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

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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

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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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The 2.2-mile stretch of the Buffalo River Trail (BRT) from the Ponca low water bridge to Steel Creek Campground is a very scenic and enjoyable half-day hike. It is 4.4 miles as an out-and-back hike.

This stretch features some nice overlook vistas with river views, seasonal waterfalls, and wonderful bluffs and rock formations.

This is a small part of the Ponca-Kyles Landing section of the BRT. The entire section is about 9.9 miles.

Getting to the Ponca Low Water Bridge Trailhead

To get to the trail, park at the Ponca low-water bridge and then walk out across the low-water bridge to the small parking area on the other side. Just past that parking area, the BRT heads off to the left and the right. The route to the right will take you to Boxley (11 miles).

To go toward Steel Creek, take the route downstream to the left.

The Hike

The trail starts off right along the Buffalo River and after a short stretch goes under the new highway bridge that crosses the river. Right at the spot where you cross under the highway bridge there is a little trail that leads down to an overlook on the river — a very nice little view.

Back on the main trail, it continues along the river for a while. There is another spur off to the left that again heads down to the river. I usually take these spurs just as a method of exploring.

As you continue up the hill a bit, you will get to yet another overlook. This is a great view with the river making two turns in front of you and a bluff in the background.

This is also a challenging stretch of the river for canoeists. (Michelle and I had an epic wipeout at this turn a while back.) So when the water is up and canoeists are on the upper Buffalo, it’s fun to watch people go through here and share in their joy as they make the corner.

As you continue on the trail, it eventually turns to the right a little and heads up the hill. There is about a 200-foot elevation change here, so it’s a pretty significant trek up. (The cumulative elevation gain on this 2.2-mile stretch is a little over 600 feet.)

There are also a few small streams to cross over here. None are challenging or wet crossings, but they make some interesting water features during high water. There is one water flow that we are looking forward to checking out after a hard rain.

As you head out across the higher part of the trail, you are inward from the bluff line a bit– high above the Buffalo River. During leaf-off, there are some spectacular views from up here. During late spring and summer, the leaves will block most of the great views.

Eventually, you’ll head back down the hill again through some really nice rock bluffs and features.

As you get to the bottom of the hill, you are near the Steel Creek Campground. At one point, there is a short spur off to the left. It goes to the campground and the campground bathroom (and running water).

Continue straight ahead for a few hundred yards, and you will eventually cross the paved road that heads from the highway to Steel Creek.

At this point, you’re at 2.2 miles. You can continue across the road to head to Kyles Landing, or walk down to Steel Creek and check out the valley and Roark Bluff. (It’s right in front of you. You can’t miss it.)  

Steel Creek Campground is a great area along the river that is heavily travelled and includes a horse trailer parking area.

When you’re done here, you can turn around and head back the way you came. It’s another 2.2 miles back (and another 600 feet of elevation gain). (The net elevation change between the low and high points is about 320 feet.) Note: the initial climb out of Steel Creek on the way back is easily the steepest and most challenging of the hike.

Final Notes

I rate the difficulty of this hike as moderate (3 of 5). For footwear on this hike, I recommend trail runners or hiking boots.

Although the Buffalo River area is beautiful year around, I think the most scenic time is during high water from November to April.

Most of these photos are from our hike on March 17, 2012.

Photo Gallery

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Map

[This post was originally published on May 2, 2012 on the blog “Exploring Northwest Arkansas.”]

Last revised: 5-12-2021.

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The Buffalo River Trail (currently) is an approximately 40-mile trail running from Boxley to Pruitt along the Buffalo National River in Newton County.  There are several additional sections along the middle part of the Buffalo that do not connect with these initial 40 miles on the upper Buffalo.

Additional parts of the trail are under construction, and it will eventually span nearly the entire length of the river.

While I have never hiked a portion of the Buffalo River Trail that wasn’t thoroughly amazing, the short hike from the Steel Creek trailhead to the Steel Creek overlook is among my favorites. It’s a great hike to an amazing view of the river.

Getting to the Steel Creek Trailhead

The trailhead is near the Steel Creek Campground, a few miles east of Ponca.

To get there from the west, take Highway 74 east from Ponca for about two miles. The road curves up a steep, windy hill. At a very sharp u-curve, the campground entrance is on your left. There are signs, and it is well marked.

Take the paved road down the hill toward the campground. When you get to the bottom of the hill, the pavement ends. To the right is a horse camp and river access. To the left is the campground.  Find a place to park here at the intersection.

Walk back up the paved road about 100 feet to where the Buffalo River Trail crosses the road. Turn left and start the trail here, heading east toward Kyles Landing.

(Taking the trail to the right (west) would take you to Ponca. My post about that hike is here.)

The Trail

The trail is nicely maintained and heads into the woods and starts to gradually go up some stairs. You will be able to see the horse camp to your left, and a steep hill and some nice, small bluffs off on your right.

The trail continues for a while, pretty high above the horse camp and the ranger station. The trail then swings right and heads back into a drainage area.

There are a lot of large rocks back in this area that make for some nice scenery.

Past the drainage, the trail heads back down the hill.

At about .5, the trail gets low into the Steel Creek Valley. (Steel Creek flows into the Buffalo River just downstream — the area is a popular swimming hole in the summer) The trail swings sharply to the right upstream on Steel Creek and away from the river. The trail goes past a fire pit and through an open area (with a couple of power lines that go to the ranger station) and then back into the woods again, past a another primitive campsite.

This would definitely make a great place to spend the night!

At .6, the trail turns left and crosses Steel Creek. When we hiked this in early July 2014, we were able to rock-hop across the creek here without getting wet, but I can definitely see how during the very rainy season this would be a wet crossing — so be prepared for that.

After crossing Steel Creek, the trail heads up the hill and to the right, continuing upstream. This begins the 400-foot climb to the overlook.

The trail continues up, fairly steeply, and then makes a complete turn to the left. At this point, during high water, there is the makings of a very nice, large waterfall just down the hill in front of you. There is no trail to it, and it could be pretty steep, but on a wet day it’s probably worth checking out.

Continuing on the trail as it curves to the left, it continues heading uphill. The trail eventually cuts through a series of very large rocks. This is a great stretch of trail that we really enjoyed.

Then, at 1.4 miles, you get to the overlook. And it is amazing.

At roughly 450 feet above the river, there is a great view of the Steel Creek Campground area, as well as some fantastic views of the Buffalo River as it continues downstream and winds through the valleys among a series of large bluffs.

I highly recommend spending some time and enjoying the view. They don’t come much better than this.

Note of caution: Always exercise extreme care around bluff areas. A fall could result in serious injury or death.

After enjoying the view, you can turn around and make your way back west to where you started at Steel Creek Campground.

If you continued east, it is another 6.5 miles to Kyles Landing.

Final Notes

This is a really great hike to one of the best views in the Buffalo River area. It would probably be much more popular if it were a stand-alone trail rather than a section of the Buffalo River Trail.

As for footwear, I recommend trail shoes or hiking boots. During the wet season, be prepared for a wet stream crossing.

You can get more info about the trail in Tim Ernst’s Buffalo River Hiking Trails.

Shelley’s post about the Ponca to Kyles Landing hike is here.

These photos are all from our hikes on July 3, 2014 and October 29, 2018.

Photo Gallery

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Map

[A version of this post was first published on October 17, 2014 on the blog “Exploring Northwest Arkansas.”]

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