Lost Valley

Sad note/update:
Due to torrential rains this past rain which lead to some serious flooding, the trail at Lost Valley is closed until further notice.

On Sunday afternoon, I was in the mood for a hiking adventure. Out next two weekends are kind of busy, and I was afraid we would miss that "good weather" window for hiking. Mark had some church obligations at home, and Joshua needed a nap. The other two seemed content being at home. So I asked Maria to join me. Down the road we went...

We went to a waterfall I will blog about soon but it was a very short hike. So we headed over to Lost Valley. Lost Valley is right outside of Ponca near the Buffalo River. It is a 2 mile trail. I would rate it moderate. We went a year ago, and had I blogged about it the past few months, I would have listed it as easy. Apparently in all of the excitement, I had forgotten certain things like the gazillion steps you walk up to get to some of the higher points...

The start of the trail is very easy and stroller friendly (if you need that). It is a wide path and fairly flat.
I was so happy to see how green everything was. I was getting a little distressed on our recent hikes...there hasn't been much green. Apparently our heavy rains in the last week helped a lot. It was like the world came alive. I needed that this weekend.
The first part of the trail is like I said...fairly flat and wide. It is like a beautiful stroll in the woods. We did constantly watch for snakes since I have seen more than one picture of a copperhead hanging out in Lost Valley. Thankfully, we didn't see any.
One thing we did see...butterflies. They were everywhere. We counted them for a while but lost count eventually. There were a lot of these (I know no butterfly names) plus some other kinds. I think God knew my heart needed that too...butterflies always lift my spirit.
The creek wasn't as full as I thought it would be with our recent rains, but there was some water flowing.
This is the point we picked up the pace...we started "climbing" on rock steps from this point on. I still feel it in my thighs...

We decided to check out "Natural Bridge" first which was just right off this path.
I have to admit, I never see a natural bridge. I just see this "waterfall" which is actually one part of a waterfall...it is like it is in phases.
Okay, maybe this is the "natural bridge".
I really wish I knew more about flowers. These were so pretty and not a flower I typically see on hikes.
Beautiful. It was all just beautiful.
There is the middle section of the water fall. It is rather high and was flowing well.
Here is a look at the waterfall from above. At this point, we were climbing the steps to the cave. Part of the waterfall is actually INSIDE the cave. I went in there last time but didn't this time. It is a TIGHT squeeze (think "commando crawl") and very dark. So even being in there, I could hear the waterfall but couldn't really see it. We just climbed to the entrance this time which is a hike in itself. If there is any dangerous part at all, this is it. It is a fairly narrow climb up. I know people have fallen but I think there was horseplay involved...
On our way back down, we had to stop by the waterfall one more time.
Just think green...
I almost stepped on this "green leaf" which turned out to be a moth.
This trail loops. It is shaped like a needle. The first part of the path "in" is also the path out. But partway in, you loop around until you are back at that main path heading out. Make sense?
Saw these feathers on our way out. I don't think this bird had a happy ending but the feathers were beautiful.
It really is a neat hike. Other than some climbing (walking up numerous steps) and that one danger area by the cave, it is a very family friendly hike. I recommend it for beginner hikers (in good shape :).

A bonus? If you leave the trail close to sunset, you might catch a glimpse of the elk that live in the area. They are a popular tourist sight.

Happy hiking!
Reba

Lost Bridge by Beaver Lake

It was a warm day yesterday, but after not getting out for a hike last week due to circumstances, we decided to head out anyway. I was in the mood to try something new, so we drove over to Lost Bridge after reading a little about it.

Lost Bridge is over by Beaver Lake. If you take 62 out of Rogers like you are driving to Eureka Springs, take a right on 127 in Garfield. You will drive this very curvy road for about six miles. At one point, you will come to a fork. Take the left (the 127s) and turn in at Lost Bridge. There will be signs for the marina.

Warning: This is one of the few times we paid to hike. It cost 4 dollars for our car. That is for a day use fee. We didn't realize it would cost but thankfully had some money on us.

After you enter the park, drive down toward the marina. When you can see the marina straight ahead, look for a hiking sign on the right like the one below. Park beside it.

We saw different lengths for this trail. Most of what I read said it is a five mile trail, though the sign at the trail said 7 miles. We knew we weren't going to make the whole route with our three year old plus the heat, so we just chose to start here and head back when needed. I think we only walked about a mile and a half of the trail (which was three miles round trip...pushing it with the three year old) and still didn't make it to the "highlights" of the trail. I want to go back and see those some day. But the walk was still a lot of fun.
The part we walked was right on the edge of the lake the whole time which just added to the beauty. We had woods on one side, lake on the other.
I don't know why the rock formations continue to awe me but they do. I am just always astounded to see these huge rocks just lying there in the middle of the woods. The kids wanted to "climb" but we knew we were pushing it with time. Maybe next time.
At one point, we were very close to the lake, so we decided to stop and play there for a bit. One of the kids' favorite parts were the shells. They were everywhere. I used to go to the lake with my grandfather to go fishing and had forgotten how prevalent shells were.
This is looking toward the marina. It was such a beautiful day. I was really surprised there wasn't more boat traffic going on.
This is looking the other direction at the cove...

I would classify this hike as moderate (and possibly strenuous since I didn't do the whole thing). There were definite areas of incline. I was huffing and puffing a few times and did count it as my exercise for the day!
More rock formations
The trail was fairly well defined. It did "snake" quite a bit adding to the length of at least what we hiked.
I guess I expected more to be in bloom at this point. The trees are just starting to bud. Not a lot of green out there. But there were some pretty trees...
This was a fun little area. It was like a mini bluff, a rock shelf, etc. It was a fun place to hang out (and climb).
This was just about the point we turned around. If Joshua hadn't been so tired, we would have gone on because there were some overlooks/bluffs ahead. Of course, that would have involved climbing which I am not sure I was up for at that point. :) There is also an old homestead (or remnants of) on this trail but it was a few miles down the trail.
We had fun watching the geese hanging out on the boat docks. They were noisy. Thankfully, other than some butterflies, bees, ants, fish, and geese, we didn't see any other nature (a.k.a. snakes).
Overall it was a fun trail, though the weather was a bit warm. It was longer than what our little one can handle at this point but I definitely want to go back. Anytime we can have water, woods, and rocks, we have a fun time!

It was a safe trail...at least the parts we hiked. I am guessing you would have to be careful by the bluffs but we didn't make it to that part.

Happy hiking!
Reba

Pedestal Rocks

For our anniversary last October, we took a day off from work and headed along the curvy road to a tiny town in Arkansas called Pelsor. (If we had gone too much further, we would have ended up in Russellville.) We went "kidless" this time around because I had heard mixed reviews about how dangerous it was. Plus, it was our anniversary. Why would we take kids? :)

When we finally arrived (it was about 2 to 2 1/2 hours), we pulled into this tiny little parking lot and headed down the trail. There are actually two trails here...Pedestal Rocks and Kings Bluff. We only had time for Pedestal Rock, a 2.2 mile hike, since we had to get back to pick up kids from school.



I was kind of excited when I saw this sign. I have been kind of secretly hoping to see a bear. Not close, close, but close enough to get a picture without making it mad. Two different friends I have saw bears last year on hikes. I was not one of them...

Finally we came out to our first overlook. I think sometimes there is a waterfall in this area. However, we had a really dry fall so there was nothing but leaves falling...
The rock formations were just beautiful. Some of the cliffs had rails, others didn't. After seeing the trail though, I would take the kids. There are a few "scary" areas but I never felt like I was in total danger unless I put myself there.
The colors were amazing.
It took a little walking to find "Pedestal Rocks". Once we saw them though, the name made perfect sense.

Apparently, per the website for the trail, the pedestal rocks were formed by weathering. No matter how they were formed, they were just amazing.

There was an area where you could get down by the bases of the rocks which is probably what we would do if we took the kids that way. Much less of a height to fall. :) Plus, they love playing around rocks.

I really wish we had had more time to explore. And I would love to hike the Kings Bluff trail at some point. Hopefully we will be back!

Reba