Eagle Rock Loop

The Eagle Rock Loop is one of Arkansas' top backpacking trips.  At 26.8 miles it's not the length of the trail that makes it famous, but the beauty and the terrain.  Made up of the Little Missouri Trail, the Athens-Big Fork Trail, and the Viles Branch Trail; the Eagle Rock Loop offers several trail heads, and plenty of variety.

My friend Brad and I decided to start off at the Little Missouri Falls and hike clockwise.  That would get all of the stream crossings out of the way early, and leave the hills for day two,

I've been an ultra-light enthusiast for years, and I am slowly bringing Brad over to see the light.  I convinced him to leave his saw in the truck and we weighed in for the start.  I was just over 20 lbs with food and water for 2 days.  Brad came in a little over that.

Starting out from the Little Missouri trail head you cross a nice bridge and immediately get a great look at the falls.

This series of cascades will not leave you disappointed.

But once you get past the falls, you will quickly find its time to begin crossing the creek.

We were able to boulder hop this first crossing without taking our shoes off.

And we found the trail to be fairly well marked.

But it wasn't much longer until we had to cross the stream again, and this time we were definitely getting wet.

One more reason to carry trekking poles with you!

We lost count of the stream crossings before day one was over.  It seemed that by the time our feet had dried out, we were hitting the water again.

And although many of the crossings were fairly easy, a few proved to be tricky and required deliberate foot placement.

We made our camp near the stream at the end of day one, and I found a great spot to try out my new cuben fiber tarp.

After a good meal and a good nights sleep we were back on the trail for a full day of hiking.

And day to proved to have some of the best scenery yet.

And some of the deepest creek crossings.

We quickly made it to the Winding Stairs area on the Little Missouri which was some of the prettiest country I have seen in Arkansas.

We found plenty of great camping spots and a really cool bivy cave.

Because we were hiking a popular loop trail we got to see many people heading the opposite direction and share info on camp sites and crossings.  This mother and her 13 year old son were out for the same loop we were doing.

We eventually turned off the Little Missouri and headed up Viles Branch which included way too many crossings.  But luckily they were much smaller and easier to cross.

Because the Eagle Rock Loop is made up of three different trails, it is important to pay attention and follow the signs.  This is where we finally turned away from the water and started on the hills.

And these hills didn't disappoint.  They had everything you ever wanted in a steep climb without switchbacks.  Plus great views at the top too!

Of course I had to bring a little friend with me to enjoy the trip.  And he was excited to find a cactus atop Eagle Rock.

But at the base of each climb we usually ran into some more water.

Occasionally we also found signs of forest fires in the past.

The end of day 2 found us back near the Little Missouri again.  After a hard day of hiking sleep came easily.

And day three left us only a few short miles from the truck and the end of our journey.  It was a well planned trip, thanks to Brad, and much fun all of the way around the Eagle Rock Loop.

Mt. Magazine

Mt. Magazine is historic climbing area and the highest point in Arkansas.  This past February it was struck by a devastating ice storm that felled many trees along the bluff line.  So after a few quick phone calls and some posts to social media, the Arkansas Climbers Coalition had a plan to get some work done.  Within a couple of weeks we sharpened the chainsaws and headed west.

We found that many of the old cedar trees along the bluff line had broken off in the storm and some even dangled precariously over the climbing routes.  Most of the trail was completely covered with fallen limbs and trees.

Many large trees were even uprooted and tipped over with the weight of the ice during the storm.

But good chainsaw skills soon cleared a path.

The entire day while we cut away on the southside, the park service was fighting a small forest fire on the other side.  It made for a very interesting drive home that evening.

Just a few weeks later we returned to Mt. Magazine for a planned work day with the Access Fund and Leave No Trace.  The Access Fund Conservation Team was visiting Arkansas for a second time to do some major improvements.

Not only were we looking at old hardware in need of replacement, but the big project was rebuilding the approach trail to the base of the crag.

We signed up volunteers...

and got to work!

Moving rocks all day to create new staircases and improve the trail.