Hawksbill Crag, Upper Buffalo Wilderness

Best time to travel: Oct
Walk difficulty: Moderate
Ease of travel: Hard
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Located within Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, the infrequently visited wilderness area has been uninhabited since 1948
  • Decaying houses, farm implements and roads can still be seen in countless valleys
  • Visitors should expect difficult hiking conditions
  • Black bears are known to inhabit the wilderness, along with White-tailed deer, wild turkey, skunks, opossums, minks and pheasants

Goat Rock Trail, Hot Springs National Park

Best time to travel: Feb-April, Aug-Oct
Walk difficulty: Moderate
Ease of travel: Moderate
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Established before the concept of a national park existed, Hot Springs National Park was the first time that land had been set aside by the federal government to preserve its use as an area for recreation
  • The hot spring water has been popularly believed for centuries to possess medicinal properties, and was a subject of legend among several Native American tribes
  • Following federal protection in 1832, the city developed into a successful spa town
  • The city was known in the early 20th century as the home to Major League Baseball spring training, illegal gambling, speakeasies during the Prohibition era, and gangsters such as Al Capone, and horse racing
  • Hot Springs National Park is the oldest park maintained by the National Park Service
  • Bathing in spring water is available in approved facilities, many of which are outstanding examples of Gilded Age architecture

Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville

Best time to travel: Feb-April, Aug-Oct
Walk difficulty: Moderate
Ease of travel: Moderate
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Museum whose permanent collection features American art from the Colonial era to the contemporary period
  • All of the featured artists are United States citizens, though some spent most of their art careers in Europe
  • Notable works include a Charles Willson Peale portrait of George Washington as well as paintings by Norman Rockwell and Jackson Pollock

Hemmed-In Hollow Falls, Buffalo National River

Best time to travel: March-April
Ease of travel: Hard
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Single-drop waterfall located within the Ponca Wilderness Area of the Buffalo National River
  • The height of the falls is 209 feet, and is the tallest waterfall between the Rockies and the Appalachians
  • For most of the year the flow over Hemmed-In-Hollow Falls is subdued and during dry periods can diminish to almost nothing
  • During times of heavy rain, typically during late winter or early spring, water spills heavily off the cliff

Petit Jean State Park

Best time to travel: mid Oct-early Nov
Walk difficulty: Moderate
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Park in Conway County, located atop Petit Jean Mountain
  • Buildings of log and stone construction built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the 1930s are scattered throughout the park
  • The canyon and bluffs were created by Cedar Creek, which cascades into the canyon in an impressive 95 foot waterfall
  • Petit Jean has a visitor center and gift shop in the center of the park and a boathouse at Lake Bailey that provides boat rentals, and fishing supplies
  • Tennis and basketball courts, a swimming pool, and picnic areas are also available

Crater of Diamonds State Park

Best time to travel: April-June
Walk difficulty: Easy
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Park that features a 37.5 acre plowed field, the world’s only diamond-bearing site accessible to the public
  • Diamonds have continuously been discovered in the field since 1906, including the Strawn-Wagner Diamond
  • The site became a state park in 1972 after the state purchased the site from the Arkansas Diamond Company and Ozark Diamond Mines Corporation, who had operated the site as a tourist attraction previously

Garvan Woodland Gardens, Lake Hamilton

Best time to travel: March-April
Walk difficulty: Easy
Ease of travel: Easy
Cost ($-$$-$$$): $

  • Botanical and woodland garden situated on a woodland peninsula with 4.5 miles of shoreline on Lake Hamilton
  • It features rocky inclines reminiscent of the surrounding Ouachita Mountains, floral landscapes, streams, and waterfalls in a natural woodland setting, plus the Garden of the Pine Wind Japanese Garden with Japanese maples and tree peonies, a conifer border, and various flower and rock gardens
  • Its collections display hundreds of rare shrubs and trees, including camellias, magnolias, roses and more than 160 different types of azaleas