Village Creek State Park

Located on Crowley's Ridge, Village Creek State Park, has numerous trails for hikers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders.  The park, the second largest in the state, also offers swimming, golf, fishing, boat rentals, and camping.  I also saw basketball and tennis courts, but am not sure if they are still used frequently.

While the origins of Crowley's Ridge are debated, the ridge's unique soils and high elevation compared to surrounding floodplains and deltas allow it to support species not commonly found elsewhere in the state.  Having lived in Indiana for awhile, it was interesting to find a forest full of tulip trees, sugar maples, and beeches here in Arkansas.

We camped in the park on our way from Fayetteville to Birmingham.  The site was fine (a little too developed and designed for RVs for my taste) and we saw deer and several raccoons up-close.

I've included a map of the trails in the park below, though we only did the short, Ben Ben Nature Trail which has a great brochure with lots of information on plants and the local ecosystem.

Birds of The Buffalo (and other Arkansas Waterways)

All trips on the Buffalo River include seeing spectacular bluffs and enjoying the water.  Most floats also involve chasing great blue herons downstream, while turkey vultures circle overhead and kingfishers swoop across the river nearby.  If you go on a less busy day, in the evening, or to a lonelier stretch you may get to see even more interesting bird species.

Here are some descriptions of birds you might see on a float down the Buffalo (or any other waterway in Arkansas):

Buffalo River - Gilbert to Hwy 14 Bridge

On the first hot weekend of May, we took advantage of the perfect water levels, nice temperatures (warm during the day, still cool at night), and the clear water not yet full of summer algae; and went on an overnight float on the Buffalo.  Gilbert was packed and business was good for local boat rentals and restaurants.  Having a dog and looking to camp, we wanted to pick a stretch of river that might be less busy than the popular Tyler Bend to Gilbert and Hwy 14 Bridge to Buffalo Point floats, so we settled on Gilbert to Hwy. 14 (also called Dillards Ferry).

After leaving a car at Dillards Ferry, we departed Gilbert at about three in the afternoon.  With the river at about 4.5 ft. we made pretty good time and didn't have to drag boats anywhere.  Our plan to avoid crowds worked and paid major dividends.  Less than 2 miles downstream of Gilbert, near the old bridge piers (a spot also accessible by foot from Gilbert) we spotted a Bald Eagle on the shore!  We spooked him too quickly to get a close-up, but luckily he flew downstream and we got a second chance to take photos (see below) and a poorly focused video.  We also saw a lot of other wildlife including a beaver, green herons, great blue herons, kingfishers, and approximately 1.3 billion turtles primarily of the red-eared slider and false map varieties.

We spent the night on Cain's Island, just upstream of Maumee North.  The next day, after the fog cleared, we paddled to Maumee and picked up an additional paddler: my dad.  From there we floated downstream to Dillards Ferry, stopping along the way several times to drain and reinflate the inflatable kayak.  The bluffs along this stretch were spectacular and there were lots of good pools for swimming.  It was really interesting seeing this section from another point of view, after hiking it earlier this year.

Spadra Creek Trails - Clarksville

If you ever get tired of sitting in your car as you make the journey from Little Rock to Fayetteville, considering stopping in Clarksville and exploring the trails around Spadra Creek.  While there are other access points, the one closest to I-40 is located behind the McDonald's on Rogers St. (at exit #58).  From the parking area, you have several dirt trail options, most of which are used by mountain bikers, and a long flat paved trail.  The map below shows the paved trail and hopefully I will add some of the dirt trails on future visits.  From the parking area near the interstate, the trail roughly follows Spadra Creek for 1.75 miles up to the University of the Ozarks.  The trail is mostly forested at the beginning and then gets progressively more open.  I believe the mountain biking trails are mostly in the woods, if you are looking for a more natural feel.

Mountain Bike Arkansas has descriptions and maps of the dirt trails.

Mulberry River

I recently floated the Mulberry River for the first time.  We went when the river was at 2.7 and true to the descriptions, this was a perfect level for exciting rapids, but slow enough pools to allow for bailing and resting.  We put in a little downstream of Turner Bend and floated about 8 miles to Campbell Cemetery.

Turner Bend, located about 12 miles north of I-40 on Hwy 23, is the best place to get started on a Mulberry River float.  They have maps, supplies, boats, camping, parking, perform shuttles, and are very knowledgeable about current river conditions and float durations.

The photos below are misleading, since the only time I could take photos was while we were in pools.  There were numerous exciting rapids along the route and large waves and drops were common.