These 14 Arkansas Trips Will Bring Out The Explorer In You

The Gum Springs Trail, located at Mount Nebo State Park, is a rather short hike at 45 minutes. This very steep trail passes the seasonal waterfall enroute from the Waterfall Overlook to Gum Springs. Hikers will encounter huge rock steps on this trail, some weighing 500 pounds.

Nearly 10 miles long, this trail starts in the Cameron Bluff Campground at Mount Magazine State Park - most of the trail is in the Ozark National Forest itself with only half a mile being within the park's boundaries - and goes down over 1,500 feet to Cove Lake. Beginning backpackers will gain a lot of experience and get an eyeful of Arkansas's beauty on this trail!

Experienced ATV riders can follow the Lake Greeson shoreline on the Bear Creek Cycle Trail at Daisy State Park and catch excellent views of the lake as well as the Ouachita Mountain range. This trail covers 31 miles of rocky outlays and forest, beginning at Daisy State Park and ends near the west end of Rough Mountain.

The Big Bluff hiking trail at Bull Shoals-White River State Park is a nearly 2-mile loop trail that takes hikers approximately an hour and a half to complete. This is a strenuous hike but very much worth it as you'll get to see stunning views of the White River, Bull Shoals Dam, and the Ozark hill country.

A strenuous journey of 15 miles, the Butterfield Hiking Trail at Devil's Den State Park is one of very few looped backpacking trails in Arkansas (backpackers must obtain a free permit at the park office before beginning their hike.) The trail starts near the park's pavilion; the trail itself crosses Highway 74 and passes near Mount Olive. Such gorgeous views as Blackburn Creek and Vista Point are available to hikers. Photographers will appreciate the dramatic outlines of outcroppings and rock formations.

This excursion is two miles round-trip and usually takes about an hour and a half to two hours to complete - photographers will love this trip. Hikers will start the trail behind the breezeway at Mather Lodge in Petit Jean State Park and venture down into Cedar Creek Canyon. Follow the trail from Cedar Creek to 95-foot Cedar Falls, one of the tallest continuously flowing waterfalls in the state.

This cave system is located in the Ozark-St. Francis National Forests in Stone County, north of Mountain View. Blanchard Springs Caverns features two caves open for guided tours. The Dripstone Trail, opened since 1973, runs through the upper level of the caverns. The Discovery Trail on the second level opened in 1977 and runs through the middle of the cavern. A "Wild Cave" tour is also offered and allows adventurous visitors access to undeveloped parts of the cave. The limestone rock from which the caves and their formations developed was laid down in an ancient sea more than 350 million years ago, and the temperature here is a constant 58°F.

The western terminus of the Ozark Highlands Trail begins behind the visitor center at Lake Fort Smith State Park. Scenic valleys, ridges, and beautiful waterfalls can all be viewed on this strenuous hike. The Ozark Highlands trail can be completed all at once by more experienced hikers or if you prefer, the hike can be completed in sections. The eastern terminus is located along the Buffalo National River, 165 miles from Lake Fort Smith State Park.

On the Caddo Bend trail at Lake Ouachita State Park, photographers and nature lovers will be amazed by the scenic views and natural physical attributes on the 4-mile trail, which begins near the park ampitheater and circles itself back to where you began after about 3 hours of hiking time.

Located in between Jasper and Harrison on scenic Highway 7, Mystic Caverns and Crystal Dome are often called "the twin caves" because they are situated within 400 feet of each other. Both caves maintain a year-round temperature of 58°F and contain more formations per foot than any other caves in Arkansas. The caves are open for public tours year-round except during the January flooding season.

Located near Berryville, Cosmic Cavern is known for being the "warmest" cave in the Ozarks - Cosmic Cavern stays at a constant 62 degrees year-round. Two cave lakes here are reported to be bottomless and they are among the largest underground lakes in the Ozarks. One section of the cave, "Silent Splendor", houses a group of "soda straws". One of the longest soda straw formations in the Ozarks, this large formation has straws hanging up to nine feet in length.