This Arkansas Adventure itinerary can be modified to meet the demands of groups looking for adventure that is a bit softer with lighter hikes, an easy and wheelchair accessible .4 mile walk at Blanchard Springs Caverns and light canoeing on slower parts of the Buffalo National River.
Central Arkansas
Kick off your adventure tour in Central Arkansas, starting with a trek in Pinnacle Mountain State Park. This park encompasses more than 2,100 acres of diverse habitats and offers several trails and extensive wetlands to explore. You’ll see vultures roost and wintering American bald eagles soar. You can enjoy guided hikes with park staff, from river walks to wetland expeditions. You can add a backpacking class or additional hikes on other trails for an extra day and night of adventure.
Something really special about the Little Rock area — it’s just a 20-minute drive from the wildlife at Pinnacle Mountain to the lively urban River Market area or the North Little Rock Argenta Arts District with nightlife and delicious, innovative local restaurants. Head downtown, check into your hotel and enjoy some city culture before the next day’s nature excursion.
Southwest Arkansas
After breakfast, hunt for diamonds! The only public diamond mine in the world, Crater of Diamonds State Park in Murfreesboro, offers one-of-a-kind adventure – the opportunity to hunt for diamonds and other gemstones and keep what you find! Get your hands dirty digging around a 37-acre plowed field, which is the eroded surface of an ancient, gem-bearing volcanic pipe. Begin your diamond adventure at the visitor center which features exhibits, an audiovisual program explaining the area’s geology and tips on recognizing diamonds in the rough. Since diamonds were first discovered on the site in 1906, more than 75,000 diamonds have been unearthed. The park also offers picnic sites, a gift shop, hiking trails, interpretive programs and a water play area.
Spend the afternoon cooling off on a boat tour at nearby DeGray Lake Resort State Park. Ride out to an island, and along the way, your guides will interpret fish, rocks, plants and wildlife. You can also kayak or stand up paddleboard around the island. Dine and stay overnight at the resort.
Arkansas River Valley
Following a hearty breakfast at DeGray Lake Resort State Park, it’s time to step up the thrill factor (unless, perhaps, you found a record diamond yesterday!) with some awesome adventures at Mount Magazine State Park. Hike to Arkansas’ highest point, 2,753-foot Mount Magazine, rising above the Petit Jean River Valley and Arkansas River Valley.
Your group can take on some of the trails at Mount Magazine by foot or bicycle, or find a soothing spot to relax by the heated indoor swimming pool or in one of the many cozy sitting spots within the state park lodge. Its welcoming and spacious hearth room features a two-story fireplace and large windows framing the view of the Petit Jean River Valley. The lodge’s 60 rooms each have their own spectacular view. The park also boasts a conference center and 13 cabins looking over The Natural State from atop the mountain. Dine and stay overnight at the lodge.
Buffalo National River
Let’s continue deep into the Ozark Mountains for some breathtaking views! Today we’ll venture to the nation’s first national river, the Buffalo. Something for everyone can be found on the Buffalo: Class I and Il rapids, complete with hazards like “Gray Rock;” the highest waterfall in mid-America (at Hemmed-In Hollow); the 11,300-acre Ponca Wilderness; towering cliffs including the 500-foot Big Bluff; and an excellent assortment of dreamy, refreshing swimming holes.
Here’s another chance for you to chill out for a little while in the midst of your adventures! There’s also a short mellow float plan option if that’s more your group’s speed. No matter your style of Buffalo experience, you’ll have the time of your life enjoying the beauty and scenery of The Natural State from this gorgeous river. Back on dry land, delight in a rejuvenating evening outdoor cookout where you can regale one another with exaggerated tales of the day’s adventures. Overnight at a nearby log cabin lodge.
Ozarks Mountains & Caverns
Take your quest for adventure underground with a jaunt over to Blanchard Springs Caverns, where you’ll venture hundreds of feet below the surface of the Ozarks. Blanchard Springs Caverns is administered by the U.S. Forest Service and is a cool 58 degrees year-round. You’ll enter the world of a “living” cave where glistening stalactites, stalagmites, columns and flowstones are always slowly changing. Enjoy the Discovery Trail Tour, which takes you through the middle level of the caverns, passing under the natural entrance and beside the cave stream before emerging into highly decorated rooms. (Don’t worry, the one-way trail will get you back to the surface at the end!) With nearly 700 stairsteps, this tour is quite stimulating.
For the ultimate adventure to cap off your week of thrills, choose the Wild Cave Tour, a strenuous trip through undeveloped parts of the cave’s middle level, where you’ll need to crouch and crawl.
Alternatively, take it easy on the wheelchair- and stroller-accessible Dripstone Trail Tour, a .4-mile trail that takes about an hour and has plenty of seating for rest along the way while offering plenty of breathtaking scenery.
Next, visit the Ozark Folk Center State Park for living history with more than 20 artisans demonstrating Ozark heritage crafts and musicians showcasing their talents. Enjoy dinner at the Skillet Restaurant, and stay overnight in the park’s recently renovated cabins. Please note that the craft village is open from spring to fall.
Getting Here
Centrally located in the mid-South, Arkansas is a beautiful, affordable destination for group tours. An easy drive from neighboring states like Tennessee, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Texas and Oklahoma, there are also two major airports – Clinton National Airport (LIT) in Little Rock and Northwest Arkansas Regional Airport (XNA) in Bentonville. Once you arrive, you will find that Arkansas offers the right mix of big and small, urban and scenic, with hospitality you won’t find anywhere else.
