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.)

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Map

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

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Glory Hole Falls is one of the most unique waterfalls in the Ozarks. The waterfall is formed by a stream that flows through the ceiling of an overhang cave.

When the water is really flowing, the hike to this unique adds to the spectacular appeal of this short trail.

Getting to Glory Hole Falls Trail

The Glory Hole Falls trail is in Newton County in the Big Piney District of the Ozark National Forest.

This is a well-maintained trail, much of it following along old jeep roads. However, there is no official trailhead and no official parking area.

The trailhead is off of Highway 16, about 5.7 miles east of Fallsville. The trailhead is about .5 miles east of a red barn on the north side of the road with a large white “E” on its side. The trail is on the right (south) side of the road.

You should notice a large dirt/gravel area on the side of the road which is used as a parking area.

There is now some good signage here that indicates an official trail head for the “Glory Hole” which has made access more visible and added to the popularity of this trail. V

The Trail

The trail starts off down an old road for a stretch and then hits a trail intersection. Take the road to the right, which then curves to the right and drops down a pretty steep slope. (It won’t feel like much going down, but you’ll definitely notice it more coming back!) Eventually, you cross the stream that leads to the falls. If the stream is really moving here, you’re in for a real treat at the falls.

The main trail stays up high from the creek, but there is a place where you can venture down and follow along the main creek to the falls itself. This pathway is a bit rougher than the maintained trail above, but there are some gorgeous smaller waterfalls and cascades along this stretch that themselves would be worth hiking to.

After about a mile, you get to the top of Glory Hole Falls.  You can get pretty close to the hole itself, but the rocks around the area are very slick. Be very careful here. Falling in this area could result in serious injury.

After taking a few pictures from the top of the falls, you can loop around and venture down to the bottom of the falls.

When the water is high, there is also a nice little waterfall here. (The sixth picture on this page is of my wife Michelle, squatting down next to the top of that waterfall.)

As you loop back around to the right, you get to the base of the Glory Hole Falls and can see the water pouring through the hole above.

This really is one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the area. Its height is about 30 feet and the uniqueness of it flowing through a hole literally burrowed through rock is very impressive!

Plan to spend a little time in the area. We usually like to pack a picnic lunch and hang out here for a bit before heading back up the hill to the car.

The hike out is tougher (and more uphill) than the hike down, but it’s not too bad. Seeing this amazing and unique waterfall area is well worth the 2-mile round trip.

Final Notes

The day I took most of these pictures in May 2011 we had high water after a previous day of rain.

I would strongly recommend checking out this area during the rainy season (winter and spring) for the best water flow.

As for footware, I recommend trail shoes or hiking boots, although tennis shoes would be fine.

Below are some pics of the trail that Mike took in June 2014 and December 2020.

You can read more about this falls in Tim Ernst’s Arkansas Waterfalls.

Check out these posts for more photos (and video):

• Glory Hole Trail (Ozark Forest) in Winter
• Glory Hole Falls Trail (Ozark Forest) Summer Pics
• Glory Hole Falls Trail (Ozark Forest) Winter Pics
• Glory Hole Falls (Ozark Forest) Video Winter

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Map

A version of this post was originally published on June 16, 2011 on the blog “Exploring Northwest Arkansas.”

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The Benefield West Loop Trail at Mount Magazine State Park is a pleasant and easy .9-mile wooded loop with little elevation change. There is a pond on the west end of the loop.

Mount Magazine is the highest mountain in Arkansas. It is near Paris in Logan County and is surrounded by the Magazine District of the Ozark National Forest.

Getting to the Benefield Picnic Area

To get to Mount Magazine State Park, you can take Highway 309 south from Paris. Highway 309 goes through downtown Paris. Follow the signs from downtown.

The park is about 17 miles from Paris.

If you’re coming from the south, head north on Highway 309 from Havana for about  10 miles.

The Benefield West Loop starts at the Benefield picnic area at the southeast area of the park. The trailhead is near the restrooms. (It is the same trailhead as for Bear Hollow Trail.)

The Hike

This is an easy well marked hike that is just under a mile. Start at the trailhead near the restrooms. The first part of the hike is basically just a walk on a dirt road. At about .1 miles, you would turn right and go downhill for the Bear Hollow Trail or Benefield East Loop. Stay straight to continue on this loop.

At close to .2 miles, there is a right spur to a different part of the Bear Hollow Trail. This spur joins that trail a little to the west of Inspiration Point. But for this hike, continue straight.

At around .5 miles, the trail reaches the first crossing of Highway 309. On the other side of the highway, the trail goes uphill slightly as it approaches a small pond, presumably made by earlier settlers.

At the pond (about .6 miles), you would turn right for the Mossback Ridge Trail. Take a left to continue on this loop.

There are no vista views on this trail but during leaf-off there are places on the trail where you can see some of the valleys in the distance through the trees. This is one of those areas.

At about .7, you reach the highway again, near the entrance for the Benefield Picnic Area. Cross the highway, and walk up the road back to where you started at the picnic area.

Final Notes

Elevation change: About 50 feet.

Trail condition: The trail was well marked and in very good condition when I hiked it on November 26, 2021. These photos are from that hike.

AT&T Cell coverage: About 50%.

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Last revised: 1-7-2022.

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The Green Heron Trail at DeGray Lake Resort State Park (near Caddo Valley and Arkadelphia) is a scenic roughly mile-long lollipop loop.

It begins behind the Visitor Center and is a nice wide, flat path that is great for viewing wildlife.

Getting to Green Heron Trailhead

To get there from Interstate 30, take Exit 78 and head north on Highway 7 for about 6 miles.

Then take a left on Edgewood Drive. After about 300 feet, take another left onto State Park Road and follow the signs to the visitor center.

On the Trail

You begin by walking from the mowed yard of the Visitor Center into the thick forests of the Ouachitas. It kind of has the feel of a children’s book where you walk into another world.

You will immediately pass a pond to your left. When I hiked the trail, it was covered in a green algae film, that was quite pretty.

Shortly after you pass the pond, you cross a bridge and get your first glimpse of the lake. This a great place to keep your eyes out for wildlife and waterfowl.

At mile 0.2, you come to an intersection. This is the end of the “stick” of the lollipop loop.

There is a sign that points you toward the right to complete the trail. However, if you choose to go to the left, you will end up back at the same spot.

After you make a right at the intersection, the trail heads back toward the lake and follows it pretty closely for a little bit.

At mile 0.3 there’s a spur trail to the right to a watchable wildlife station where you can hike and view the wildlife that calls DeGray Lake home. There are some very nice views of the lake here.

Once you complete the spur trail, make a right to finish out the trail.

Right around the half-mile point, there is another intersection with a trail going toward the left. This is a shortcut trail that will take you back to the trailhead. I chose to not take it so I could finish the trail.

The trail gets close to the lake again and you can see it through the trees. When I was there some of the woodlands were flooded, and it was really pretty.

At mile 0.6 the trail seems to end at the edge of the woods and the dike on the road. This area was difficult to follow because the red blazes just ended. There were no more markers or beaten paths to follow.

I took a guess and hiked through the high grass of the road’s right-of-way, which is how the trail goes.

Around mile 0.75 (about 0.1 miles along the grassy area), there is a sign pointing you back in the forest to complete the trial.

At mile 0.8 you intersect with the shortcut trail. You will want to go to the right here to get back to the trailhead.

You will quickly come back to the first intersection where you will want to turn right to finish and hike along the “stick” of the lollipop look to finish out the trail.

Final Notes

The total length of the hike is about .9 miles. It is an easy hike with no more than 40 feet or so of elevation change.

These photos are from my April 25, 2020 hike.

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Map

[A version of this post was originally published on April 30, 2020 in the blog “Right Kind of Lost.”]

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