arkansas travel

32 August 2010 LeisureGroupTravel.com

Activities in Arkansas match youradventure meter whether it

cranks to high, low, or somewhere inbetween. Groups will find a range ofoptions, from canoeing and caving todune buggy rides and zip line tours.

A new zip line canopy tour openedin the Arkansas Ozarks in July. At theBuffalo Outdoor Center in Ponca, theBuffalo River Canopy Tour offers ad-venturers a treetop view of the lushOzark terrain as they glide along a cablelike a bird in flight. Harnessed to thecable on a zip pulley, participants areguided through a course of 12 zip lines

reaching platforms on each tree. Set ona mountain overlooking Ponca Creek,the course is the equivalent of aboutnine football fields (or half a mile).Thelongest zip line is 400-plus feet, and theelevation ranges from 40 to 60 feetabove the ground.Tours are two-and-a-half to three hours with guides pro-viding interpretation along the way.

Gokart4wheeling in NorthwestArkansas now offers two- and four-seatdune buggies.The company, located inWinslow, provides guided dune buggytours in which you drive your ownbuggy on designated trails. Private,

group, team-building and party toursare available.

If cycling is more your style of ad-venture, Arkansas’ mountain bikingopportunities are amazing. The Natu-ral State is quickly gaining a footholdas one of the nation’s premier spots formountain biking. Trails include thestate’s two IMBA Epics: The WombleTrail, a single-track route across theOuachitas maintained by mountainbikers since the 1980s, and the 50-mileSyllamo Mountain Bike Trail Systemin Mountain View. Each year the In-ternational Mountain Biking Associa-

Spelunkers get down and dirty on the Wild Cave Tour at Blanchard Springs Cavern in Mountain View, Arkansas.

Take it up a notch in the Natural State’s great outdoors

AdventuresAdventures

on location: south � jill m. rohrbach

tion, IMBA, selects a handful of trailsaround the world that receive this spe-cial “Epic” status. The Ouachita Na-tional Recreation Trail, running east towest through the OuachitaMountains,is also popular.

From day hikes to multi-day back-packing across the Ouachita or Ozarkmountains, Arkansas offers more than250 hiking trails totaling more than1,500 miles. Arkansas also offersequestrian facilities and guided horseriding trails.

StoneCreek Ranch and Resort nearMountain Home caters to groups.Here you’ll find highly-trained cuttinghorses. The guest ranch focuses on

horseback riding vacations with its in-door and outdoor arenas and trail rid-ing. There’s no merely plodding alongwith horses nose-to-tail at StoneCreek,where guests can also experience cattlesorting, the cutting horse experience oreven a cattle drive.

Horseshoe Canyon Ranch nearJasper and the Buffalo National Riveralso offers trail rides, but it has becomeincreasingly known for its excellentrock climbing opportunities. Withmore than 300 routes for all levels ofclimbers, the ranch is known for someof the finest sandstone sport climbinganywhere. Certified and experiencedguides will show you how to climb

safely.Most of the quality rock climb-ing and bouldering in Arkansas is inthe western and northern regions ofthe state, where the Ozark and Oua-chita mountain ranges are located.

With several show caves in thestate, there are plenty of options for un-derground exploration. But adventur-ous souls will want to experience aWild Cave Tour at Cosmic Cavern inBerryville or Blanchard Springs Cavernin Mountain View. The tour at Blan-chard Springs offers visitors an intro-duction to spelunking in a structuredenvironment where Forest Service in-terpreters guide the tours. Participantsshould be in good physical shape, wear

LeisureGroupTravel.com August 2010 33

Experience an adrenaline rush on the bike trails at Cane Creek State Park and rapids of the Cossatot River.

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Campaign Across Arkansas.

As America marks the sesquicentennial of the Civil War, visit the sites across The Natural State where our forefathers fought and travel back in time to a restored village where the 19th century comes to life.

Find out more by visiting our website or calling the toll-free number for itinerary ideas.

Historic Washington > Prairie Grove Re-enactment

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SCAN WITH MOBILE QR READER FOR MORE INFO.

Looking for new group travel ideas?

We’ve got 52 of ’em. The Arkansas State

Parks system has something for everyone –

archeology, adventure, history, mountains,

rivers and lakes – even the only diamond

site in the world where you can dig for

diamonds and keep what you find!

52 unique group destinations.T h i s c o u l d g e t i n t e r e s t i n g .

5 2 w e e k s i n t h e y e a r .

Historic Mather Lodge, Petit Jean State Park > Check out our 52 Arkansas State Parks today.

Make the highpoint of Arkansas

The Heart of Historic Hot Springs National ParkThermal baths and spa.A national park outside any door.Great dining choices.Twin cascading outdoor pools.Championship golf courses.Private beauty and facial salon.

Relax at The Arlington

For Reservations: (800) 643-1502www.ArlingtonHotel.com

sturdy boots, and come prepared toget dirty and have fun. Tour partici-pants should expect to climb verysteep slopes, crawl on hands andknees, pass under low ceilings, andtravel through red clay. The tour endsat the Titans, a group of tall spectac-ular columns. Hard hats, kneepads,gloves, lights, and belts are provided,along with a souvenir T-shirt.

Plenty of fun canoeing, rafting andkayaking Arkansas waterways awaits.The Natural State has more than 9,000miles of streams, and a good deal ofthis mileage is perfect for floating.You’ll find rugged whitewater raftingand peaceful float trips ideal for first-timers. Designated a National Wildand Scenic River, the Cossatot Riveroffers adventurers the most challeng-ing whitewater in Arkansas. The

stream snakes over and between up-turned Ouachita Mountains’ strata tocreate Cossatot Falls, with rapids anddrops rated up to Class V in difficulty.

North Arkansas’ Buffalo NationalRiver was the country’s first nationalriver, is roughly 150 miles long and in-cludes nearly 95,000 acres of publicland along its corridor. Perhaps themost famous of all Buffalo River floatsare those that take place between Ponca

and the Arkansas Highway 7 crossing.Something for everyone can be foundin this 25-mile section: class I and IIrapids; the highest waterfall in mid-America (at Hemmed-in-Hollow);the 11,300-acre Ponca Wilderness;towering cliffs; and an excellent as-sortment of swimming holes.

No matter your outdoor preference,a mild climate coupled with four beau-

tifully distinct seasons brings a fresh ad-venture each time. For example, hike thesame trail in the spring and winter andthe experience is totally different. LGT

on location � south

America’s First Resort

Hot Springs is famous for

natural thermal spas and

historic Bathhouse Row.

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Visit hotsprings.org or call

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Group Tour Planner now.

LGT/10

Obtain Arkansas

visitor guides and

itineraries – and

contact group-

friendly suppliers

directly – at

leisuregrouptravel.com/instant-info

Groups enjoy the cowboy lifestyle at

StoneCreek Ranch near Mountain Home.