Category Archives: Parks

Devil’s Den State Park, Arkansas

I have wanted to go to Devil’s Den State Park for a couple years now, I had heard it had great hiking.

I finally made it out there and the best part was that a friend watched my boys!

That is right, just Nick and I.

This meant I wanted a harder hike. We do a lot of easier hikes with the boys.

We chose the Butterfield Hiking Trail.

It is a 15 mile backpacking trail that goes into the National Forest also.

Because it does not stay inside the park you have to fill out paperwork before hiking so head to the park office and be prepared with your license plate number.

It might take a while to fill out the paperwork. It took 20-30min. to get everything squared away for us.

It was a really busy day at the park though and the park ranger that helped us spent 15min talking about the trail.

We did finally get going though!

We obviously did not take the bridge across.

We did not do want to do the whole 15 mile loop so we cut across one of the horse trails.

The part of the Butterfield we hiked (northern section) was pretty rocky but the horse trail was extremely so.

Really hard on your feet.

 

We did about 6 miles and had a pretty good time.

I do not know if I will go to this park again any time soon because of all the hassle with the paperwork and the amount of people.

It was packed.

We did go on fall break weekend though.

Maybe if you went when the weather was not so nice or a weekday it would not be so crowded?

Once we got about a mile out we hardly saw anyone so the hike itself was pretty quiet.

 

If you go on the Butterfield be mindful that they are not always consistent with their trail blazes/markers.

Sometimes we just guessed which way to go.

All that said, it was a beautiful hike and I had I a great time ALONE with Nick!

 

Gloss Mountain State Park ~Oklahoma

At the Gloss Mountain State Park.

There is a hiking trail that leads up on top of Cathedral Mountain.

The only difficult part of this hike is getting up the stairs. It is nice and flat after that.

The trail is under 2 miles in length and is the only trail that I know of in the park.

My little climbers.

Beautiful view.

My boys realized that mommy was too close to the edge.

I am klutzy, I think they have figured that out about me already.

I actually stayed far away from the edge. I have found that when I take a picture anywhere near a ledge I feel like I am falling.

Not a pleasant sensation.

I made them come back so Nick could carry my extra lens for me.

I am awesome like that…

Why is it that boys always find playing in dirt to be the highlight of any time spent outside?

We are on top of a Mountain (albeit a small one) and still they just want to dig in the dirt.

What is he looking at?

This little guy.

The poor little thing was scared.

The sunlight started to do amazing things.

I could have stayed up there until the sun was completely gone.

Of course, then I would be stuck on top of a mountain with a spider in the dark…

The plaque talked about the naming of the mountain and the confusion about the name.

I really enjoyed visiting this park.

That being said, it is a very short hike so for next time I will plan on doing other things in the area before going here.

Here is a list of a couple places I want to visit for the next time:

Great Salt Plains State Park

Sod House Museum

Little Sahara State Park

I loved being at the Gloss Mountains at sunset so I will probably save it for last.

Get out and enjoy where you live!

Itasca State Park, MN

While on vacation a little while ago (okay a month, I am taking a really long time to put up post), my husband and I went up to Itasca State Park in Minnesota.

This was an awesome trip because:

1. We were only a little over an hour away.

2. My Mother in-law watched my two little rascals!

We were ALONE! YAY!

I missed them.

I am kind of nutty like that.

In case you did not know (I did not until I married my husband), the headwaters of the Mississippi is located in the Itasca State Park.

It is a tradition to walk across the headwaters so you can say you walked across the Mississippi, I did not.

My husband tried to get me to but I had just seen a lady wipeout and I did not want to be next.

If I had brought the boys with me I would have done it.

They give me courage.

And a reason to look foolish.

I should have done it.

It was misting the whole time we walked out to the headwaters which was nice because it was a little warm, it makes for nice saturated pics,

and it kept the mosquito count in the millions instead of trillions.

They really love me too.

It is no doubt because of my sweet personality.

This was on the floor of the building that gives a little history of the area.

I love it.

I want one.

My darling husband would make it for me, right?

Right?

This is an old fire watchtower.

When I saw it I gulped because of the stairs.

All of those stairs…

My mind and body protested because they still remembered this hike I had put them through the week before.

“No more climbing” my poor legs said.

Or was that Nick?

In all of my thinking about the stairs and the climb I forgot something rather important.

I am afraid of heights…

Something one should take into consideration before climbing to the top of a 100ft tower.

In the rain.

I am pretty stubborn though so I kept climbing, albeit with a death grip on the railing.

Such a pretty view.

It had really started to rain so we made our way down.

Harder then going up but I made it.

Or did I?

It started to POUR.

I do not mean a refreshing little rain.

I mean barely talk it is going to wash me away rain.

So I started doing what this type of rain always does to me.

Laughing.

Twirling.

Laughing some more.

Not light sweet laughter but from the gut I have lost it laughter.

I felt about eight years old and looked like it.

My husband has not seen this side of me that often and was giving me odd looks from a distance.

I did not care, it made me laugh even more.

Rain just has this power over me to make me want to sing and dance and play.

I was drenched and so happy.

I have stopped laughing now so you do not have to worry.

Visit the park if you are in the area and laugh once for me.