The Natural State
May - June 2018
One of the scenic parks on our Arkansas must visit on our list was the Devil’s Den State Park. Marked by the iconic native stone dam with water cascading down rock steps, we can’t wait to get there. After plenty of hairpins turns on south HWY 74 leading to valley below, the beautiful park opens up with its undulating hills, clear running creeks, and lush landscape, begging visitors to stay for a while…. well, 4 consecutive days to be exact! Groovy!
We launched our kayak on pebble-strewn beach and proceeded to paddle upstream on the clear Ellis Creek. While the river section near the bank is perfectly calm, warm, and inviting for a beautiful day of kayaking, but a bit more turbulence in the deeper section and a constant 3MPH downstream flow surely put more strain on our skimpy legs.
Staff in the visitor center assure that we can unload our kayak on the beach, so we did. Following days, there are signs that prohibit parking!
Next morning, we hiked the short 1.5 miles to Devil’s Den Cave trail. Along the interesting trail, we were ogling in delight at the towering sandstone formations that resemble Hopewell Rock in New Brunswick, the only exception that this area is woodsy and not an ocean.
Climb upward over rocky trail, we can feel the cold air blowing from deep dark cave extending into the hillside. After a strenuous hike, gushing cold air was a welcome break! Unfortunately, the cave is closed to the public to protect the big-eared bats from human spreading weird fungus to them. We are rooting for the big-eared making a comeback.
Downtown Fayetteville has some interesting sights; the Wilson Park with whimsical castle and the house of now famous law professor Bill Clinton and Hilary Rodham, who were tying the knot in the intimate of their living room.
Tyler Bend State Park must have been the most spacious and scenic primitive campground during this Southern trip. For just $8 a day, we enjoyed a peaceful 3 consecutive days there. If not for infestation of deer ticks were everywhere in this park, we would’ve stayed longer!
It took a few weeks to get rid of all the blood-sucking ticks on Kira, and a follow-up trip to the vet for Lyme SNAP test 5 weeks later. Thankfully, Kira test result was negative!
One of the most beautiful church we came across was the Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. It’s not very big, nor majestic… but the sacred and soaring feeling once we step inside the chapel is unparalleled. All glass and wood church let four seasons naturally be its exotic canvas. It’s angular and crisscrosses wooden frame seems to symbolize the crown of thorns worn by the One.
We have been told that the light and dark in the chapel never look the same throughout four seasons. But the cool and fresh air together with serenity surrounded us in this beautiful chapel encourage some faith searching.
Our shortest stay in a campground must be at North Sylamore Campground. After we set up our trailer, then forced to pack up in 30 minutes. Park official doesn’t have to tell us twice… flash flood is forecasted to hit the area that day. So off we pulled our Cozy Snail to a higher ground of Lake Sylvia Campground in Clinton.
Bracing the 90deg heat, we drop by Petit Jean State Park just a few hours from Clinton. On the right side of the parking lot, an unknown picturesque ruin majestically sitting on top of the mountain, overlooking the Ozarks below.
Just below the overlook, Petit Jean grave site came into view with an intriguing tale of a young French woman, Adrienne Dumont, willing to masquerade as a cabin boy for a chance to see the New World. Hardships and illness finally taken its toll, she died shortly after revealing her identity. Here lies her grave on top of the mountain forever looking out to the beautiful Ozarks below.
Nearby Rock House Cave begging for a visit… because it isn’t a house or a cave, but shaded rock shelter that has plenty of cool air that Native American seeking shelter more than 2 centuries ago. Half dozen pictographs in the rock shelter still visible with the naked eyes.
Kayaking in Lake Maumelle with Kira with bald cypress and water lilies lined the shorelines. While there is no alligator, but the locals warn the present of water snakes in the lake. Of course, we take no chance with Kira on the back of the kayak, so armed with flimsy paddles we slid into our kayak.
We stayed in over-priced Hot Springs Mountain National Park for a night, to visit the tower perches 1,256 feet above sea level. The added bonus was we could take all the cold and hot pure springs water with you on the drive down. We’ve seen the locals do it by the truckload!
While the hot water springs near City Visitor has cleaner and better tasting than the cold water springs near Happy Hollow, it still tasted similar to tap water. We sorely missed the carbonate, sweet and mineral quality of many magnificent springs from Colorado Springs we visit last year.
Arkansas was so refreshed to novice tourists like ourselves, but the warmth and hospitality of the people here reel us in. Without any doubt, the Natural State visit was one of the highlights of our cross country trip.
GPS Coordinates
- Devil’s Den State Park – 35°46’48.9″N 94°15’02.1″W
- Wilson Park whimsical castle – 36°04’22.8″N 94°09’47.6″W
- Bill Clinton & Hilary Rodham First House – 36°03’47.6″N 94°10’26.3″W
- Thorncrown Chapel – 36°24’59.0″N 93°46’21.3″W
- Sleepy Hollow / Lake Maumelle Kayak Launch – 34°52’48.6″N 92°40’08.8″W
- Hot Springs Mountain National Park – 34°31’03.0″N 93°02’45.8″W
References
- Destination details from local knowledge, some were extracted from hand-out literature/brochure, or website, and Wikipedia
- Coordinates are from Google map in Degrees, Minutes, and Seconds (DMS)