Category: Central Arkansas

Posts in Central Arkansas including including Pinnacle Mountain, Petit Jean, Lake Catherine, and Lake Ouachita state parks. Also see Central Arkansas Trails Page.

Woolly Hollow: Huckleberry Trail – 3 mi

Hiking the Huckleberry Trail at Woolly Hollow State Park (Faulkner County, north of Conway in the foothills of the Ozarks) is a great way to see and explore the entire park. This mildly challenging 3-mile loop showcases the hardwoods and landscape of the area as it circles Lake Bennett, a 40-acre lake built in the […] Continue Reading »

Lake Ouachita: Caddo Bend Trail – 4 mi

Caddo Bend Trail, Lake Ouachita State Park

One of my favorite hikes around the Hot Springs area is the Caddo Bend Trail at Lake Ouachita State Park (Garland County). This 4-mile moderately challenging loop showcases the beauty of the forest that blankets the Ouachita Mountains. It also has beautiful views of Lake Ouachita. Continue Reading »

Toltec Mounds: Plum Bayou Trail – 2 mi

Plum Bayou Trail, Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park

Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park (Lonoke County, southeast of Little Rock) is the site of the tallest surviving prehistoric mounds in Arkansas. The area was occupied from 600 to 1050 A.D. The Native American people who lived here are referred to as the Plum Bayou culture. One of the best ways to see the park […] Continue Reading »

Charlton Trail (Ouachita Forest) – 8 mi (o&b)

Charlton Trail, Ouachita National Forest

The Charlton Trail (Garland County near Hot Springs in the Ouachita National Forest) is a great mid-length trail with gorgeous wooded views. It is 4.1 miles long (or 8.2 miles for out-and-back hike). The trail starts at the Charlton Recreation Area on Highway 270 and heads to the northeast to Crystal Springs Recreation Area on […] Continue Reading »

Petit Jean: Bear Cave Trail – .5 mi

Large rocks near the end of the Bear Cave Trail. If you continue on from here, you’ll be on the Boy Scout Trail and not Bear Cave Trail.

The Bear Cave Trail at Petit Jean State Park (Conway County near Morrilton) is a very short trail—only about a quarter-mile long loop. But it is more than a short trail. It is a spectacular rock formation area to walk around in and explore. There is a lot to see here. Continue Reading »

Lake Catherine: Dam Mountain Trail + Falls Branch Falls- 4 mi

The view facing downtown Hot Springs from the overlook on Dam Mountain Trail. The Entergy Power plant can be seen to the right.

The Dam Mountain Trail at Lake Catherine State Park (Hot Spring County, near Hot Springs) is my favorite trail at the park. It offers a little bit of every kind of scenery at the park. Lake Catherine State Park has thick forest, mountain top glades, deep valleys, beautiful streams–including a waterfall–and of course the lake. […] Continue Reading »