If you have been in an Arkansas state park store lately, you might have noticed something different.

Rather than shirts promoting that specific park, you will notice that almost all the new merchandise just features the generic official ASP logo, with the specific park name relegated to small letters—if it is mentioned at all.

So you may be thrilled to hike the vistas of Mount Magazine, love the waterfall beauty of Petit Jean, or be dazzled by the diamond-hunting experience at Crater of Diamonds, but the only new t-shirt available to commemorate your trip is probably a generic ASP logo shirt.

While store shelves may still hold older, not-yet-sold traditional inventory that promotes individual parks, nearly all the new apparel is just the ASP logo shirts.

I have nothing against the official ASP logo. It’s a great design! But visitors to Petit Jean should be able to buy a shirt boldly promoting Petit Jean (or whichever park) and not just the state system.

Could you imagine if you make a trip to Grand Canyon National Park and they have no shirts boldly promoting that Grand Canyon? Sounds pretty crazy, right?

If you are an Arkansas state park fan like me and you would like to see Arkansas state park stores return to stocking shirts which proudly promote their individual parks, send your constructive feedback to the Arkansas Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism:

• Email: parks.info@arkansas.gov
• Phone: 1-888-287-2757

By the way, all the information here is based on my own observations from visiting various Arkansas state park gift shops this year and from speaking directly with staff about current shirt availability.

The post The Great Arkansas State Park Shirt Genericization appeared first on Arklahoma Hiker.

There is nothing like the drama and beauty of a waterfall at flood stage!

Back on April 4, 2026, following a period of heavy rain, I headed up to northwest Crawford County, Arkansas, to check out Natural Dam Falls. This stunning 187-foot-wide natural rock wall spans the entirety of Mountain Fork Creek.

Typically, like here, you’ll just see some flow at just a few sections of the rock wall.

Not on this morning.

The recent downpours had caused the creek to be roaring! In fact, the volume of water completely covered the low-water bridge on Natural Dam Road just south of the falls.

 Since the road to get across was impassable in that area, I just stayed on the east side (closer to Highway 59).

These are some of the shots I got that morning.

Photo Gallery

Click below for full-screen photo gallery.

The post Natural Dam Falls Flood Pics (Ozark Forest) appeared first on Arklahoma Hiker.

The 6-mile War Eagle Valley Loop of the Hidden Diversity Trail is a cool and scenic hike at Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area (Benton County, near Rogers). The overlooks near War Eagle Creek are a real treat.

As with most trails at Hobbs, there is not a lot of elevation change. The high and low point elevation change is about 200 feet.

Getting to the Townsend Ridge Road Trailhead at Hobbs State Park

This hike starts from the Townsend Ridge Road Trailhead, an access to the Hidden Diversity Multi-Use Trail.

To get to Hobbs from Rogers, take Highway 12 and head east for about 10 miles.

Watch for Townsend Ridge Road on your right (to the south). It is .9 miles past the Historic Winkle Trailhead parking area. Turn here. Then drive 1.9 miles. You will see the parking area on the right.

This hike starts on the west side of the parking lot.

The Hike

This is about a 6.3 mile hike. It is a loop except for an initial .3 miles spur which gets repeated at the end of the hike.

You first take the spur to the War Eagle Valley Loop. Take a right at the first loop you come to. Briefly you are also on the Little Clifty Creek Loop.

The trail then will cross Townsend Ridge Road (which you drove in on). Then you are at the War Eagle Valley Loop. I usually take a right to do the trail counterclockwise.

The vast majority of this hike, including the first mile or so, is not rocky and is not that challenging to hike. (There is some climbing in parts though.)

The coolest part of this hike is in the War Eagle Valley overlook area. The valley overlook is at around 1.4 miles. The War Eagle Fair is one of the most popular events in northwest Arkansas. From here, there is an overlook of the scenic valley where this craft fair is held.

Sometimes the view is partially blocked by foliage. The best viewing time is during leaf-off, but there still is a nice view of the valley when the leaves are out.

About another .4 miles past that overlook is the prettiest view of the hike–the War Eagle Creek Overlook. Here there is a beautiful wide open view of a bend in War Eagle Creek. If you have been to the War Eagle Mill, this is the creek that runs next to the mill.

At around 2 miles, there is a pretty cool area that goes for about a half mile where the trail heads downhill into a long hillside stretch that overlooks part of a seasonal stream bed. Of course, this kind of area is even prettier when the water is flowing.

One thing that I’m not a fan of with a lot of the trails at Hobbs is that often they will find a ridge and then stick to it for a long time instead of climbing up and down which would be more interesting. (Probably that works well for mountain biking though.)

But then there are areas like this stretch of War Eagle Valley Loop where the trail actually does climb into and out of some valleys making for an interesting and scenic hike.

At around 4.7 miles, the trail hits the junction with Little Clifty Creek Loop. At this point you make a left turn, and the hike is also Little Clifty Creek Loop the rest of the way.

Most of the rest of the hike runs parallel to and not that far from Townsend Ridge Road.

At around 6 miles, the trail arrives back at the initial spur. Take a right here to get back to the Townsend Ridge trailhead parking area.

Final Notes

I had AT&T cell coverage about 75% of the time on this hike.

These photos are all from my November 7, 2020 hike.

Photo Gallery

Click below for full-screen gallery of these plus more pics from my November 7, 2020 hike.

Map

The post Hobbs: Hidden Diversity – War Eagle Valley Loop – 6 mi appeared first on Arklahoma Hiker.

Robinson Point Trail is a beautiful 3-mile hike at Robinson Point Park in Baxter County near Mountain Home. It gives you amazing views of Lake Norfork as well as the beauty of the Ozark Mountains.

Robinson Point Trail takes you through tunnels of cedar groves to endless views of turquoise and blue as the trail follows the curves and coves of Norfork Lake.

It is a lollipop loop (semi-loop), and is managed by the Corps of Engineers. It is a part of the Ozark Highlands Trail although not yet connected to the western sections.

Although the trail doesn’t have a lot of elevation gain, it does dip down and into some gullies and back up rather steeply. In some places, there is loose rock making footing a little tricky.

Overall, it is a fairly easy trail.

Getting to the Robinson Point Trailhead

To get to Robinson Point Park, take U.S. Highway 412/62 east from Mountain Home. After about 5 miles, take a right on Robinson Point Cutoff then a left on Robinson Point Road.

After 1.5 miles, the main trailhead (with parking) is on the right just before the entrance gate to the campground.

Those camping at Robinson Point can access the trail from behind the bathhouse near campsites 71 to 99.

Even though I was camping at the park, I started at the official trailhead so I could explore more of the forest.

The Hike – Trailhead to Lollipop Loop

The trail begins relatively flat and wide for easy walking.

After 0.25 miles, there is a bench and a fork in the trail. If you go straight, you will end up at the campground. Here, you want to go to the right to stay on the Robinson Point Trail.

The trail snakes around a cove of Norfork Lake. Then you go through a few groves of cedar trees where it seems like they shelter the trail. You get glimpses of the lake from higher up on shore.

At mile 0.7, the trail begins to head down into a gully and another cove of the lake. Here you come close to the water.

On the park’s brochure, it has a footbridge listed here. However, I did not cross a footbridge. I did notice quite a bit of trail work had recently been done which may account for its not being there.

The trail continues to snake around the cove. At around mile 0.9, you can look across the cove and see where you just hiked.

At mile 1.14, you pass the intersection with the return portion of the lollipop for the lollipop loop. Here you can go right or straight. Either way, you’ll end up back here. However, the trail going straight (clockwise) is much more defined and easier to see. So I chose to hike that way.

Lollipop Loop to Trailhead

As you head straight, the trail begins to climb slowly and become rockier. The trail hugs the shoreline it goes progressively higher above the water.

Around mile 1.3, the trees open up, and you get some amazing views of Norfork Lake.

You can see the cliffs from the side and the lake far below. The trail continues to climb and gives you more views from the top.

Around mile 1.38, you get a great view. Caution: Be careful in this area as these are high cliffs with no safety railing.

There is some safety railing a little farther down the trail at mile 1.45 for those not so fond of heights.

The trail gets a little confusing here. You have the option to continue to follow the shoreline or head away from the lake. When I hiked this trail, there were no trail markers. But as I noted above, they were doing work on the trail.

Hopefully, someday you will be able to continue to follow the shore and hike all the way west to Mountainburg via the Ozark Highlands Trail.

You will hike away from the cliffs and into the forests as you continue on the Robinson Point Trail. Here, the trail takes you through some lovely woods.

At mile 1.65, you come back to the stick portion of the lollipop loop.

From here, you simply retrace your steps back to the trailhead. You can enjoy seeing it from a different angle.

Ozark Highlands Trail and David’s Trail

Robinson Point Trail is a part of the Ozark Highlands Trail as well as David’s Trail. According to an article in Backpacker Magazine, the Lake Norfork portion of the Ozark Highlands Trail is still under construction. The 13-mile Lake Norfork Trail (pdf link) and the 17-mile David’s Trail are a part of the completed portions.

Although Robinson Point Trail does not connect with the Lake Norfork Trail, it is a part of David’s Trail.

Final Notes

I learned about Robinson Point Trail in Tim Ernst’s book, “Arkansas Hiking Trails.”

The trail is great in every season, but it is especially beautiful in the spring and fall. Wildflowers bloom all throughout the trail, and plentiful hardwoods and sweeping views make for an excellent showcase in autumn.

The elevation change between the high and low points is only about 100 feet.

Photo Gallery

Click below for full-screen photo gallery of these and more pics from my April 2022 hike.

Map

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