City: Branson, MO

Category: Parks & Recreation

Telephone: (870) 741-5443

Address: 402 North Walnut St., Suite 136

Description: The Buffalo River in the Boston Mountains is the last major undammed river in Arkansas, and it’s going to stay that way. The 97,750 acres that make up the Buffalo National River and its tributaries became a national park in 1972. There had been plans all that century to build a dam on the river, and the Corps of Engineers had plans to build several dams on the Buffalo during the 1930s. World War II put those plans on hold. After the war, when the dam projects were reconsidered, a coalition of locals and canoeists, who had discovered the white-water experience of the Buffalo, made an outcry that called national attention to Arkansas’s scenic gem. The Buffalo National River Park was the result. When you are in Branson, you can glimpse the peaks of the Boston Mountains from Inspiration Tower on the Shepherd of the Hills Homestead (see the Attractions chapter). It is worth a day trip to hike the park or float a portion of the 148-mile Buffalo River. The bluffs, rising from the water’s edge to a sheer rock-face height of 400 to 500 feet and an additional 300 feet of outcroppings and trees, are best experienced from the river while dipping your paddle in its clear waters (see the Lakes and Rivers chapter), but a bird’s-eye view of the river from Big Bluff or Jim Bluff while hiking can be an equally thrilling experience. You can walk through thick forests, shallow-soiled glades, and spring-filled hollows. The Buffalo National River in Arkansas is a recent addition to the nation’s park system, and development of walking and hiking trails is progressing as people recognize that the park offers interesting and challenging hiking and walking as well as floating. There are more than 135 miles of trails, some maintained by the park, and others unmaintained (old logging roads, footpaths, etc.), with more planned. Some trails are for horse riders only. Eventually, the Buffalo River Trail will traverse the entire length of the park. Some trails are short walks that provide access to a particular bluff or interesting geological feature, but others offer miles of hiking along the 148-mile course of the river for those who want to experience the Ozarks before development. A hike along the river trails takes you up on the bluffs and provides spectacular views of the river, such as the one from Big Bluff, which at 500 feet is the highest bluff in the Ozarks. From some of the river’s bluffs, you might catch a glimpse of the park’s elk herd. The aptly named Goat’s Trail, 350 feet above the river along Big Bluff, provides a heart-in-your-mouth hike. All parkland is open to walkers and hikers, and you may want to walk up the bed of a stream that enters the Buffalo. The hike up Hemmed-In Hollow, a large box canyon, provides a glimpse of one of the highest waterfalls (200 feet) east of the Rockies, and it is always spectacular after a heavy rain. A hike into Lost Valley (just above Ponca) and back can take half a day. A walk into Hawksbill Crag (near Boxley) is shorter, and the view of the upper Buffalo River valley is spectacular. Standing on the crag, you can watch eagles and buzzards drifting in flight below you. Hiking is most popular in fall after the first frost (when ticks and chiggers have been eliminated), and with our mild winters and the greater visibility after the leaves have fallen, hikers can experience a facet of the Ozarks that is unavailable to summer hikers. Before venturing on the hiking paths of the Buffalo National River, know your limits and stamina, and make certain you have an up-to-date map of the areas you plan to hike. You can download maps of the river and hiking trail maps at www.harrisonarkansas.org. The park publishes maps and Buffalo National River Currents. This annual magazine is chock-full of pictures and advice, and it has the latest information about the river and hiking trails. It is free at any park office. You can call the park headquarters at the number above for information about the river and the park and maps of the hiking trails. They’ll be glad to send you an information packet about the Buffalo River. The Buffalo River is just an hour and a half drive south of Branson. Park headquarters are in Harrison, Arkansas. Take US 65 to Harrison. A number of Arkansas highways enter the 148-mile-long park, including AR 43, 7, 123, 374, and 14.