living on the road in ourself-converted sprinter van! When researching this hike we saw this hike called a variety of names. However, the thunder started shortly after we hit trail. (Recommended). Super pretty and worth it. Her goal is to help inspire people to build a life they love by sharing how simple and fun it is to travel locally, connect with nature, and explore off-the-beaten-path. Here are a few recommendations for lodging near the hike, as well as the other activities nearby! Like 900 ft. Go down the goat trail to enjoo ok y one of the best views in the Ozarks. In fact, its so big that it has the distinction of being the tallest sheer bluff face found between the Rocky and Appalachian mountains. Its pretty safe from down below, but climbing the bluff to see it from the top may endanger your neck. Yes, but a leash is recommended, especially on Big Bluff which has some narrow sections with steep drops to one side. I didnt feel the hill out was as bad as it was made out to be either. I wasn't sure we would be up to tackling it but hubby and I are so glad we did. Speaking of trees, one of the great privileges of being out on Big Bluff is the chance to see the large, aged junipers that somehow manage to grow along the trails edge, clinging to what seems like nothing but sheer rock and very little soil. 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It poured the entirety of the hike back to our car, ironically ceasing only once we arrived at the parking area. I love hiking and exploring new trails. In and out down-sloping gravel trail that could pose a challenge to some hiking back out. Your email address will not be published. You'll need to leave pups at home dogs aren't allowed on this trail. A lot of parking at trailhead and it was muddy when I went but over all was good (12/18/2022). Dogs are only allowed at campgrounds, on the river, and on the gravel bars, but must be on leash. You'll receive your first newsletter soon! The sheer face of a cliff is certainly not where you want to be during a thunderstorm, so we and some fellow hikers found shelter in a hollowed-out part of the cliff nearby, hoping to wait it out. We hear that the trail takes about 3-4 hours for most people to complete this hike, but plan extra time if you want to stop for snacks or if you like to take your time hiking.If youre visiting the Buffalo National River, we couldnt recommend this trail more! If you love hiking in the wilderness, then youll love hiking the Centerpoint Trail to Big Bluff. The Goat trail EASILY provides one of the BEST scenic views of the Buffalo River. callback: cb Make reservations at recreation.gov online or on the app. It is one of our absolute favorite hikes in the Ozarks (along with hiking the Whitaker Point Trail). Get a FREE packing list and gear guide from us detailing exactly what we take on a camping and hiking trip! Located near Ponca, Arkansas, and within the Buffalo National River National Park boundaries, this incredible 6-mile hike (out and back) has roughly 1,000 feet of total elevation gain along with one of the tallest bluffs in the area. At 550 feet, its the larges bluff face between the Rockies and Appalachians. While the Goat Trail to Big Bluff, as well as the Buffalo National River, is accessible year round, specific times of the year and certain weather will make the trail more enjoyable.Because the trail has drop offs and exposed areas, which we will discuss more in a second, we would not recommend hiking this trail if it has rained a lot or if there is any ice, as the rocky ledges may be slick and you could accidentally slip and injure yourself.Visiting the Buffalo National River in the late spring or early summer will be your best bet to see lots of waterfalls. Big Bluff & The Goat Trail (Compton) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go. I like to do Easy/moderate hikes admist stunning natural beauty, ozarks looks just ideal! With breathtaking views of the river, mountains, and bluff at the end, it combines so many of the things that make the Buffalo National River special! TRAIL LENGTH: The trail to Big Bluff is about 6.5 miles roundtrip, but you can also continue on to some other scenic sites, so know where you're going and when to turn around. I was and am still scared of heights. Big Bluff is an incredible hike in Northwest Arkansas that takes you to the aptly named, you guessed it, Big Bluff. Great views after the two mile mark though! (Recommended) It's quite a hike from the Camp Grounds but doable. It was muddy but oh so worth it! ), understanding campfire rules and always fully extinguishing your fires, respecting wildlife, and being considerate of other visitors. You can often find us driving all around the US and Canada, scoping out the best coffee shops, eating tacos and ice cream (were a 5+ taco and 2+ scoop household), and enjoying nature. The "Goat Trail" to Big Bluff is narrow and dangerous; visitors should proceed with extreme caution when hiking this section of trail. While youll rarely see a wild goat on Big Bluff these days, a few feral goats do still roam the upper Buffalo River wilderness. From that entry point most of the trail is . Make sure you go past the hole in the rock for the best part of the whole trail. Since we started the hike early and were the first ones on the trail, we had Big Bluff all to ourselves, which made the experience even better! Nice views. Highly recommend, for older/experienced hikers. Loving your adventures and loving these views too! On a journey to Alaska in @brisketthevan This hiking seems fun in Arkansas. FIND YOUR WAY OUTSIDE is a trademark of AllTrails, LLC. Love Arkansas? Once you hit this spot, youre SO close to Big Bluff! Taking in a panoramic view while gettingsome shade! Others don't. Bringing a lunch and have a picnic at the Bluff is a memory that we will cherish. This is the version of our website addressed to speakers of English in the United States. The payout at the end of the strenuous hike is a wide open view of the Buffalo National River, plus a geological wonder. The goat trail is narrow, but is not dangerous if you are paying attention. This number is based on the percentage of all Tripadvisor reviews for this product that have a bubble rating of 4 or higher. We love creating short videos so you can visualize the trail conditions before your trip. There are no restrooms at the trailhead, so be prepared to go to the restroom in advance (JB Trading Co is close by and has a gas station and convenience store) or go in the woods, but make sure to pack out any toilet paper! Nice trail. Since this is a little over 6-mile hike, that makes it a more pleasant experience. There are a few names for hiking to this specific viewpoint in Buffalo National River. Thank you! The views of the Buffalo River were great. 360122 N 932147 W We will definitely be adding more hikes in the Ponca Wilderness Area to our bucket list, such as a trek to the famous Hemmed in Hollow waterfall. There are two campgrounds relatively close to the Centerpoint Trailhead. Hope all is well up north. Rocky, so wear boots if you like your ankles to work for you absolutely worth the hike out. Your email address will not be published. This trail will take you all the way to Hemmed-in-Hollow Falls if you want to lump those two sites into one day.TRAILHEAD LOCATION: The hike to Big Bluff starts at the Centerpoint Trailhead which is located near Possum Trot right off of Highway 43.TRAIL DIFFICULTY: This trail is decently steep and once you get to Big Bluff it becomes just a narrow, rocky ledge. There is little to no cellphone reception in the area except at the top of the hill near the trailhead. It was so beautiful! If that parking lot fills up, there is another parking lot across the road that seems to be privately owned and they charge a fee to park there.We started our hike at sunrise on a Monday and were the first car in the parking lot. more information Accept. To get to the Goat Trail, start the hike from Centerpoint Trailhead. Check out our channel to get outdoor adventure inspiration! The first summer visit we made here, Matt and I got up early, picked up my parents and set off for a day trip. Although there is a perspective from the far eastern side of the Goat Trail (behind where the hiker in the photograph is walking) that is better suited for morning photography as its a west-facing shot. Its great to see something you can do with the whole family too even if your mum was scared stiff! Although there are several ways to reach Goat Trail, which follows along the edge of Big Bluff, Centerpoint Trail is arguably the most popular route. We arrived to the goat trail at about 9 AM. This trail is quickly becoming one of the most popular in the state, & for good reason. The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. Although there are no waterfalls on this trail, there are quite a few in the area, so itll give you more options of hikes to do before or after. Dont over-pace yourself on the first half, the trip back will demand your stamina lol One of the advantages of fall is the ability to catch some pretty amazing views at the beginning of the trail. Thankfully, between working on an eastern time schedule and both of us being fairly fast hikers, we've been able to get in some solid trail time after work. The view from the bluffs in breathtaking as you stand right at the edge and overlook the buffalo. There is a dedicated parking lot for the hike which has room for probably about 15 cars. The trail map claims 3 miles to the start of Big Bluff from the Center-point Trail Head. But please dont lean over and topple onto the ground below. A slip could break your leg or neck. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. window.mc4wp = window.mc4wp || { The later inthe year you get, the lower the Buffalo River gets. In this hiking guide were sharing all of the details about hiking to Big Bluff on the Goat Trail, including where to start, trail stats, things to know before you go, our experience, as well as some other spots to check out nearby. She's a road trip aficionado, an avid hiker, lover of learning + culture and an all-around wanderess. In this guide were sharing everything you need to know before hiking the Goat Trail to Big Bluff in the Buffalo National River, including trail stats, what to bring, and more!Despite living in Texas for the majority of our lives, we never visited Arkansas and boy, were we missing out! October 20, 2021. What an incredible view! The surgery would leave him unable to walk for two months and unable to hike for even longer. Trail maps say big bluff is just .8 miles long before it abruptly ends, but this is far from the truth. haha. "TINY CABIN", View all hotels near Big Bluff & The Goat Trail on Tripadvisor, View all restaurants near Big Bluff & The Goat Trail on Tripadvisor, View all attractions near Big Bluff & The Goat Trail on Tripadvisor. Its challenging but Im not an athlete and it was just hard enough. Views from the bluffs are incomparable, and it served as the perfect place to catch up on some reading on a beautiful sunny day. As always, we recommend having the 10 essentials on you when doing any hike, but here are a few key items we want to point out that will especially help you during this hike! Some scrambling might be required, depending on how far across the bluffs you want to go. The Goat Trail is the narrow ledge trail that spurs off of the Centerpoint Trail and takes you out onto Big Bluff. However, the Buffalo National River is just one of the many things to see and do in this area. Avoid the stress of forgetting camping and hiking essentials with our handy guide. Note that with no foliage on the trees it's pretty warm out. As you can see on the map above, as well as on the AllTrails page, the hike to Big Bluff is all downhill, which means that you'll be going all uphill on the way back. After soaking in the views for a bit and snapping tons of photos, we headed back on the Goat Trail to the Centerpoint Trail. What attractions are near Big Bluff & The Goat Trail? Although there are several ways to . If you were to visit her, she'd try to feed you cornbread. Unfortunately, we picked one of the hottest days of the year. Every year residents of Northwest Arkansas and the river valley hear about Beaver Lake tragedies on the local news. 6.5 miles sounds like the perfect distance for a day trip , Had no idea you could see such beauty in Arkansas. I crossed the river 4 or 5 times from one side to the other and walked for an hour without finding anyone. But the best part is that its all located on a great property with a store for your adventure needs and access to tons of activities, like kayaking, ziplining, mountain biking, and close proximity to hikes! Fall, winter, and spring are excellent times of the year to hike in the Ponca Wilderness. You will certainly get some great pics of the river, the bluffs and the hills beyond. Sign up to get travel updates, guides, vlogs, and other resources delivered straight to your inbox once a month! Goat trail is on the right and it had no marking. You will need an AllTrails Pro membership to download maps, which is $30 a year and so worth it! We hope it helps you plan an epic adventure in the Buffalo National River! It sure looks like it was worth it for those stunning views though. Name, age Date Location, comments Jesse Sky Bergman, 9: May 16, 1988: Stalked and killed by a four-year-old male cougar at Catface Mountain in British Columbia near Tofino. big bluff goat trail deaths . Looks like a great place to hike and some amazing views for your rewards. The rain started shortly after, turning the trail into a muddy stream and completely soaking us by the time we got back to the car. Thanks so much for reading! What gorgeous views! Youll start to walk along a more narrow trail, with a rock wall on your left. ); YouTube, Travel Guides, Gear, & FAQs. 4699 AR 43 Hwy Thats not a joke. Generally considered a moderately challenging route. When the waters are higher, you can notice how beautifully turquoise the water is. })(); The Happiness Function is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and other affiliate programs, which are affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com and other affiliate sites. The Buffalo National River and Ozark Mountains are incredibly scenic and reminded us a bit of driving around West Virginia. If you follow the trail you will reach a couple of natural shelter areas that provide just enough room inside to place a tent or even sleep on the ground. 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