Hiking White Rock Mountain, Arkansas

We like to talk to locals to get advice on things to do in a new area. We are surprised that many times people can't think of anything worthwhile to do in their hometown. But our next door neighbors here at Aux Arc campground have been great about mentioning things to see and do in the area they have lived their entire lives. When they recommended going to White Rock Mountain, we headed there the next day. The road took us up winding highways, until the last seven miles. Then the narrow highway changed to an even narrower gravel road littered with fallen leaves that made it hard to tell just how small this road was.

White Rock Mountain is well-named, as the top is ringed by a crown of white rocks.

Again, we are enjoying the great views from the cliffs, without those protective fences in the way.

Our next door neighbor could remember four different times that people have accidentally walked right off these sheer cliff walls to their death. Each time, it was after dark and it was rumored that alcohol had been consumed. Since we are here in the day time and sober, we could enjoy and respect these cliffs.

We made the two-mile hike that completely circled the top of White Rock Mountain. At one point, we got the great idea that it would be neat to see the cliffs from the bottom. So we found a sloping area where we could scramble down the rock face to stand in front of the white rocks. You can barely see Denisa at the bottom right of the photo below.

The area below the rim was filled with brambles, and bush-whacking through there was slow. We got to a tall crevice, that made Mark look small.

This area is pristine, with no trash anywhere. So we were surprised to see this large piece of black foam rubber at the bottom of the cliff. From the looks of the claw marks, it looks like a bear had seen it before we did. There was a little piece chewed off the edge, but it looked like he determined the rubber wasn't very tasty.

We bush-whacked back through the brambles, and scrambled back up the same rock wall we came down. That got us back to our trail, with a danger sign to be taken seriously.

Because the whole rim trail is on the edge, it's easy to take striking pictures. Notice that Denisa is sitting a good distance from the edge.

We talked to other hikers that were surprised to see the trees still so green. Usually, the locals consider November 1 to be peak fall foliage for this part of Arkansas. So seeing so many green leaves in the middle of November was very unexpected for them. Mark has hiked ahead on this section of the trail, looking back to take this picture of Denisa on the rock in the middle of the frame.

If we zoom in, we can see her,  trying to look big in an even bigger landscape.

After a good hike, we headed back down the gravel road that brought us here. This time we ventured into the Shores Lake park. We often follow those brown road signs that take us to other national and state forest areas that we never knew existed. We were surprised to see that the lake was completely dry, and this "no diving" sign really wasn't needed here  now.

Heavy equipment was removing dirt from the dry lake bed. We're assuming if they are going to this much effort and expense that the lake will open again some day soon.

In the meantime, Mark is again walking on the wild side. Here he is, in the middle of the lake without wearing his life jacket.

Again, we have gotten good advice from a local that takes for granted the beautiful place that they call home. It's been fun for us to call this area home as well.