Big Bluff, Arkansas (10/29/15)

In the last week of October I took a trip down to the Buffalo National River in Arkansas. I was there for 3 nights, spending 2 of them at Steel Creek Campground and 1 night backpacking near Big Bluff. When I first saw pictures of the Goat Trail on Big Bluff I knew I had to go there. After doing some research I found out that there are a few campsites about 2.5 miles down the Centerpoint Trail where the Goat Trail started. I got to the trailhead at about 11AM and there was a storm coming in. The trail starts near the top of a mountain and is all downhill. I didn't feel like hiking in the rain again (I did the previous evening in Lost Valley). So I waited until noon to start the muddy hike. It only took about an hour to get to the campsites and the sun was coming out. After eating lunch I pitched my tent early so I could reduce pack weight while I hiked down into the valley. There were 3 fire rings and it was a little tricky finding a good place to put my stakes in the ground. I was anxious to see the nearby bluff but I headed down into the valley right away instead since I had already lost time.

I came across Granny Hendersons cabin. She lived here with no running water or electricity until the late 70's when the park service kicked her out. The inside was falling apart in a lot of place with holes in the floor.


Granny Henderson's Cabin by Kevin Palmer, on Flickr

I found this area really beautiful, but it also confused me. The Buffalo River looked different in a lot of places. Sometimes it would look like an actual river, but here it looked like a small creek and not very wide.


Barely a River by Kevin Palmer, on Flickr

I had a good topo map but I still got turned around. My plan was to hike into Hemmed-In-Hollow which contains a 200 foot high waterfall in the wet season. It was only afterwards that I realized I had walked right past the entrance to the canyon and even took a picture without realizing it.


Hemmed in Hollow by Kevin Palmer, on Flickr

I continued to follow the Buffalo River around Horseshoe Bend until thick foliage and cliffs forced me away from the river. I got lost for awhile and had to bushwhack through thick bamboo which was an unexpected find. Finally I was relieved to come across an old barn and then the trail. By this time I had lost too much daylight to see Hemmed in Hollow. So I filtered some water from the river and headed back up the hill to my campsite. It was 5PM and now I could check out the bluff.

Big Bluff is the biggest sheer bluff face found in between the Rockies and the Appalachians. The Goat Trail goes out on a narrow ledge 3-6 feet wide across the face of the bluff. I was a little worried it might be wet and slippery from the earlier rain but it was dry because of the way the bluff was angled above. It was tricky to capture just how exposed the trail is.


The Goat Trail by Kevin Palmer, on Flickr



Juniper trees that were hundreds of years old clung to the side of the cliff. As I took in the amazing view vultures would ride thermals to the tops of the cliffs and then glide down with a loud swooping sound.


Precarious View by Kevin Palmer, on Flickr


Illuminated Valley by Kevin Palmer, on Flickr


Big Bluff Sunset by Kevin Palmer, on Flickr

After the sun set I wanted to get some pictures of the stars so I ate dinner up here and waited for it to get darker. It was at this time I realized I forgot something very important: my headlamp. Here I was on a very dangerous trail on the side of a bluff at night and the only light I had was on my iPhone. But I hate missing out on pictures, so I very carefully got my star shots and watched every step I took.


Buffalo River Twilight by Kevin Palmer, on Flickr

The nearly full moon rose behind me and I watched as the valley slowly lit up and then fog started appearing out of thin air and moving up the valley. Coyote howls echoed across the wilderness and it was a view I'll never forget. Around 10PM I carefully hiked back to my tent. The great thing about this time of year is that I can photograph the sunset, the stars, and the sunrise and still get a decent amount of sleep. That's something that's not possible in the summer. I woke up before sunrise and hiked back to the bluff again.

I thought the clouds were going to light up with color but they never did and the light remained flat for awhile. It was still fascinating watching the fog though.


The Fog Maker by Kevin Palmer, on Flickr

I heard splashing beneath me and watched as several deer played in the river below.


Fog and Deer Crossing by Kevin Palmer, on Flickr

Finally the sun came out at 9AM.


Buffalo Morning by Kevin Palmer, on Flickr

I saw a few others on the trail but the entire time I was on the Goat Trail I had it to myself. The return hike back to my car was more difficult because it was all uphill.

This was one of my favorite places I've ever been backpacking. I really liked that the backpacking was free and you didn't have to hassle with registering or anything. I could have turned it into a multi-day backpacking trip. But driving allowed me to see a few other places that I couldn't have otherwise. I also checked out Lost Valley, the Pruitt area, Roundtop Mountain near Jasper, and Hawksbill Crag. There are some more pictures from the trip here: Flickr Album