Robinson Point Trail is a beautiful 3-mile hike at Robinson Point Park in Baxter County near Mountain Home. It gives you amazing views of Lake Norfork as well as the beauty of the Ozark Mountains.

Robinson Point Trail takes you through tunnels of cedar groves to endless views of turquoise and blue as the trail follows the curves and coves of Norfork Lake.

It is a lollipop loop (semi-loop), and is managed by the Corps of Engineers. It is a part of the Ozark Highlands Trail although not yet connected to the western sections.

Although the trail doesn’t have a lot of elevation gain, it does dip down and into some gullies and back up rather steeply. In some places, there is loose rock making footing a little tricky.

Overall, it is a fairly easy trail.

Getting to the Robinson Point Trailhead

To get to Robinson Point Park, take U.S. Highway 412/62 east from Mountain Home. After about 5 miles, take a right on Robinson Point Cutoff then a left on Robinson Point Road.

After 1.5 miles, the main trailhead (with parking) is on the right just before the entrance gate to the campground.

Those camping at Robinson Point can access the trail from behind the bathhouse near campsites 71 to 99.

Even though I was camping at the park, I started at the official trailhead so I could explore more of the forest.

The Hike – Trailhead to Lollipop Loop

The trail begins relatively flat and wide for easy walking.

After 0.25 miles, there is a bench and a fork in the trail. If you go straight, you will end up at the campground. Here, you want to go to the right to stay on the Robinson Point Trail.

The trail snakes around a cove of Norfork Lake. Then you go through a few groves of cedar trees where it seems like they shelter the trail. You get glimpses of the lake from higher up on shore.

At mile 0.7, the trail begins to head down into a gully and another cove of the lake. Here you come close to the water.

On the park’s brochure, it has a footbridge listed here. However, I did not cross a footbridge. I did notice quite a bit of trail work had recently been done which may account for its not being there.

The trail continues to snake around the cove. At around mile 0.9, you can look across the cove and see where you just hiked.

At mile 1.14, you pass the intersection with the return portion of the lollipop for the lollipop loop. Here you can go right or straight. Either way, you’ll end up back here. However, the trail going straight (clockwise) is much more defined and easier to see. So I chose to hike that way.

Lollipop Loop to Trailhead

As you head straight, the trail begins to climb slowly and become rockier. The trail hugs the shoreline it goes progressively higher above the water.

Around mile 1.3, the trees open up, and you get some amazing views of Norfork Lake.

You can see the cliffs from the side and the lake far below. The trail continues to climb and gives you more views from the top.

Around mile 1.38, you get a great view. Caution: Be careful in this area as these are high cliffs with no safety railing.

There is some safety railing a little farther down the trail at mile 1.45 for those not so fond of heights.

The trail gets a little confusing here. You have the option to continue to follow the shoreline or head away from the lake. When I hiked this trail, there were no trail markers. But as I noted above, they were doing work on the trail.

Hopefully, someday you will be able to continue to follow the shore and hike all the way west to Mountainburg via the Ozark Highlands Trail.

You will hike away from the cliffs and into the forests as you continue on the Robinson Point Trail. Here, the trail takes you through some lovely woods.

At mile 1.65, you come back to the stick portion of the lollipop loop.

From here, you simply retrace your steps back to the trailhead. You can enjoy seeing it from a different angle.

Ozark Highlands Trail and David’s Trail

Robinson Point Trail is a part of the Ozark Highlands Trail as well as David’s Trail. According to an article in Backpacker Magazine, the Lake Norfork portion of the Ozark Highlands Trail is still under construction. The 13-mile Lake Norfork Trail (pdf link) and the 17-mile David’s Trail are a part of the completed portions.

Although Robinson Point Trail does not connect with the Lake Norfork Trail, it is a part of David’s Trail.

Final Notes

I learned about Robinson Point Trail in Tim Ernst’s book, “Arkansas Hiking Trails.”

The trail is great in every season, but it is especially beautiful in the spring and fall. Wildflowers bloom all throughout the trail, and plentiful hardwoods and sweeping views make for an excellent showcase in autumn.

The elevation change between the high and low points is only about 100 feet.

Photo Gallery

Click below for full-screen photo gallery of these and more pics from my April 2022 hike.

Map

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The Rush Mine Level Trail (2.8 miles as out-and-back) in the lower district of the Buffalo National River (Marion County) is an enjoyable mildly challenging hike through a former mining area.

Rush is a former mining community that existed along the Buffalo River that was originally established for the mining of zinc ore in the mountains there. Now it is an old ghost town with no current residents. However, many historic sites remain with structures dating back to the 1880’s.

To get to the Mine Level Trail, you first need to go to the Morning Star Interpretive Loop, a short loop trail which can give you a feel for the history of this area.

At the top of the loop is the start of the Rush Mine Level Trail. (There may not be any signage here.) This trail is a mostly level stretch that takes you by several of the old zinc mine entrances.

Getting to the Rush Morning Star Trailhead

To get to the Rush Historic District, take Highway 14 south from Yellville. After about 10 miles, there will be a sign that clearly marks the left-hand turn to Rush. Turn here, and follow the paved road all the way down the hill to the river area.

The Morning Star Trailhead will be on your left, just after a row of abandoned old buildings.

The Hike

The Rush Mine Level Trail (also considered part of the Rush Mountain Loop Trail) starts at about the midway point (and the high point) of the Morning Star Loop, and it heads straight uphill. (There may be no signage at this junction.) This is a pretty steep climb, but it is definitely worth the effort.

After about a one-fifth-mile climb, the trail levels out. Stay on the well-traveled main trail which turns right. (Don’t take the small, unmarked path to the left. It is a primitive unofficial trail section that completes the loop back from the Monte Christo area.)

From here, the trail is mostly pretty level with a few ups and downs, but it is easy to follow. There are at least seven old mine sites along the trail. They are remnants of the former Rush zinc ore mining industry. (For safety reasons, the mines are all closed to public access by fencing and grates.)

As you pass the last of the mines on this trail, the trail will follow an old road bed down the hill. At one point, the main trail heads left off the old road trace. Take the trail to the left, and it will head off into the woods (straight will take you to the main entrance road).

At around 1.3 miles, the trail hits an intersection. Turn to the right here to head to the Rush Landing parking area. There is a pit toilet here with a river access nearby. (If you went left, you would go to the  Monte Cristo Trail which can loop you back to the starting point, but please read my overview of that trail before doing so).

From the Rush Landing area, you can head back to the starting point via the trail making it about a 2.8-mile hike. Or for an easier walk, you can simply take the main road back to the Morningstar Trailhead area.

Final Notes

I rate the difficulty of the trail as mildly challenging (2 of 5).

The difference between the maximum and minimum elevation points is only about 180 feet.

For footwear, I recommend trail runners or tennis shoes.

Tim Ernst discusses this trail in his book, Buffalo River Hiking Trails. His profile discusses the entire Rush Mountain Loop Trail.

The posted photos are from our hike on October 23, 2011. (The photos by Mike Newman were taken on May 30, 2021.)

Photo Gallery

Click below for full-screen photo gallery.

Maps

[A version of this post was originally published on December 21, 2011 on the blog “Exploring Northwest Arkansas.”]

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The Morning Star Interpretive Loop is an easy .2-mile loop in the Rush Historic District of the Buffalo National River Lower District (Marion County, Arkansas).

It has numerous remnants of the area’s mining town history.

Getting to the Rush Morning Star Trailhead

To get to the Rush Historic District, take Highway 14 south from Yellville. After about 10 miles, there will be a sign that clearly marks the left-hand turn to Rush. Turn here, and follow the paved road all the way down the hill to the river area.

The Morning Star Interpretive Loop trailhead will be on your left, just after a row of abandoned old buildings.

Morning Star Interpretive Loop

Park at the Morning Star Trailhead. It is the first parking area on the road. It is on the left, just past the row of old buildings on the right.

The Morning Star Interpretive Loop starts to the left. It first passes an old smelter that dates back to 1886. It is the oldest structure in Rush.

Next up the trail are the remains of an old livery barn that was built in the 1890’s. The trail then passes an old blacksmith shop and the remains of the Morning Star processing mill, and several other old ruins.

After about 400 feet in, when you are in the higher part of the loop, you will notice a trail that takes off to the right going uphill. Keep straight to complete the loop. Going to your right would take you to the Mine Level Trail.

Further on the loop, there is a great view through the trees of the old ghost-town houses and general store that are on the other side of the road.

Final Notes

This little loop has a lot of history and reading. It is worth taking the time to read the plaques to learn about the history of the area.

The elevation change on this short path is only about 40 feet.

The posted photos are from our hike on October 23, 2011. (The photos by Mike Newman were taken on May 30, 2021.)

Photo Gallery

Click below for full-screen photo gallery.

Map

[A version of post was originally published on December 21, 2011 on the blog “Exploring Northwest Arkansas.”]

The post Rush Morning Star Interpretive Loop (Buffalo River) – .2 mi appeared first on Arklahoma Hiker.

The Lakeside Trail at Bull Shoals-White River State Park (Baxter and Marion Counties, near Yellville and Mountain Home) is a short but scenic trail with great views of Bull Shoals Lake.

It is an easy and scenic 1.1-mile semi-loop trail. The initial spur is .1 miles and the loop is .9 miles.

About half the loop is close to the shore line with lots of nice views of the lake.

Note: Parts of the trail may be inaccessible due to high water when the Bull Shoals Lake water level is very high.

Getting to Lakeside Trail

The Lakeside Trail starts at the picnic area by the south end of the dam.

If you are heading to Bull Shoals-White River State Park from Yellville (about 17 miles), take Highway 412 east. After 4 miles, take Highway 178 heading east. Highway 178 takes you all the way to the park (via Flippin and the city of Bull Shoals). Cross over the dam. Right after the highway curves left, the picnic area on the left.

If you are coming from Mountain Home, take Highway 5 north to the community of Midway. Then get on Highway 178 heading west (by the Dollar General). The park is 9 miles ahead. The picnic area is the first thing on your right once you enter the park.

There is parking here. The trailhead is marked and on the right (east) end of the picnic area.

The Trail

The initial spur is just .1 miles. On my most recent hike, I turned left at the loop to take it clockwise and do the lakeside part of the loop first.

Once on the loop, it is just a short downhill walk until you are fairly close to the lake. This part (the north side) of the loop generally heads northeast following the shoreline. There are a lot of nice lake views on this stretch, some of them pretty wide open.

There is an overlook area at around .5 miles with a bench and some very nice views of the lake (mostly facing west and north).  You can see Bull Shoals Dam pretty easily from here. It is less than a mile away.

At the overlook, you are nearly at the end of a small peninsula. Shortly after this point, the trail curves and starts heading back (the south side of the loop) mainly in a southwest direction.

From the wooded and scenic south side of the loop, you still may be able to see glimpses of the lake in the distance.

There is a bit of uphill climbing on this part of the loop, but the elevation change on the trail is only about 75 feet.

At around 1 mile, you are back at the initial spur. Take a left to head back to the trailhead.

Final Notes

The trail has yellow blazes. It was in pretty good condition when I hiked it in September 2016. There was a little overgrowth, but it was not bad.

I had AT&T cell signal on the whole trail.

These photos are from my hike on September 11, 2016. It was the same day I made this visit to the Big Bluff Trail.

Photo Gallery

Click below for full-screen photo gallery.

Map

Bull Shoals: Lakeside Trail
Location	Bull Shoals-White River State Park (near Yellville), Baxter County, Arkansas
Hike Length/Type	1 mile semi-loop
Difficulty	Easy (1 of 5)
Other Permitted Usage	Pets on a leash.
Gpx file by Mike	Link
Date Hiked	September 11, 2016
Directions	Google Maps Directions to Lakeside Trailhead
Official Info	(870) 445-3629 Website Official Bull Shoals-White River Trail Brochure (pdf)

Last revised: 8-16-2021.

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