Posted by student SARAH CLARK – Arkansas is officially nicknamed “The Natural State” and with good reason. Arkansas boasts a unique and pristine natural landscape that we as students had not gotten to experience fully – until this weekend.
Myself and seven other Clinton School students, as well as one student’s daughter, spent all day Saturday and Sunday in the Ozark National Forest enjoying what The Natural State has to offer. We met at school early Saturday morning and drove 2.5 hours north of Little Rock to our campsite at Buffalo Point. From there, we hiked the Indian Rock House Trail, passing by waterfalls and “natural bathtubs” and ending at a giant, beautiful rock cave that was once home to Native Americans. After finishing our hike, we went swimming in the Buffalo River, below the majestic limestone bluffs at Buffalo Point.
Saturday night we had a great time cooking and hanging out around a bonfire – some of us experiencing S’Mores for the first time. Then it was off to our tents for a night of sleep under the stars. The next morning we woke up early and canoed a lower section of the Buffalo River, a 9.5 mile stretch from Maumee to Dillards Ferry. The Buffalo River was the nation’s first to be designed a national river and, as a result, is one of few rivers in the United States without dams. Its clear, glasslike water meanders through towering limestone bluffs on its course to the White River.
The perfect fall-like weather only added to a perfect weekend. Two days of hiking, camping and canoeing in The Natural State was a great break from the classroom, and one that we won’t forget. If you have not yet experienced the natural side of Arkansas, we highly recommend it!
For more information:
Buffalo National River website: http://www.nps.gov/buff
Arkansas Tourism website: http://www.arkansas.com/
Indian Rock House Trail:
http://www.arkansas.com/outdoors/hiking/trail_detail.aspx?type=H&trail=Buffalo+National+River&owner=National+Park+Service
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