THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO THE OZARKS
Best Time to Visit THE OZARKS
The best time to visit the Ozarks is either in late spring, when everything is coming alive and blooming, or in fall when the leaves are changing colors and falling. Summer is nice, but it can get a little hot depending when in the season you visit. If you do visit in early spring (March – April), keep an eye on the forecast as Arkansas can have tornadoes. There was one just 5 miles from our AirBnB when we were there!
How Much Time Do You Need Here
A weekend is plenty of time to enjoy some of the best of the Ozarks. You’ll get to hike a few trails, enjoy the AirBnB property, and check out the Botanical Garden. If you enjoy nature, you may want to spend a few more days in the area.
AirBnB Rec
Highly, highly, highly recommend this AirBnB. This was one of our favorite AirBnB stays to date! Maybe this post should just be called The Best AirBnB Experience ever. The hosts offer so much more than a typical stay.
Food: They drop off a menu where you can select meals to be delivered to your door during your stay, at a reasonable price. We had the meatloaf and the cinnamon rolls, and would consider going back just for the food. After a long day of hiking, nothing beats a homemade meal.
Property Tour: The hosts also offer an ATV tour of their property, which is set on acres and acres of land. A private little country oasis. There are cows, and if you’re lucky baby cows that you can watch being fed, a catfish pond, and so many viewpoints and hiking trails right next to your door – what more could you want?
Hiking Trails: We hiked right on the property to different viewpoints, caves, and waterfalls. It’s definitely worth devoting a few hours to meandering around the trails here.
Stargazing: If stargazing is your thing, you’ll have an uninterrupted view of the night sky here with very little light pollution.
hiking IN THE OZARKS
Here are the absolute best hikes in the Ozarks. Happy hiking!
Goat Trail to Big Bluff
This is an awesome trail with great views. It’s about 6 miles long and took us roughly 3 hours, including a lengthy stop for a sandwich at the viewpoint. This out and back trail is a pretty moderate hike. Despite an elevation gain of ~1000 ft, you won’t really lose your breath since it’s a slow and steady increase. There are some sections where the trail becomes pretty narrow, with a drop to one side, but even with a slight fear of heights, we didn’t find it too daunting and it certainly wouldn’t deter us from hiking this trail again.
There are also some areas where you can crawl and climb your way through the rocks, which was pretty fun. When you make it to the viewpoint, you’ll notice that it is a bit narrow, but it’s long enough that you should be able to find a spot for a break. Look below to see kayakers and tubers floating down the Buffalo River. If you want to see beautiful blue, green water and ledges made from erosion, this is a pretty cool trail to check out.
Glory Hole Waterfall Trail
This 2 mile out and back took us about an hour to complete. Walk down, along the wide trail, until you reach the Glory Hole. At first, it won’t look like much, and you might even miss it. When you reach the rocky section, you’re there. You’ll see a rocky hole on the top and then if you hike beneath it, you’ll see the water flowing through into the grotto section. For the best chances of seeing it with water flowing, hike in the spring or after a rainfall.
This trail doesn’t have a ton of parking – maybe 10 spots, with some room to park on the side of the road. When we hiked it, we went late in the day and had the trail mostly to ourselves, but on a weekend or during peak season, it might be hard to get a spot.
Whitaker Point/Hawksbill Crag Trail
One of the busier hikes in the area, the ~2.5 mile trek out and back to Hawksbill Crag took about an hour and a half. This well-walked path leads to one of the more spectacular viewpoints in the Ozarks, so don’t expect to have this trail to yourself. We went a bit early in spring, before it turned lush and green, but pictures of the trail also look spectacular in fall with the changing leaves.
There is a small parking area near the trail, but if you’re visiting on a weekend or during busy season, you’ll most likely need to park on the side of the road. The road into the hike can be a bit hairy depending on the direction you’re coming from. You may wind up trying to squeeze by other cars on a one-way dirt road. Nothing you can’t do, but always good to know ahead of time.
Devil’s Den
This quick 1 mile loop will take you roughly 30 minutes to complete. This trail is relatively easy to navigate and walk, with a few ups and downs along the way. On this trail, you can expect to see some waterfalls, caves, and cool rock formations – you can even walk behind a waterfall if the waters are high enough! If you’re going purely for the caves, make sure to check online to see if the caves are open. They’re sometimes closed off to help preserve the bat population.
Airbnb Hikes
If you stay at the AirBnB we mentioned, there are a few little trails you should definitely try and walk during your time there. Since these aren’t public trails, when you get to the AirBnB ask the hosts for information on how to hike to:
– Waterfalls
– The Dirt Patch
– The Cave
– Gnome Walk
eat
Ozone Burger Barn
Nestled on a tiny road in the middle of the Ozarks, you’ll find a big red barn. That’s the Ozone Burger Barn. The straightforward menu offers burgers, cheeseburgers, corn dogs, and cheesesteaks, each for under $10. And who can resist tater tots and fries – add ‘em on for just a few bucks more. They also have some specials. We got the What the Buck, which had fried onions, pepper jack cheese, and chipotle mayo.
ACTIVITIES IN THE OZARKS
Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks
If you’re looking for something a little different, stop by the Botanical Gardens of the Ozarks. This park is a great place to walk around and see some flowers and artsy sculptures. It’s also only $10 for an adult ticket.
Storm Chasing
If storm chasing is your thing, you might get lucky enough to do so in the Ozarks. When we visited there was a tornado! We stayed indoors, one of us maybe clutching onto the toilet, but for those more brave, there’s a chance you can watch the vortex build.
NOT DONE TRAVELING?
Check out our guides of nearby areas:
Little Rock
Bentonville
Eureka Springs