This week’s Highlands Chapter Outing:  Fern Gully SIA, Arkansas USA

Note:  This hike has been rescheduled from Saturday, April 24 due to weather forecast.

Day, Date:  Monday, April 26, 2021

Name of Hike:  Fern Gully Special Interest Area

Location:  Ozark National Forest near Fern AR (11 mi E of Mountainburg AR, 3 miles SW of Shores Lake)

Type of Hike:  Day-hike, social trail, user-created primitive trail, and some non-trail hiking over rocky areas.  This hike invites participants to slow down and explore.  See Comment 2 below.

Hiking Distance:  3.0 miles.

Maximum Elevation Difference:  300 ft

Rating:  Moderate, due to uneven tread, rocky areas, and absence of “trail” in some parts.  No major grades or slopes, but tricky footing throughout the hike due to rocks in the footpath.  Thus, rock-hopping on the “trail” and rock-hopping across several stream crossings.

Features:  The Forest Service designated Fern Gulley as a 306-acre Special Interest Area in 2007.  It is a steep and narrow canyon with unique geologic and scenic qualities including a bear-crack and amazing rock formations.  It is well known for rock climbing and flash flood kayaking.  In short, Fern Gully is a rock paradise consisting of a hollow with a beautiful stream running through it, bordered with bluffs, containing boulders the size of houses separated from each other by passageways.  This hike will visit the highlights of the scenic area.  This is not a hike for “through-hikers.”  Rather, it is a hike which invites participants to slow down to explore nooks and crannies to see what’s around the next corner.  See Tim Ernst, Arkansas Nature Lover’s Guide (2011), pp 14-15; and Danny Hale, Hiking the Arkansas Ozarks Central & Western Sections (2019), pp. 136-137.

Hike Leader:  Luke Parsch (contact hike leader for more info).

Telephone & Email:  479-442-3817 (home landline) or lparsch@uark.edu or 479-935-0859  (mobile on day of hike).

Meeting Place and Time:

• Meet at the northeast corner of the parking lot of Wal-Mart Supercenter West at 2875 MLK Blvd (US Hwy 62) in Fayetteville for car caravanning for a 9:00 a.m. departure; or,
• Meet at 10:00 a.m. at the bend in the road on AR Hwy 215 at the community of Fern AR.  From there, we will drive three miles to Fern Gully.  There are no signs or markings for the road into Fern Gully.  Low clearance 2WD cars which are unable to drive in to the Fern Gully parking area can park at the deer camp across from the entrance and walk 0.3 mi to the Fern Fully parking area.  Google map location for Fern Gully is:  https://www.google.com/maps/place/Fern+Gully/@35.6171863,-94.0086365,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m5!3m4!1s0x87cbe93d08e91473:0x8eb9603ec757e72b!8m2!3d35.6171863!4d-94.0064478
• Car-caravan means we drive as a group in our own cars to the trailhead.  Car-pooling is OK if pre-arranged between driver and riders.

Driving Distance:  47 miles from the Fayetteville car caravan via Mountainburg and Fern to the trailhead parking area.  The final 0.3 mi may have mud-holes not suitable for 2WD cars with low clearance.  Parking is available at the deer camp across from the road leading into Fern Gully.

Comment1:  Wear a mask and plan to social distance.  Bring water, snack or lunch, rain gear, gloves, bug spray, and wear hiking boots/shoes.  Hiking poles are strongly recommended, and long pants are essential because of new growth poison ivy in some areas.  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.

Comment2:  We will hike both the northern and southern sections of Fern Gully.  However, I am not planning on bushwhacking as far south as the Rocket Slide but participants may do so on their own.

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.