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PAID CONTENT FOR TRAVEL SOUTH USA


FOR THE HIKES Arkansas


Rippling hills under a blanket of woodland, waterfalls rushing over rocky ledges, sky-scraping peaks, stooping caverns — Arkansas’s ‘Natural State’ nickname sets heady expectations. Happily, the state delivers on all these fronts and there’s a good network of hiking trails that’ll get you straight to its wild heart. Lovers of the outdoors should focus on Arkansas’s bucolic western reaches, where the Ozark and Ouachita mountain regions serve up a feast of natural wonders. You’ll get maximum reward with minimal


effort on an easy 1.7-mile jaunt through Hot Springs National Park. The park safeguards ancient thermal waters and a series of century-old bathhouses, but this trail — which is well marked and maintained — is all about the peaks. The route reaches a mighty 994ft as it curls across the summit of


Hot Springs Mountain, part of the Ouachita range. Waters from the western face of this mountain feed the park’s springs, and various overlooks grant views of the surrounding forested peaks. If you want to stretch your legs further, you can add on the connecting Honeysuckle Trail and the short Peak Trail — the latter offers panoramas from the 216ft Hot Springs Mountain Tower. For a moderate pace, The Ozark National


Forest spreads out in the northwestern reaches of Arkansas, enveloping hilly oak and hickory forests and creekside sycamores and willows. Running through it like a vein is the Whitaker Point Trail, one of the region’s most popular hiking routes. You’ll wend your way into hardwood thickets, skirt cliff edges and pass waterfalls and wildflowers, as you make your way towards the trail’s glittering finale. Whitaker Point, or Hawksbill Crag, is a striking tongue of sandstone that juts out over the cloud-cloaked canopy and the Buffalo National River. The round trip is just under three miles. JA


The Ozark National Forest spreads out in the northwestern reaches of Arkansas, enveloping hilly oak and hickory forests


From above: Roark Bluff Buffalo National River, Arkansas; a kayak glides through cypress trees in Lake Martin in St Martin Parish, Louisiana


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