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.

Getting to Bear Cave Trail at Petit Jean

The Bear Cave Trail is toward the west end of Petit Jean State Park on Petit Jean Mountain.

If coming from Little Rock, head west on I-40. Take Exit 108 in Morrilton and head south on Highway 9/113. After about 5 miles, take a right at Oppelo onto Highway 154 heading west. Highway 154 (Petit Jean Mountain Road) will take you into the park.

If heading from the west, take Exit 81 on I-40 at Russellville. Head south on Arkansas Avenue (Highway 27) to Dardanelle. Then turn left on Highway 22. After a mile it turns into Highway 7 (heading south). After another mile, take a left onto Highway 155 (south). After 8 miles, Highway 155 ends. Take a left (east) on Highway 154. It will take you to Petit Jean.

The Bear Cave Trailhead is on Highway 154, about a mile west of Mather Lodge. It is near the Seven Hollows Trailhead. Watch for the signs.

There is parking here.

The Trail

As you start down the trail, you will immediately come across several huge stones with pathways cut through them. There are several small walkways here through the large rocks. A couple lead to dead ends, and a couple find their way through to the other side.

The main pathway through is the “Eye of the Needle” – a very narrow passageway through the stones that is just amazing to hike through. You should not have to climb up any rock ledges here, so if the road ahead looks challenging at all, you’re not in the Eye of the Needle.

Once you get to the other side of the passageway through the rocks, there are three options. One path goes to the right and makes a short climb to the top of the large boulders you just walked through.

This one is definitely worth checking out. It eventually curves back around to the parking lot.

The pathway to the left curves down to the Bear Cave. It is really more of a small indentation into the stone.

This area has a series of wood ties that at one point would have made for a stairway down, but erosion has taken its toll, so this path is more of a mess than a trail.

This little spur loops around the cave and back up to the parking lot as well.

At the turn, there is also a trail that goes straight. There are two large boulders to the left as you start out on this trail. At that point, the trail blazes also turn from green (indicating the Bear Cave Trail) to white (indicating the 12-mile long Boy Scout Trail).

If you see the white blazes, and only want to do the Bear Cave area, then turn around and head back the way you came.

This is a really fun area. We enjoyed exploring just about every nook.

Plan to spend some time here, as it is a natural playground that is well worth the time to explore.

Final Notes

There is some limited incline on the trail. The elevation change is about 50 feet.

For footwear, I recommend at least a sturdy pair of tennis shoes.

While at Petit Jean, you may want to check out Cedar Falls Trail, Seven Hollows Trail, or Cedar Creek Trail.

These photos are from our July 1, 2013 visit to the trail.

Photo Gallery

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Map

[A version of this post was originally published on December 30, 2013 in the blog “Exploring Northwest Arkansas.”]

Last revised: 9-19-2019.

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Seven Hollows Trail at Petit Jean State Park (Conway County near Morrilton) is a first-rate hike that features a natural bridge, a grotto waterfall, an a lot of unique views with diverse plant life ranging from ferns to cacti.

The trail takes its name from the seven small streams that run through the area, all of which have carved their own hollows.

The official trail length is 4.5 miles. (Mike’s gps calculation puts it closer to 4.1 miles.) The short spur to the grotto (with seasonal waterfall) adds .2 miles.

It is a loop trail that follows through four of the seven hollows and along ridges between the hollows. Bluff lines, tumbling water (in spring), and interesting plant life are abundant.

It is a vigorous hike with an elevation change of about 360 feet. Most of the climbing is on the second half of the loop.

This is a great hike with a lot to observe, and every part of the hike is scenic.

Getting to Seven Hollows Trail

The Seven Hollows Trail is toward the west end of Petit Jean State Park on Petit Jean Mountain.

To get there from Little Rock, head west on I-40. Take Exit 108 in Morrilton and head south on Highway 9/113. After about 5 miles, take a right at Oppelo onto Highway 154 heading west. Highway 154 (Petit Jean Mountain Road) will take you into the park.

If heading from the west, take Exit 81 on I-40 at Russellville. Head south on Arkansas Avenue (Highway 27) to Dardanelle. Then turn left on Highway 22. After a mile it turns into Highway 7 (heading south). After another mile, take a left onto Highway 155 (south). After 8 miles, Highway 155 ends. Take a left (east) on Highway 154. It will take you to Petit Jean.

The trailhead for Seven Hollows is on Highway 154, one mile west of Mather Lodge. Watch for the signs.

There is a large parking lot here.

The Hike

There is clear signage at the trailhead. The trail is blazed light blue. (Part of the trail overlaps with the Boy Scout Trail, with white blazes. So follow the blue blazes.)

The trail starts with an initial spur. The loop begins at about .1 miles. We will make a left turn to take the loop clockwise.

The trail heads downhill for a stretch on a sandy surface.

At about .5, the trail comes along the first small stream and a bluff line comes in view across the way. (There is signage at every half mile. For the most part, I am going by the designated mileages.)

From here to Mile Marker 1, there are several small cave-like areas on the opposite side of the stream.

During this stretch, the trail crosses back and forth across the creek several times, but the crossings are pretty easy to do without getting wet.

This part of the trail, along with several other areas, goes through a bit of a pine forest, so the smell of pine is in the air.

A little way after Mile Marker 1, the trail goes uphill a bit–a little further from the creek.

At about 1.3, the trail passes by a natural bridge (a large arch). It is on the left, slightly off the trail. (Watch for it.)

The natural bridge is a spectacular sight. This seemed to be the place of choice for people to stop and take a break. This is one of many highlights on the trail.

At about  1.5, the trail heads back downhill again, crosses the creek for the last time, and runs along the bluff on the opposite side of the creek that you have no doubt been admiring for the past mile. The bluff is smaller here though.

Then at 1.7, the bluff ends, and the trail turns sharply right and heads back up the bluff you were just walking beside. The trail is now leaving the first hollow.

The trail here heads uphill through a glade area. The glade has a completely different type of plant life and wildflowers. It also has spectacular rock formations and views of the hollow you just left.

There are several of these glade areas on the hike where instead of walking on dirt, the trail goes across the tops of rocks. These really are neat areas.

If you look closely, you may notice collared lizards in the area. They are cute and fast.

There are also great views from atop the bluff.

At about 2 miles, the trail bends to the left, down the hill, back up the hill, and then down the hill again.

At 2.1, the trail passes a small stream with a short steep incline ahead. At this point, the spur to the grotto is on the right. (There is a sign.) Take the spur to the grotto.

The spur trail heads along the base of the bluff line. There are a couple of boulders you have to scramble across.

At about .1 miles, you enter the grotto area. It features a huge bluff overhang on the right, a bluff line on the left, and a seasonal waterfall that flows into a pool of water. (Check out this post with video Mike took of the waterfall during the wet season.)

On my early July hike, there was no water flowing, just a stagnant pool of water, but it was easy to imagine how beautiful this would be in high water. Even without the waterfall, it was peaceful and a cool respite on the hike.

Take a right when you get back to the main trail. The trail then heads up a steep rock and turns to the right and back up another glade on the top of the bluff line that was to your left as you hiked back to the grotto.

This is another great glade area with cacti and more wildflowers.

The trail bends then to the left and back into the woods, and then turns to the right and back down the hill into another hollow and then up another glade area. It crosses another stream, climbs back up another glade, and then back down into another hollow.

At about 2.9, the trail runs over a 50-foot long rock slab, goes up the hill, and then back down into the next hollow.

At Mile Marker 3, the trail is back down in another hollow.

The next mile of trail is probably my favorite. The trail is pretty level for a while following the stream, and then it runs through a hollow with huge bluffs (the tallest so far) on both sides.

As with the first hollow, there are a lot of interesting rock formations and small cave areas along this route.

The trail then crosses the creek a couple of times and then continues along a bluff overhang.

At 3.8, another trail comes in from the left through a hollow and joins the trail. This is the Boy Scout Trail that runs through the entire park. It is blazed white, so stay straight on the blue-blazed trail.

Shortly after passing the Boy Scout Trail junction, the trail continues uphill again, past another interesting rock formation and more spectacular views.

At Mile Marker 4, you are still headed a bit uphill through a wooded area. At about 4.2, the trail is back to the initial spur. Stay straight.

The parking lot is about .1 miles ahead.

Final Notes

This is a well-traveled trail, and it is not difficult to follow.

We did the hike in early July and loved it, but I suspect that the trail is even prettier in the spring when the water is flowing, and during leaf-off when there would be more expansive views of the bluffs.

I rate the difficulty as strenuous (4 of 5).

For footwear, I recommend hiking boots, although I wore trail shoes.  The trail is pretty rocky, and there are a lot of ups and downs. You will be thankful for the extra support

Tim Ernst profiles this trail in Arkansas Hiking Trails. There is also an official trail brochure here.

These photos are all from my July 1, 2013 hike.

[While at Petit Jean State Park, you might want to also check out Cedar Falls Trail, Cedar Creek Trail, and Bear Cave Trail.]

Photo Gallery

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Map

[A version of this post was originally published on January 2, 2014 in the blog “Exploring Northwest Arkansas.”]

[Last revised: 9-21-2019]

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Cedar Falls at Petit Jean State Park is the most impressive Arkansas waterfall I have seen. When Cedar Creek is flowing well, this is 95-foot waterfall is an amazing sight.

After a visit to Cedar Falls, it is easy to see why Petit Jean was chosen to be Arkansas’s first state park.

The trail to it is not long, only .9 miles each way (1.8 mile total hike). And the trail is not particularly difficult except for a steep climb back up to the trailhead.

Getting to Cedar Falls Trail

The Cedar Falls Trail starts behind the Mather Lodge at Petit Jean State Park on Petit Jean Mountain.

To get there from Little Rock, head west on I-40. Take Exit 108 in Morrilton and head south on Highway 9/113. After about 5 miles, take a right at Oppelo onto Highway 154 heading west. Highway 154 (Petit Jean Mountain Road) will take you into the park.

If you are coming from the west, take Exit 81 on I-40 at Russellville. Head south on Arkansas Avenue (Highway 27) to Dardanelle. Then turn left on Highway 22. After a mile, it turns into Highway 7 (heading south). After another mile, take a left onto Highway 155 (south). After 8 miles, Highway 155 ends. Take a left (east) on Highway 154. It will take you to Petit Jean.

Watch for the signs at Mather Lodge. There is a large parking lot here.

The Hike

Again, the trail starts at the sign behind the lodge.

This is one of the most visited trails in the state. It is well-blazed and easy to follow.

As often is the case with waterfall trails, it’s a downhill walk to get to the falls, then there is a pretty good climb for the return.

The trail has a fairly steep descent right off the bat, dropping about 200 feet in elevation over .3 miles.

Once at the bottom of the hill, the trail makes a footbridge crossing over Cedar Creek. Then it turns right and follows Cedar Creek upstream (to the northeast) toward Cedar Falls. This part of the hike is a fairly level .7-mile walk.

You can’t miss Cedar Falls. Even if you are there during dry times, the waterfall site is like a coliseum of rock.

After enjoying Cedar Falls, turn around and head back the way you came. Of course, you should be prepared for the steep climb back uphill at the last part.

Although Cedar Falls is the highlight, the entire trail is quite scenic, especially during wet times. The walk along Cedar Creek is beautiful when flowing well, and there are some really cool rock formations all along the trail.

As with most waterfalls in Arkansas, the best viewing is during wetter times such as during winter and spring.

If you have time, you should also check out the Cedar Creek Trail and Seven Hollows Trail. Bear Cave Trail is also pretty cool.

Also check out this video of Cedar Falls.

These photos are all from my April 11 hike on the trail (except for the photo of the trailhead that was taken in June).

Map

Photo Gallery

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[Last revised: 5-16-2021.]

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About a week ago, I got to hike the Cedar Creek Trail (aka “Cedar Creek Self-Guided Trail”) at Petit Jean State Park. It had been about 4 years since I hiked this trail, and I had forgotten how pretty it is.

It is especially nice after there has been recent rain. When I hiked it last week, there had been quite a bit of recent rain in central Arkansas.

This 1.1-mile loop trail has some climbing, but it is not very difficult. There is only about 240 feet of total elevation gain. The net elevation change is about 120 feet.

The Cedar Creek Trailhead is easy to find. It is on the park’s main road (Petit Jean Mountain Road), about a half-mile east of Mather Lodge. Just watch for the pioneer cabin at the trailhead.

From the trailhead, the trail proceeds downhill to Cedar Creek. (This is upstream from the Cedar Falls Trail.) Adjacent to much of this part of the trail is a small stream (when flowing) with some nice cascades and mini-waterfalls.

At Cedar Creek, there is a footbridge crossing. The trail then turns right and goes along the creek’s north side for about .4 miles. On the north side, part of the trail is near the creek level and part is a few dozen feet higher. This stretch, also part of the Boy Scout Trail, has some very nice views of the creek.

The trail then crosses the creek over a longer footbridge to the south side. It then turns right and climbs uphill, heading back to the trailhead. For the most part, the creek isn’t visible for this part of the hike during leaf-on.

The trail was well marked and in good condition.

Like many of the trails at Petit Jean, there are some really cool rock formations along the trail. One of the most impressive is a large leaning slab rock (pictured) that the trail goes under before the second footbridge.

Of course, Cedar Creek, when flowing, is beautiful. But as the official brochure indicates, the area of Cedar Creek to the west (downstream) from here is a designated restricted area. This is the area that approaches the top of Cedar Falls.

These photos are from my June 24, 2014 hike.

While at Petit Jean State Park, you might also want to check out Cedar Falls Trail, Seven Hollows Trail, or Bear Cave Trail.

Photo Gallery

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Map

[Last updated: 10-25-2020.]

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