Hiking in Petit Jean State Park

JoeM
First Reviewer
5 out of 5
Avg. Member Rating
2
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3
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Local Secrets, Big Finds 2007 Pick

  • January 16, 2008
  • Rated 5 of 5 by Local Secrets from New York, New York
An "easy, restful retreat," is how some residents have described Arkansas’s first (and flagship) park that offers several walking trails of different length and difficulties. They are all laid out well on a trail map for easy navigation. If you’re up for the challenge, several of these go to Cedar Falls, a natural waterfall worth the visit. When you’ve worked up an appetite with all that exercise, stop at the park’s wonderful, inexpensive Mather Lodge, which has "a restaurant with lovely views, overlooking the mountains."

www.travelocity.com/localsecrets
Editor Pick

Hiking in Petit Jean State Park

  • June 18, 2005
  • Rated 5 of 5 by JoeM from Manassas, Virginia
Hiking in Petit Jean State Park

The park rises from the plains surrounding it. We stopped at an overlook when we first entered the park for great views. Then we drove to the lodge. From there, it's a short but steep hike down to Cedar Creek and then up the creek to the falls. Water was a little light for the day, but the falls and rocks around it were still quite impressive.

Backtracking, we then continued along the creek until we reached the Boy Scout Trail crossing. There was no one else on the this trail. Lots of wildflowers, and as we were admiring one, we came upon a large cottonmouth snake in its den. It was happy to let us look (not too closely!).

We then hiked up from the creek and spent a little time in the seven rock formations on the south side of the park before returning to the bear cave and the lodge. It was a nice three-hour hike and could be extended to a full loop around the park, as they have over 20 miles of trails.

From journal Exploring the Hot Springs Arkansas Region

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