Arkansas Vacation Ideas
There are plenty of Arkansas vacation ideas to go around!
Arkansas is the place to go for anyone who loves waterfalls, caverns, forest mountain trails and a rich American history.
The Ozark or Ouachita mountains are a great adventure waiting for you and your family to dive into. More than 2.9 million acres in three National Forests give you plenty to see and do.
In addition to great scenery there are Hot Springs that people have been using as therapeutic baths for over a thousand years.
A row of luxurious stone and masonry bathhouses were constructed in the early 1900s along what is called "Central Avenue" of Hot Springs, Arkansas.
Arkansas is a one-of-a-kind treasure that America holds on tight to.
Arkansas has a varied geography and its location in the U.S. heartland has contributed to its abundant state history.
Along with the great National Parks you can find Arkansas history museums, Civil War battlefields, and special exhibits across the state that relate the history of Arkansas's diverse cultures.
Arkansas has played a large part in American music. Along the Mississippi river Delta blues music thrived as well as Traditional Ozark Mountain folk music.
Arkansas is home to many great lakes. There are many places a family can relax by floating on a lake or river peacefully or with the thrill of kayaking or whitewater rafting. There are also many great places to rock climbing.
For the more adventurous, there's wild caving in underground limestone caverns.
If that is not enough there are roughly 250 hiking trails that collectively stretch more than 1,500 miles.
With some 9,000 miles of streams and rivers and more than 600,000 acres of lakes, Arkansas is renowned for fishing and hunting and water sports of all sorts, including sailing and scuba diving.
There are other fun outdoor activities include mining for keeper quartz crystals, diamonds, smelling fresh Apple Blossoms and bird watching.
The Ozark National Forest
The Ozark and Ouachita National Forest comprise more than 1.8 million acres in central Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma. The Forest runs along the Arkansas River Valley south to the Ouachita Mountains.
The Ozark and Ouachita National Forest is one of the favorite places for visitors.
The Ozark Mountains are actually plateaus, uplifted as a unit, with few folds or faults. The ruggedness of these mountains is due to erosion of the plateaus by swift rivers rising in them.
The forest is mostly upland hardwood, oak-hickory with scattered pine and brushy undergrowth, dominated by dogwood, maple, redbud, serviceberry and witch-hazel.
In the spring the dogwood and redbuds are in bloom, and in the fall the Forest turns into a brilliant display of oranges, reds, yellows and greens.
The St. Francis National Forest
Most of the Forest is situated on Crowley's Ridge, but some is in the low, flat lands along the Mississippi and St. Francis Rivers.
The forest covers over 20,000 acres and has a variety of the finest bottomland hardwoods in the country.
The St. Francis provides ideal habitat for a large variety of wildlife including whitetail deer, wild turkey, squirrel, raccoon, rabbit and waterfowl.
Fishing
Fishing and canoeing are also some of the more popular activities on the Forest. The many mountain streams offer smallmouth bass, sunfish and trout for the avid angler.
Storm Creek and Bear Creek Lakes, along with the St. Francis and Mississippi Rivers, attract large numbers of anglers to the area. Popular game fish include striped bass, largemouth bass, crappie, catfish and bream.
Bear Creek Lake is a favorite for recreation seekers. This 625-acre lake is rated as one of the best fishing lakes in Arkansas and has five developed recreation sites located near the shoreline. Outdoor activities such as fishing, swimming, boating, picnicking and camping are also welcome.
Hiking
The Forest also offers three spectacular multiple use trails for horseback riding, mountain biking, backpacking or hiking and all terrain vehicles such as ATVs.
There are over 230 miles of hiking trails, plus another 130 miles of other trails that are open to hiking including the 165-mile-long Ozark Highlands Trail.
Summertime offers views of lush central hardwood forests in natural landscapes intermingled with scenic vistas and lush pastures.
Fall colors are unsurpassed west of the Mississippi River. Colors normally reach their most brilliant hues in late October or early November.
The mild winters with barren trees offer views of distant cliffs and bluff lines typical of the Ozark Mountain region. Spring flowers, featuring dogwood and redbud evidence the renewal of life to the wide variety of plants and animals, which call the forest their home.
Here is as backpacking checklist to print out.
Arkansas is a great opportunity to teach yourself and the children about the planets and the night sky. One of my favorite things to do is look for constellations or meteor showers and for just a few dollars you can pick up a star finder. It's not hard to do and it is a lifetime of knowledge and fun for everyone.
Camping
The Ozark National Forest contains five wilderness areas as well as several special interest areas. There are twenty-five developed recreation areas on the Forests with over 320 campsites.
Each campground has its own special attraction, whether it is located by one of the scenic lakes or streams, or high atop Mt. Magazine, the highest point in the state at 2,753 feet.
Here is a base camping checklist to print out.
Caves
One of the most unique recreation attractions in the National Forest system is Blanchard Springs Caverns. Located on the Sylamore Ranger District, 14 miles northwest of Mountain View, Arkansas, the caverns offer the visitor a view of the subterranean world below.