Animals, Hiking, Parks, Wildlife Preserve/Reserve

Turning 36

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I hesitate to put my age out there, not because I don’t want you to know but because I am often wrong…

I am pretty sure that I am 36 though, maybe.

And here is how I spent my first day.

First stop was Mt. Magazine on our way home from our campsite. If I had it to do again I would have skipped this because it ended up being a long detour but I loved being on that mist covered mountain. Beautiful.

We went on the trail to the highest point in Arkansas.

The whole hike was so beautiful. Made it! Next up was the Sequoyah National Wildlife Refuge. This one was pretty close to our route home already but I was still not sure we should add even more to our trip especially with the weather turning cold and rainy.

But it ended up being stunning. So many birds! And the cloudy skies were so pretty for pictures. Can you believe this is in Oklahoma?

We did go for a walk on their walking path which was beautiful as always and freezing. We saw that one of my favorite bridges was broken.

Yikes

It was a pretty day.

What kinds of things do you like to do on your birthday?

Hiking

Beautiful hikes in the Ponca Area~Arkansas

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My goal this trip was to do hikes that I thought would be fun for our kids.

First up was the Pedestal Rocks Trail.

It does have fun rock formations and beautiful views but it ended up being too long of a hike there and back before you got to those things.

At around 2.5 miles it was not bad at all but several of my kids got bored with the hike. Stick bugs everywhere. There are several places to go down and see the rocks closer up. Beautiful views.

This would be an amazing sunrise or sunset hike.


We planned to drive the scenic byway 7 after this up to Lost Valley Trail.

It is an amazing trail that I thought the kids would enjoy but when we got there it was crazy crowded and no pets were allowed on the hike so we decided to not go.

The kids and Nick went into the Elk Educational Center while we were in Ponca.

Boxley Valley is nearby and is a great place to look for Elk but you have a better chance of seeing them in the morning or evening and we were there mid day.

We always have something not work our quite as planned so I just tried to look at this as the fail for the trip and move on.

The next day we went to Alum Cove Natural Bridge.

This ended up being a fast payoff and the kids had a lot of fun.

The bridge is on a mile loop that has caves and lots of up and down so the kids were happier with this hike.If I had it to do again I would have tried to do the scenic drive near sunrise or sunset and would have definitely done the 1st hike near then.

I think the kids enjoyed our campground the most though!

It was just such a fun place to explore they would have been happy doing that most of the day!

 

Camping, National Forest

Haw Creek Falls Recreation Area and Campground ~Hagarville, Arkansas

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The entrance to this campground is a bit intimidating at first since it is a water crossing. And then you proceed into the campground and are greeted by lots of information on flash flooding and escape plans…

But it was one of my favorite campgrounds I have stayed at!

We stayed there for the girls and my birthday last week and it could not have been more perfect. They loved all the adventures to be had there and I loved the beauty.

The boys are enjoying sleeping in a tent and getting a bit more space.

This beautiful waterfall is why I chose this one.

I was taking a chance and had several backups but this ended up being perfect!

No cell service so we used our radios often.

If this campground was not already fantastic enough the kids and Nick found this amazing stream behind it. It was like something out of a fairy tale. The kids loved exploring it and I loved taking pictures. There are no amenities and only vault toilets but it is such a beautiful place I could have stayed there for weeks.

I will be sharing more of what we did in the area also, we have been many times and always enjoy it.

Arkansas is so beautiful.