6th Annual Fall Camping / Hiking Trip to the Buffalo National River in Arkansas!

After a hiatus in 2020, our annual trip is back for 2021! This place has something for everyone: gorgeous scenery, hundreds of miles of hiking trails, historic sites, elk and bald eagle viewing, and caves all within easy access! Here's the highlights:

We will be camping at Steel Creek Campground, home to Roark Bluff, one of the most photographed places on the Buffalo River. There are bathrooms and running water, but no showers on site. (There is a public shower in Ponca, however).
Fees are $20 per site per night, 6 people per site. I have paid in advance to reserve three sites. Everyone who RSVP's will be in "waitlist" status until
payment is received ($6.50 per person... you can pay me via Venmo or PayPal @ roxie2007@live.com).

We typically split up into 2-3 groups for hiking based on interests and fitness levels. If you're interested in a high-mileage hike, there are two thru-trails (Buffalo River Trail and Old River Trail) that run through the campground. There are also many shorter trails with interesting features such as caves, unique rock formations, and waterfalls. Some of my favorite hikes are Whitaker Point aka Hawksbill Crag, Glory Hole, Pedestal Rocks, and Lost Valley. You can read about the numerous options here http://theozarkmountains.com/hiking_trails.htm
and here (nine pages worth!) https://arkokhiker.org/tag/newton-boone-counties-arkansas/

A few of us have also been known to hike on Saturday morning and sneak off on Saturday afternoon to watch OU football!

Just FYI, dogs are welcome at the campground, but are not allowed on the trails within the federal government-owned areas around the river, to include Lost Valley. There are many trails outside the federal government area which do allow dogs, however. (Smith Creek Preserve, Round Top Mountain, Pedestal Rocks, etc.) So feel free to bring your dogs along :)

This trip is in a wilderness area. We will be a few miles from Ponca which has a small gas station and a couple of outdoor supply stores.
Expect to travel at least 30 minutes or more to find a grocery store. There is the potential to encounter black bears, poisonous snakes, etc., as well as encountering cliffs with deadly drop-offs. You will be taking full responsibility for your own actions during this trip. We may cancel/postpone this trip in the event of heavy rains/winter weather, so follow this site for updates.

I'm posting this early so that people can have time to schedule off work on Friday if desired. Please keep your RSVP updated.
Refunds will be offered in the event of total trip cancellation due to weather (I should be able to get my $$ back from Recreation.Gov) or if someone on the waitlist is willing to take your spot. My apologies in advance for the pay-up-front request, but this helps eliminate the no-show, no-pay dilemma we're experienced during past trips.

Looking forward to a fabulous fall weekend in beautiful Arkansas! If you have any questions, please post in comments. Thanks!