October 2022
I am back in Arkansas after having been to Bentonville several years ago. I really think that overall, this is one of the prettiest states in the U.S. Being here near the tail end of changing of the leaves is a bonus. A bit muted due to the drought, then again unlike Utah, my shoes have stayed dry crossing multiple riverbeds on my hikes. In addition to the rolling hills, lakes, gorgeous mountains, abundant trees, and lovely clouds, there are these amazing sunrises and sunsets where in the north, the bottom layer is purple (which sadly I was unable to capture due to driving and then rain) and in the south, the sky is a blazing orange.
There is also sadly, and not at all isolated to Arkansas, our nationwide growing meth and fentanyl problem. This is especially apparent in smaller towns (big cities get the bad rap but the smaller towns seem just as, if not more, affected). Business owners are selling and/or closing down because they can’t find workers who are sober and willing to work. This was certainly apparent in parts of the state and national parks, including the Buffalo National River area where I had hoped to witness the dark sky on one of the few clear nights (more below on why that did not happen).
Arkansas as a whole is very religious and politically conservative (on polling a majority here apparently oppose abortion as well as same sex marriage, helping the poor, etc.), though I found most of the religious signs here to strike a bit more positive note than in some other areas of the country. I am growing accustomed to the sheer volume of churches everywhere – for instance, in Siloam there are 69 churches for a population of about 15,000. About 80% of adults here are Christian (predominantly a branch of Protestant) and the rest other denominations with a sprinkling of atheists.
WHERE TO GO / WHAT TO SEE / FREE PLACES TO VISIT
EUREKA SPRINGS. If driving from Branson, a great route is through Eureka Springs, a charming Victoria era town in the Ozarks, to Bentonville. I did not stay in Eureka Springs this time as I spent a couple of nights here in 2019 but did drive through town and went to revisit Lake Leatherwood City Park (where you can camp for less than $20 per night) to see if it had changed and found the water table much lower and the dam part of the hiking trail closed. Eureka Springs is a must visit place if you are anywhere nearby for at the very least a day trip just to walk around. It is only an hour’s drive from Bentonville. For a splurge meal, the Grotto Wood Fire Grill and Wine Cave has amazing food, a really cool decor and a wonderful wine list.
BENTONVILLE. Must visit spot is the Crystal Bridges Museum, which is a beautiful, large and free art museum with a permanent collection and rolling exhibitions. Whatever you think of Walmart, the Waltons have definitely brought culture and beauty and hipness to the area. In this visit, a “We the People” exhibit was featured which had an original copy of the Constitution among other pieces. I had to put aside my bristling at the term “We the people…”, as it meant only white property owning men – women, Native Americans, and people of color were not considered citizens or worthy of many basic rights. So, back to the museum…they also have a rotating paid entry exhibit but I decided to spend my limited time after going through the main exhibit, seeing the Bachman-Wilson House which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and shipped to, and reconstructed on, the grounds of the museum. Both the museum and the house are definitely worth a visit as are the 120 acres of surrounding grounds. It is also interesting to visit the Walmart Museum in the center of town for a history of the family and after you can rent a bike from Phat Tire Bike Shop and go for a ride on the miles of off road paved trails. I did not eat while here, but I did wait out the rain and worked on this blog at the very hipster Airship Coffee shop which has a solid drip coffee and a chill vibe.
FAYETTEVILLE & DEVILS DEN STATE PARK. Fayetteville has a cute downtown square you can wander around and parking is free on Sundays though not much is open on a weekend. They also have a really nice reservoir you can walk around. BUT, the really great thing they have in the Fayetteville and Bentonville area is the cycling. There are over 50 miles of off the road paved bike trails that go almost to the Missouri border as well as many, many mountain bike trails. On my last trip, I rented a path bike from Phat Tire in Bentonville and rode north (including through some very poverty stricken areas unlike any you see in California which is not surprising given a majority in Arkansas are apparently against government assistance for the poor) and then south on the off the street trails reaching the beginning of the reservoir but had to turn around about short of my ultimate destination as it was starting to get dark. So my original intent in visiting again was to rent a bike and complete the remainder of the trail between Fayetteville and Bentonville but it was really windy the day I arrived and raining the remaining days of my visit so that plan was scrapped. Instead I drove 30-minutes to the south to Devils Den State Park which has some scenic, moderately strenuous trails to explore and probably is even nicer when there is water (pretty dry in October). As it was windy and stormy and I wanted to cook a few real meals, I stayed at the Homewood Suites Fayetteville. The hotel is clean, conveniently located, has a couple of washer and dryer units available, and a small kitchen with a few pans and a real refrigerator/freezer. Breakfast is also included so for the price it was a great deal.
FORT SMITH. Another 30 minutes south of there is Fort Smith with its national historical site (worth a stroll even if not a history buff). It is also the location of some pretty cool murals and you can get a map at the visitor center though trying the walking tour by oneself on a Sunday is a bad idea as the downtown area is sketchy and you will encounter a number of homeless, though none were aggressive. The Fort Smith Coffee Co. at the Bakery District is a cool spot to visit and just chill out. The coffee was okay though they have a good avocado toast but more importantly a great indoor and outdoor space.
BUFFALO NATIONAL RIVER. My next stop was to the Buffalo National River to hopefully get a glimpse of the stars in their dark sky. Turns out late October during a drought is the wrong time to go. The Buffalo National River area is somewhere I probably best visited in the spring when there is hopefully water in the river so you can raft from campsite to campsite (or from one with a tour or two cars) and there are visitors and maybe some workers with teeth. All but one campground here are pretty rustic, down dirt roads, and range from $16 to $20 per night, except Buffalo Point which is large, has reservable spots and charges a bit more. Rush Campground where I had hoped to camp, was completely empty and I decided that camping alone in the area was a bad idea. I did tour around the historic buildings that form part of the Rush Mining District which is worth a visit if you are in the area and hiked the Rush Mountain Trail where I learned a new essential for my ever growing hiking bag. I ran across a couple wearing bright yellow vests who had just completed the hike and I wasn’t sure why. Then about a mile or so in I remembered the sign I saw driving in about a no shooting (or was it shooting) area…getting shot by a hunter is not the type of risk I am used to in California and I was regretting not having my cycling vest. About 30 minutes further into the hike I remembered that my pack has a hidden away waterproof shell that happens to be bright yellow. So out it came for the remainder of my hike. Now add hunter to ticks and tarantulas.
At Buffalo Point only a few spots of the 108 total were occupied and it still did not feel right. I began chatting with a couple (staying nearby, not at the campground) who said that no one seemed to have teeth at the local store and the woman running the cabins where they were staying seemed to be on something too though she told them she was trying to sell and get out given all the meth use. I gave up at that point and decided to drive south to Little Rock since it was still early enough to make it.
LITTLE ROCK. Like the larger cities I visited in Kansas and Missouri, Little Rock is a city best explored on a weekend. There is just not much going on during the week and few folks walking around. That being said, it was much easier to land a spot at the very nice Lake Maumelle Campground which has a beautiful set up on a lake and is only $26 per night. I was one of the few non-RVs in the park and I was a bit worried about generators and noise but it turns out people are very respectful and quiet. I think it may have been the quietest camp I have stayed at which is surprising given they have 128 campsites and folks were setting up for a big Halloween celebration. I spent my first night in Area C, a bad choice as no bathroom nearby which for all the RV folks wouldn’t matter, but for me, well. The next night I was able to move near the lake in Area D, only a few sites away from a toilet. Yea! Some recommended things to do in Little Rock (all free): tour the Arkansas State Capital which is a gorgeous building, head to River Market and walk along the River Walk through the Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden, visit the Little Rock Central High School visitor center and museum (not the actual high school which is where I went first and confused the guard at the entrance by stating I wanted to take a look around), and take a walk or bike ride along the Dam Bridge. After that, head over to Alsopp Park and Kavanaugh Blvd. in the Highlands a very cool neighborhood for exploring and grab a beer at Stone’s Throw Brewing in Stiffts Station. For food and drink, I went one night to Stone’s Throw Brewing MacPark location where I enjoyed amazing tacos made by La Casa de mi Abuelita – MawMaw’s House in their back lot (though I believe the food trucks rotate) – had two chicken and one roasted corn taco, each with cheese, amazingly good, all in with a pint of a seasonal pumpkin porter came to under $20 even with a 25% tip). For ice cream, Loblolly Creamery for craft ice cream has great unique flavors, plenty of vegan options, and really friendly staff who actually know the ingredients.
PINNACLE MOUNTAIN. Just outside Little Rock, a definite must is hiking to the peak of Pinnacle Mountain via either the East Summit trail (if you are ready for an adventure) or West Summit trail (challenging but no actual climbing). The park site describes the East Summit trail as strenuous as you will be “crossing several boulder fields”. Turns out this is Class 3 climbing, which while only in the middle of the scale, can still mean you die if you fall. Here I ended up unintentionally rock climbing with a very heavy pack since I regretfully had my computer and other stuff that I did not want to risk being stolen from the car (yes, they have break-ins here too) and lots of water. Once I was halfway up and it kept getting steeper, I was committed as I was not about to scramble back down. It did not help that a guy on the way down told me to say hello to his giant tarantula friend if I saw him. Now not only was a trying to find the best hand placement option to ascend, I had to worry about a giant furry spider being there. In the end, it was worth it as I made it to the summit with amazing views and took the easier West Summit trail down.
HOT SPRINGS. About an hour southwest is the historic town of Hot Springs. This is a cool little town/national park with great hiking, thermal spas, and a great breakfast spot, the Pancake Shop on Bath House Row. Hot Springs historically was a healing spot with multiple thermal baths. They have natural springs running all over and the water is HOT. You can see the steam running off it as it runs down into the various fountains and can put your hand in and feel how hot the water is where collected. They also have currently operating bath houses you can visit but being the germaphobe I am, was not interested in getting into a tub where someone else had just been despite the purported healing properties. Plenty to do though. There are multiple visitor centers worth visiting and you can spend an afternoon just walking along Central Avenue and the many exquisite looking bath houses, through the grounds of the park, along the promenade, and then along the Peak trail up to the Hot Springs Mountain Tower which if it is a nice day out, you can take the $10 ($8 with annual pass) elevator up the 216 feet high tower for panoramic views. I hiked to the tower but skipped the ride as it was too overcast to make it worthwhile. There is a brewery which uses the spring water to brew the beer that looked fun as well. If you are looking for wine, they seem to have an affinity for Woodbridge everywhere so maybe stick to beer. For food, I followed the Food Network guide of where to eat in Arkansas (their favorite breakfast pick in each state) and landed at the popular Pancake Shop on Bath House Row early enough to beat the morning rush. They have surprisingly good coffee, a very tasty sausage patty made locally and of course pancakes – they are known for their banana as the fruit is cut up inside but I went for blueberry and was quite happy.
HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE. There is a lot of lodging in Hot Springs, but also a fairly high crime rate, including violent crimes, so I decided to go with an Airbnb in Hot Springs Village, the largest gated community in the United States. It is really an entire city with multiple restaurants, 9 golf courses, 11 lakes, 2 marinas, hiking trails, tennis and pickleball courts, a music series, and of course, being Arkansas, 21 churches and a rod & gun club. And you must go through security gates to enter. The village is beautiful to drive through even in the rain with lots of trees and pretty trails to meander along. Here I ate at Dolce Vita Italian Ristorante which has mediocre but inexpensive food, though was walking distance from my 2 bedroom, 2 story AirBnB (listed as Cozy Condo @ Coronado and my review is on the site). You will only find cheap jug wine (Carlo Rossi and Woodbridge) but there are some beers on draft and they have a full (sort of – very basics) bar.
LAKE CATHERINE STATE PARK. This park is a short drive from Hot Springs where I took a side trip and took a serene but hilly hike and went to check out their campground – the spots were taken – again had the trail all to myself which can be a bit unnerving. I would not put the park at the top of the list but if you have the time, it is nice here and once it rains enough there should be some small waterfalls.
MAGAZINE MOUNTAIN. I ended my Arkansas with Magazine Mountain, the tallest mountain range in Arkansas. As you can see, it looks pretty much like Mt. Tamalpais in the summertime for those of you who cycle there. Fog. I think is probably quite lovely and maybe some day I will see it on a clear day.
