Arkansas - Ozark Mountains

Towards the end of June, we left Shreveport Louisiana and headed for Arkansas. Our first stop is Little Rock. 

We're staying at the Downtown Riverside RV park. 

It is right across the river from the Clinton Library, which of course (because of Covid) is closed. One of the cool things is that the RV park is right at the base of the Clinton Presidential Park Bridge, a pedestrian bridge that takes you across the Arkansas River to the grounds of the library. 

We spend a few days making our way northwest. We stop at Tompkins Bend, a peaceful, forested stop on Lake Ouachita where I chase more fireflies in an attempt to get a picture...still no success. 

Eventually, we make it to Devil's Den State Park. 

Although Devil's Den is known for its sandstone crevices, it also has a beautiful forest canopy. It is in the southwestern section of the Ozark Mountains. We've got a great little campsite that backs up to the swimming hole.  

It's July and the weather is hot and muggy, but that's what keeps the area so lush and green. We hiked the Devil's Den Trail on one of our days there. It was nice to duck into the entryways of the "caves" during that hot day as cool air came up from underground.

Our next stop, Buffalo Outdoor Center in Ponca, takes us into the heart of the Ozark Mountains. At this stop, we hike the Lost Valley Trail on Sunday...

and the Whitaker Point Trail out to Hawksbill Crag on Monday. 

Hawksbill Crag is probably the most photographed spot in Arkansas. Because we were there on a weekday and because of Covid-19, the trail was not heavily trafficked the day we are there. We met some nice people, and everyone was polite and made sure that all got their photos without crowds out on the crag.