not up to date. Hopefully they will update it soon, but there was a time when the base trail was not a complete loop around the base of the mountain. It loops all the way now. You can combine it with the summit trails if you want to increase the difficulty/distance, but on its own, it's a lovely walk through the woods. It does have a few ups and downs, but it's undoubtedly the most level trail on this list.

You can park and begin the Base Trail at the parking for the West Summit or the East Summit. Part of the base trail also connects to the Ouachita Trail. The OT starts at Pinnacle Mountain at the Visitor's center, which is a couple of miles away from the actual Pinnacle Mountain. The OT crosses the road near the East Summit parking and follows the 

This would be a great first trail to see how your kids do if they have never gone hiking. It's not long and it's not overly difficult. If this trail is a challenge for you and/or your kids, take your time with it, take breaks on the benches along the trail, and do it again later. It will get easier with time and you'll be able to build on that success.

There are some sections of the Base Trail that can be a bit muddy when it's been raining, especially in the spring. Plan accordingly.

Rocky Valley/East Quarry

Of the trails at Pinnacle Mountain State Park, I think this might be our favorite. From the state park visitor center parking lot, you walk uphill between the overlook deck on the left and the quarry pond on the right. That is where the trail begins. The Rocky Valley trail is 2 miles and it's a short loop that descends down into a valley. The trail splits at about a half mile and you can go right or left. Whichever way you go, you can come back the other direction. At the bottom of the valley, near the river, there are a couple of trail junctions. The Jackfork trail is a mountain bike trail. I will talk about that in the section below about the Pinnacle Mountain mountain bike trails, but the East Quarry trail is another junction you can take. East Quarry trail goes uphill. It's not a loop, but it will extend your hike a bit and take you up to a couple of very nice overlooks. It's a little more than a half mile spur off the Rocky Valley trail. Give it a try. It's worth it in my opinion.

Taking the Quarry trail is an option and you can skip it if the elevation gain is a concern for you to get back to the trailhead at the visitor center. All together, these trails are around 3 miles and probably take 2 to 2.5 hours to complete. The descent down to the valley is shady and cool, even in the summer months. There are a couple of mountain drainages that can flow with water when it's been raining. This is a genuinely nice hike and it's not super steep.

Rattlesnake Ridge

Rattlesnake Ridge is not part of the Pinnacle Mountain State Park, but it is just down the street from Pinnacle Mountain, so I have included it here. It is managed by the Arkansas Nature Conservancy. They do a great job maintaining their trails. As you will see from the map below, There are 5 trails, but to make a loop, you have to combine them. Here's the map.

This is a very pretty area. We have only been once, but we plan to go back again. I believe the route we took was the green trail to the yellow trail. It is a mountainous area, though it's not as rugged nor rocky as the Pinnacle Summit trails. The Nature Conservancy doesn't provide mileages for the trails anywhere as far as I have seen. AllTrails puts the Cliffbrake trail (green on the map) at 3.2 miles, and I believe they are counting end to end and back. My guess is the combined distance of the yellow and green trails is around 3 miles. The overlook at the far end of the green trail is worth it, even if you need to double back.

West Summit

The West Summit Trail is part of Pinnacle Mountain State Park and it's the summit of Pinnacle Mountain. It is not loop by itself, but you could combine it with the East Summit trail and one side of the Base Trail to make a loop.

This is known as the easy side because the slope is more gradual and it doesn't require scrambling (using your hands and upper body to pull yourself up big boulders). It is very rocky and the last section is like hundreds of uneven and sometimes unstable stairs.

The trail is said to be about 1.5 miles long and the parks website suggests 1.5 hours to hike to the summit and back. Obviously some people like to linger at the top to take in the view and rest after their ascent.

Kids often to better than adults on this trail, though sometimes they may slip and scrape a knee because they want to jump from rock to rock.

This is not my favorite trail, in part because it is so popular there are constantly people hiking up and down. It's crowded most days. Some people really like it as a workout and they are running up and down the mountain. Other people are super slow and struggling. It can make things awkward. My recommendation is to try to go at off peak times (early or late) to avoid the crowds. It is good exercise, but there are so many other options for hiking, this one isn't my favorite.

East Summit

The East Summit Trail is one of the more challenging hikes. Like the West Summit, it's not a loop, but you can go up the East and down the West trail or vice versa and then loop back on the Base Trail to where you parked at the East Summit Trailhead.

This trail is also 1.5 miles long and can take as long as 2 hours to the summit. The trail starts relatively gently uphill, but the last section of the trail is a steep scramble/climb up a boulder field that requires hands and feet, literally pulling yourself up the boulders.

The East Summit isn't as crowded as the West Summit and the fact that it's different than any of the other hikes on this list makes me appreciate it. It's a workout. I have done it a few times this year with a loaded backpacking pack to train for my thru hike.

Mountain Bike trails

I can't provide details on these, but the State Parks Department has really invested in building nice dual use mountain bike and hiking trails at Pinnacle Mountain. The maps are also not available online yet. We have hiked the Jackfork trail. Like I stated above about the LOViT trail, biking trails tend to go through a lot of serpentine turns, but the trail is less rocky, smoother, and they often have footbridges when crossing gullies and creeks. 

Aside from the Jackfork Trail, there is one called Coachwhip. I believe there is one called the Dynamite trail and there may be others. You can find more information about these brand new trails at the Pinnacle Mountain visitors center.

Hot Springs

Hot Springs National Park is located in the City of Hot Springs. The National Park has several nice trails. They are all relatively well maintained, fairly wide and consist mostly of gravel paths. Many of them intersect with others. These trails are fairly popular, but they are wide enough that groups can typically pass each other without issues. A few of the trails have some semi steep climbs, but if you take your time, you'll do fine.

Another general comment about the Hot Springs trails is that they are a system of interconnected trails, so you can make up your own route and make your hike as long or short as you like. 

West Mountain

One of the things I appreciate about the West Mountain trail is that it seems to be less crowded than some of the other trails. I expect this is in part because tourists who are visiting the downtown bath house area can virtually stumble onto those other trails without even trying and start hiking. The West Mountain trail is a bit further away from the tourist areas and you have to intentionally go there. 

The trail designers made this a little odd because the obvious loop consists of West Mountain South, West Mountain North and then the Mountain Top Trail. Why didn't they call the loop by one name and make the others spur trails???

Setting that aside, this trail has a few ups and downs, but the slopes aren't terrible. The west end of the north trail does get a little steep, but the steep part isn't too long. I believe the distance is just under 2 miles. It's a short hike. I can be done in under an hour, but may take an hour or more depending on your pace. Almost all of this trail is shady. 

Gulpha Gorge/Goat Rock/Upper Dogwood/HS Mountain loop

Gulpha Gorge is a National Park campground. I haven't stayed there, but it's lovely. There is a creek that runs through the campground. It's beautiful.

The Trail begins on the far end of the campground, just past the amphitheater. There is a small falls on the creek and stepping stones you use to cross the creek to get to the trailhead. Starting at Gulpha Gorge means you will be hiking uphill. The climb has switchbacks, which means it's not straight up and the hike is very pretty, so for that reason, it's one of my favorite trail sections in Hot Springs.

The trail isn't a loop, but you can create a loop by linking to other trails. Here is one route I recommend. Take Gulpha Gorge until you connect with the Goat Rock trail. It's less than .5 miles. The Goat Rock trail is about 1 mile to the Upper Dogwood Trail. Upper Dogwood is another mile. You can take the Upper Dogwood all the way around to the Hot Springs Mountain trail, until Hot Springs Mountain Trail connects back with the Gulpha Gorge trail, then back down Gulpha Gorge to the trailhead. In all, this is about a 3.5 mile loop. Once you get to the Goat Rock Trail from Gulpha Gorge, it basically stays at the top of the mountain, so there isn't a whole lot of ups or downs. And when you loop back to the Gulpha Gorge trail, it's downhill back to the trailhead. I would estimate it would take around 2 hours, depending on your pace.

This map shows all the Hot Springs Mountain Trails, which is where all the rest of the trail loops on my list are located, so I will just reference the trails on this map from here on out.

Oertel/Gulpha Gorge/HS Mountain/ShortCut

This year was the first we have hiked this Oertel trail section. It's another very pretty trail and it seems like it's a bit less trafficked than some of the other trails. To access Oertel, you can either start from Gulpha Gorge or you can find the trailhead from the Grand Promenade, however, if you don't know exactly where Oertel comes out, it can be a little tricky to find there. This is one of the reasons I suspect it's less traveled.

To make this one a loop, starting from Gulpha Gorge, you can take the Oertel trail at the junction, then take Oertel until it connects to the Shortcut trail. The Shortcut trail connects to the Hot Springs Mountain Trail, and you can take the Hot Springs Mountain trail back to Gulpha Gorge. That route would be around 4.5 miles and will probably take 2 to 2.5 hours to hike.

Hot Springs Mountain

The easiest loop to explain because it's actually a self contained loop. You can drive up the mountain and park at the picnic area just before the observation tower. To access the trail, just walk away from the road down the hill and you will run into the trail. The trail is 1.7 miles long and takes about an hour or less to hike. It's mostly level because it just walks around the top of the mountain.

This trail has very nice views of the City of Hot Springs and the surrounding forest and mountains. It's a short easy trail and you can start or finish in the picnic area.

Hot Springs Mountain Observation Tower

There is a gift shop and National Parks information location at the top of the mountain (past the picnic area). There is an observation tower you can pay to go the top. We went up to the tower for the first time in the 20+ years we have lived here and visited Hot Springs. It's worth the price of admission at least once. In addition to the observation deck at the very top of the tower, there is a museum with loads of information about the history and geology of the of the Hot Springs area.

There is an elevator that takes you up to the top of the tower and back down again, so you don't have to climb several flights of stairs.

Dogwood Trails

There is an Upper Dogwood and Lower Dogwood trail. They are connected. You can access them either through the Arlington Hotel or from the Floral trail on Fountain Street near the Arlington. The Lower Dogwood trail almost makes a very short (0.7 miles) on its own, and you can connect the short distance to make the Lower Dogwood a loop by taking the short segment of the Upper Dogwood that spans that gap. To make a larger loop of the two Dogwood trails is a bit trickier because the Upper Dogwood trail does not loop. You can make a loop by connecting with some of the other trails. Goat Rock, to Gulpha Gorge, to Hot Springs Mountain, then back to the Upper Dogwood then to the Lower Dogwood trail, and you're done.

I would estimate that longer loop is a little more than 3.5 miles of relatively level and easy trail. I would plan for about a 2 hour hike.

Ouachita Trail (Hwy 7 area)

The Ouachita Trail is a 223 mile long trail that runs from Talimena State Park in Oklahoma to Pinnacle Mountain State Park outside of Little Rock. The trail crosses Highway 7 just north of Jessieville in the Ouachita National forest. I have done a few day hikes as well as section hikes from this Hwy 7 Trailhead. These trails are a bit more rugged than others in this list with some steeper and longer climbs and even some creek crossings that you may not be able to rock hop or dry cross.

Having said that, these are some very scenic areas and worth the trouble and effort of the hikes.

Hunt's Loop

Hunt's Loop connects to the Ouachita Trail. The trailhead for Hunt's Loop is located at the Iron Springs Recreation Area. Iron Springs has a natural spring and a beautiful creek and rock formations. There is a picnic area and a pit toilet.

The Loop starts after you cross the footbridge over the creek. If you go to the right, you will be hiking the loop counterclockwise, and going to the left (which can be a little tricky to see where the trail goes) you will be hiking clockwise. Going clockwise immediately goes uphill, but you get to some lovely overlook views at the top. Going the other direction, you will pass through a low lying valley area with some pretty creeks and foot bridges (my favorite part). You will eventually link up with the Ouachita Trail for a bit as you near the Hwy 7 trailhead. You continue on the OT until they split, but to finish Hunt's Loop, you need to keep to the left, following the signs for Hunt's Loop.

The whole loop is around 4.3 miles and takes 2.5 to 3 hours. 

Ouachita Trail west bound *not a loop*

This is not a loop, but it's a trail and you can hike it. You'll have to figure out how far you want to go on this trail because when you get to the end, you'll likely need to hike back over the same way you came in. It can give you a little taste of the Ouachita Trail without having to go 200+ miles. There is something special, even hiking a small chunk of a long trail like that, just knowing it goes that far, end to end.

You'll have to decide how far you want to go on the trail. Blue Mountain Shelter is almost exactly 2 miles in from Hwy 7 in this direction. There is a picnic table at the shelter, so you could stop for a lunch or a snack. There is a pond near the shelter. You can explore the area a bit and then hike back out.

From the Hwy 7 trailhead, you will cross the footbridge and follow the trail up the hill to the right. It's almost a 2 mile climb to the shelter. But the hike back to Hwy 7 will be almost all downhill, so much easier.

Ouachita Trail east bound *not a loop*

Also not a loop. This is the longest and most rugged trail on this list. Out of the gate, you will be crossing the creek just to get started and you may not be able to cross dry. You will also need to cross Sugar Creek to get to the area I want to take you too, but this section of the OT literally made my jaw drop because it was so beautiful.

My suggestion here is to go about 4-5 miles in, just past Sugar Creek to see the cascading mountain streams that feed into the creek.

From the Hwy 7 trailhead, you cross the footbridge but go to the left, following the paved path, then continue beyond the paved path onto the trail. The trail crosses the creek you have been following just before Hwy 7 crosses that creek on a bridge. The trail goes under the bridge. This is where you may need to get wet if a dry crossing isn't possible.

After you pass under the bridge, the trail continues uphill to the left. There are about 2 miles of uphill climb before topping off. This part isn't so steep, but it is a climb. The trail then drops back down to Sugar Creek at about 3.5 miles. This area is nice, but what lies ahead is even more spectacular, so if you can, press on. If I remember correctly, there is a double crossing and it can be tricky to keep dry, especially if the water levels are high. The nice thing about water levels being up is the next section will be more impressive because as you begin climbing back up the next section, 

Petit Jean

Petit Jean State Park is located just south of the Arkansas River near Morrilton, Arkansas. It's seated at the top of Petit Jean Mountain, there are two lakes, a river and a waterfall at Petit Jeans. There is at least one cave with prehistoric paintings and many unique geological features. Petit Jean is well worth the hour and a half drive.

Seven Hollows

The Seven Hollows trail is probably one of the more famous trails in the state because there is so much amazing scenic natural landscape packed into such a short hike. The State Park websites states this trail is 4.5 miles long (this seems like a reasonable estimate) and takes 4 hours to hike (that seem unnecessarily long to me). I think most people can hike this trail, even if you're taking your time and moving slowly, within 3 hours or less if you're quick.

There are bluffs, caves, and a natural bridge on this hike. We have been there a handful of times and thinking about it makes me want to go back again soon.

Cedar Falls

This is a short hike from the Mather Lodge at Petit Jean down to the falls on Cedar Creek. It's only 2 miles, but you are hiking down and then back up. If elevation changes are difficult for you, this trail may be challenging. The good news is it's short and there's a great payoff, getting to see a very nice falls.

The website suggests 2 hours. You could do it in less time than that for sure, depending on how long it takes you to go up and down and also how much time you linger by the falls.

Well, those are the hikes that we have done in the Central Arkansas area. Maybe I will do a list like this once a year and add new day hikes. In any case, these are a few of our favorite hikes. 𝅘𝅥𝅮𝅘𝅥𝅝

What are your favorite hikes? Have you tried any of these? Am I missing one or more trails? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for stopping by!

Gavagai