Sugar Creek Chapter of the Ozark Society has invited the Highlands Chapter to a dayhike at the new Coler Preserve in Bentonville AR on Tuesday, March 2, 2021.  See details below.

Day, Date:  Tuesday March 2, 2021

Name of Hike:  Trails of Coler Preserve

Location:  Coler MountainTrail Bike (MTB) Preserve,  Bentonville AR

Type of Hike:  Day-hike, trail.

Maximum Elevation Difference:  120 ft

Rating:  4-6 miles. Moderate, due to distance, some steep slopes and rocky portions on trail; 3 mile easy  paved surface option

Features: Color Mountain Bike Preserve is recreational area managed by Peel Compton Foundation. https://www.peelcompton.org/coler-mountain-bike-preserve. There are 17 miles of trails with a creek running through the center. We will hike 3 miles of Oscars Trail up to the Hub, a crazy bike jump system. Then return to the Homestead for our break. The Homestead offers Airship coffee, bakery items and tacos or bring your own snack. There is a nice open air seating area to watch all of the activity. After lunch break there will be  3 options to return: 1 mile paved sidewalk, 1.7 mile trail or 3.1 mile trail.

Hike Leader:  Lowell Collins (contact hike leader for more info).

Telephone & Email:  479-273-2394 or lowell01@aol.com

Meeting Place and Time:

• Meet in the parking lot at the downstairs west entrance to JC Penney Department Store in the Northwest Arkansas Mall in Fayetteville for car caravanning for a 9:15 a.m. departure.  Or,

• Meet at 10:00 a.m. at the trailhead at the Coler Grove parking lot ( 36.376549,-94.2419627 ) at 2500 NW Grove Lane in Bentonville.  Note:  In Bentonville, head west from Las Palmas Restaurant on Walton Blvd and follow NW 3rd Street for 1.2 mi and turn right (north) onto Grove Lane into the parking lot.  Do not turn into the Coler MTB Preserve South Gateway parking area at 0.9 mi west from Las Palmas.  Google map location = https://www.google.com/maps/place/Coler+Grove/@36.376549,-94.2419627,615m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x87c9054a50161755:0x1aee7ff636379c08!8m2!3d36.376761!4d-94.2402831

• Car-caravan means we drive as a group in our own cars to the trailhead.

Driving Distance:  26 miles from the Fayetteville car caravan to Bentonville via I-49 and AR Hwy 72.

Comment1:  Wear a mask and plan to social distance.  Bring water, snack or lunch or money to purchase at Airship  at the Homestead, rain gear, gloves, and wear hiking boots/shoes.  Hiking poles will be helpful.  No pets are allowed on any hikes, and children under 12 years are discouraged and must be accompanied by a guardian.   Participants are required to sign a “liability release” http://www.ozarksociety.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/OS-Sign-Up_Sheet_rev4.pdf  at the trailhead to take part in any Ozark Society outing.  Everyone is welcome to hike with the OSHC, whether an Ozark Society member or not.

Future meetings will be announced through email and our Newsletter Paddle Trails.

Adkins Creek Hike, Saturday, March 6, 2021

Day, Date:  Saturday, March 6, 2021

Name of Hike:  Adkins Canyon

Location:  Upper Buffalo Wilderness near Fallsville AR and Dahl Memorial Trailhead

Type of Hike:  Dayhike, bushwhack, loop with some old forest road

Hiking Distance:  5.1 miles

Total Elevation Gain/Loss:  400-500 ft

Rating:  Difficult, due to wet crossings, undergrowth, steep scrambling, rock hopping, and absence of trail.

Features:  This is a spectacular area in the Upper Buffalo Wilderness.  From the Dahl Memorial Trailhead, we will follow old forest road and then drop into the drainage of Adkins Creek to see Leaning Log Falls and Adkins Canyon Falls.  From Adkins Falls, we follow Adkins Creek another half-mile to its mouth with the Upper Buffalo River which is a scenic but very rugged area with bluffs, drop-offs, rock-hopping, and interesting fissures.  From the Buffalo, we will return to the Leaning Log area, and from there, we will climb straight up to the top of the ridge where there is an old hand-dug well and follow old forest road back to the trailhead.  For more info see Tim Ernst (Arkansas Waterfalls, 16-19).

Hike Leader:  Rick Pendley (contact hike leader for more info)

Telephone & Email:  479-283-0716 (M); or rickpendley@yahoo.com

Meeting Place and Time:

• Meet at First Care Medical Center South in Fayetteville at the intersection of Huntsville Road (AR Hwy 16) and Crossover Road (AR Hwy 265) for caravanning and a 7:30 a.m. departure; or
• Meet at the Dahl Memorial east of Fallsville AR on AR Hwy 16 at 9:10 a.m.
• Car-caravaning means we drive in our own cars as a group to the trailhead

Comments:  Wear a mask and plan to social distance.  Bring water, lunch, rain gear, gloves, and wear hiking boots.  Bushwhacks are non-trail hikes which are generally more difficult than trail hikes.  If you have never done a bushwhack hike, contact the hike leader first to find out about the challenges of the hike.  No pets are allowed on any hikes, and children under 12 years are not allowed on difficult hikes.  Participants are required to sign a “liability release” http://www.ozarksociety.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/OS-Sign-Up_Sheet_rev4.pdf   to take part in any Ozark Society outing.  Everyone is welcome to hike with the OSHC, whether an Ozark Society member or not.

Links to Pictures of recent OSHC hikes can be seen on the Ozark Society Website at www.ozarksociety.net  Go to Chapters & Activities/Highlands Chapter and look for Frank Millett’s and Luke Parsch’s  Flickr websites links.

Future hikes:

Saturday, March 13 – Luke Parsch will lead a hike from Whitely Trailhead to the Hedges Homesite and the Buffalo

Saturday, March 20 – Tom Perry will lead a hike at Mount Magazine, highest place in Arkansas.

Thank you hike leaders and hikers.  If you have ideas for a hike or would like to lead a hike please contact me

judi nail

jnail1113@gmail.com

The water was too high last year, lets see if we have better luck. We will follow the Little Missouri Trail down to the Winding Stair. The area is an exposed rock river bottom where Native Americans made hard rock products that have been found all over the South. Be at Chik-fil-A near Bass Pro at 7:30 to carpool down or be at Albert Pike by 9:45. You will need boots, lunch and water. You may want to bring water shoes as well. This hike will not need a shuttle.

Our monthly meetings are now being held at the Red River National Wildlife Refuge 150 Eagle Bend Point, Bossier City, LA 71112.

Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month (except December).   Program starts at 6:30 pm and business meeting follows.  Plan to join us after the meeting for pizza and socializing.

The reroute at Little Rocky Creek was approved right before Thanksgiving so that construction will be the primary focus for the spring work session which is scheduled for March 26-April 2.  We’ll be camping at Tyler Bend, as usual, but will be following a pandemic protocol like we did for the Fall ’20 work session. Whether you join us for a day, the weekend, or the whole week, there is a wide variety of work to be done so there’s something for everyone.  Contact me at mereed@runbox.com for additional information.

Michael Reed, Buffalo River Trail Coordinator

The reroute at Little Rocky Creek was approved right before Thanksgiving so that construction will be the primary focus for the spring work session which is scheduled for March 26-April 2.  We’ll be camping at Tyler Bend, as usual, but will be following a pandemic protocol like we did for the Fall ’20 work session. Whether you join us for a day, the weekend, or the whole week, there is a wide variety of work to be done so there’s something for everyone.  Contact me at mereed@runbox.com for additional information.

Michael Reed, Buffalo River Trail Coordinator

Future meetings will be announced through email and our Newsletter Paddle Trails.

We stay close to home and will explore the state park north of Conway. We will hike the 3.5 mile Huckleberry Trail around the lake and then take a half mile walk over to the Woolly Cabin, built in 1832. Bring good shoes and a snack. Should see some early wildflowers and migratory birds. Be at the park visitor center by 9 am. Take US 65 north of Greenbrier and follow the signs.

Our monthly meetings are now being held at the Red River National Wildlife Refuge 150 Eagle Bend Point, Bossier City, LA 71112.

Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month (except December).   Program starts at 6:30 pm and business meeting follows.  Plan to join us after the meeting for pizza and socializing.

Future meetings will be announced through email and our Newsletter Paddle Trails.

Spend a spring day walking on a historic bridge and having lunch on Beale Street. Its been one of our favorite hikes even though its urban. We will start from the West Memphis end of the bridge and cross over the big muddy and make our way to Beale in time for lunch. We will meet at the trail head off Exit 1 of I-55 in W. Memphis. Take I-55 towards Memphis. After exiting, take a left to Dacus Lake Rd. to the parking. Be there by 10:45. It is a 2 ¼ hour drive from Little Rock. Hike begins at 10:45, bring good shoes and some water. Great Hotels nearby in West Memphis.

Our monthly meetings are now being held at the Red River National Wildlife Refuge 150 Eagle Bend Point, Bossier City, LA 71112.

Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of each month (except December).   Program starts at 6:30 pm and business meeting follows.  Plan to join us after the meeting for pizza and socializing.