rocky mountain tot

Hiking Arkansas: Lost Valley Trail, Buffalo National River

Last weekend we drove to Lost Valley in Buffalo National River which is located a couple miles from Ponca, Arkansas. We selected this hike for our family because it is relatively short in length at 2.4 miles, and features several caves and waterfalls.

Lost Valley, Buffalo National River near Ponca Arkansas. 2.4 miles, features caves and waterfalls, 500 ft elevation gain — *hike statistics found on national park service (nps) website

Our 4-year-old walked most of the trail with a lot of hand holding from my husband while I carried my 2-year-old in an Ergo baby on my back. In the summer heat, this was a great workout!

The thing that scares me most about hiking in Missouri and Arkansas is the possibility of running into a snake. Less than a hundred yards from the parking lot, I spotted a copperhead taking its time to cross the trail. Copperheads are venomous, so we patiently waited for the snake to cross.

It doesn’t seem likely, but if you happen to get bitten by a snake, I think the closest hospital would be North Arkansas Regional Medical Center in Harrison, Arkansas which is 30-40 minutes away.

But don’t worry… the hike gets better!

copperhead snake arkansas. venomous snakes in arkansas. poisonous snakes arkansas

We crossed a little creek bed which led to a wide and well-maintained trail, with occasional benches available for a quick rest.

The trail becomes more narrow and steep as you head towards Natural Bridge and Eden Falls.

Natural bridge

We passed through a little water to get to Natural Bridge. A fellow hiker warned us that the rocks were slippery.

There was a waterfall running through the rocks. Several older kids climbed through the falls, but we decided to avoid slipping and walked back around to the trail.

lost valley trail buffalo national river, waterfall, natural bridge

The trail featured several other unique rock formations, towering bluffs, and caves.

lost valley trail buffalo national river

lost valley trail buffalo national river, bluffs

lost valley trail buffalo national river, caves. cob cave

We continued on towards Eden Falls. The gorgeous 50+ foot waterfall was the highlight of the hike.

Eden Falls

lost valley trail buffalo national river. eden falls closer

Eden Falls cave

We debated whether or not we should continue the hike up to see Eden Falls Cave. Our 4-year-old listened well, held on to her Dad’s hand, and thought it was a fun adventure climbing up the steep and narrow pathway to the top. While we were glad to see the last cave, I wouldn’t take our girls on this section again until they are older. It was a bit too precarious for my comfort.

However, if you don’t have young ones with you, and don’t mind tight spaces, there is another waterfall inside the cave that we hear is worth checking out!

lost valley trail buffalo national river trail up to eden falls cave

lost valley trail buffalo national river. eden falls cave

This hike was beautiful and felt like an adventure. We are looking forward to returning to the Buffalo National River to explore more of the outdoor activities this area has to offer.

lost valley trail buffalo national river. family hiking

Good to Know Before you go:

No dogs/pets allowed on the trail
No bikes on trail
We had poor cell phone service in this area, but trail was well marked and easy to find
There is a restroom facility and small picnic pavilion near trail head
This was a popular trail, but there was plenty of parking available on our visit
Remember water, bug spray, and sunscreen

Riding the Razorback Trail: Biking and Breweries in Fayetteville, Arkansas

This summer I’ve rekindled a long lost love. Before marriage, home ownership, and kids, Eric and I spent many weekends racking up miles on the trails near our apartments. Our goal was to ride a two-day 150 mile bike ride. ( MS-150) It felt great when we accomplished our goal, but soon life got busy and our bikes started collecting dust.

Thanks to great babysitter(s), this summer we decided to tune up our bikes and hit the trails in our new home town of Fayetteville, Arkansas. Fayetteville has an amazing trail system including a portion of the Northwest Arkansas Razorback Regional Greenway. If we wanted to, we could ride 36 paved miles (mostly without crossing a road) all the way to Lake Bella Vista, Arkansas. For now, we’ve been sticking closer to home. Here are 5 trails we’ve enjoyed so far this summer:

We purchased a Saris bike rack from local bike shop Phat Tire for our anniversary present this year.

*We tracked mileage using my husband’s gps watch, so distances given are estimates.

Kessler Mountain to Columbus house

We started at Kessler Mountain parking lot (near the playground) and jumped on the Cato Springs trail which connects Kessler Mountain to the Razorback Greenway system. The first few miles are peaceful and fast moving. Soon we crossed through Walker Park and headed into the lively downtown Fayetteville area. We continued past downtown to North Street where we took a right (East) to get to Columbus House Brewery. We sat outside and enjoyed the local beer before heading back towards Kessler Mountain.

Distance: 11.69 miles*

I highlighted the Cato Springs Trail that connects to the Razorback Trail in yellow.

Kessler Mountain to Fossil cove

We enjoyed Kessler Mountain area so much that we returned for another bike ride. We challenged ourselves to ride a little further on to Poplar Street where we took a right (East) and went to Fossil Cove Brewery. We sat outside and ordered pizza from adjacent Wicked Wood Fire Pizza.

Distance: Estimate 13.5 miles, we accidently missed our turn and ended up riding a total of 14.88 miles*

veterans memorial park – lake fayetteville loop

For a shorter ride, we took a quick evening loop around Lake Fayetteville starting at Veterans Memorial Park. Lake Fayetteville can sometimes be a pretty crowded area, but even if you have to slow down to accommodate fellow walkers and bikers, it’s worth it. I enjoy the views of waterfalls, bridges, wildflowers, wildlife, and of course the lake.

Distance: 5.27 miles*

Gordon long park – lake fayetteville

We started at Gordon Long Park and rode towards Lake Fayetteville. Gordon Long trailhead has a playground, several parking spaces and a restroom facility.

My favorite part of this ride was cruising beside several creeks including Scull Creek, Mud Creek, and Clear Creek. My least favorite part was traveling through the long tunnel under Fulbright Expressway which felt a little eerie. We jumped off the trail on Lake Fayetteville Road to grab a bite to eat at the food trucks. I ate street tacos which were tasty and Eric ordered Thai food. Refueled, we finished our loop around Lake Fayetteville and headed back towards Gordon Long. This was a really fun date! To celebrate, we treated ourselves by driving across town to Crisis Brewing Company.

Distance: 12.94 miles*

Veterans memorial park – Luther george park in springdale, arkansas

We started at Veterans Memorial Park and headed towards Lake Fayetteville. We split off the loop to continue on the Razorback Greenway trail north towards Springdale. I was excited to learn about a new section, but this was my least favorite because their was less nature and more road traffic once we left the lake area. It was pretty hot, so we also noticed the lack of shade. We made it to Luther George Park, which looked like a spot my kids would love.

We headed back and continued the loop around Lake Fayetteville. This time it was less crowded and we were able to catch a breeze to cool off. On this ride we were short on time, but if we wanted to sip a local beer we could have easily stopped by Apple Blossom Brewing Company which is close to Veterans Memorial Park.

Distance: 10.5 miles*

I’m thrilled to be exploring our home town via the trail system. I know there is a lot more to enjoy. Cheers to that!

Traveling with Kids to Santa Fe, New Mexico (Part 2)

I recently wrote about our family vacation to Santa Fe, New Mexico and talked about our hotel and the local cuisine. This time I’m trying to help answer, “What to do in Santa Fe with Kids”. I think it’s a testament to the destination that most of our favorite activities happen to be free.

Free ART SHOWS

Santa Fe has numerous art and history museums. There is one called Meow Wolf that looks interesting and interactive. However, the admission price for our family would be about $80. (Our youngest could get in free because kids under 3 are free). To save some money, we walked around an outdoor art show where we talked to local artists about their work.

Walking tour

My favorite part of Santa Fe was walking through town and exploring the southwest charm. You can use an online map from SantaFe.org to navigate your way through different areas of town including the Guadalupe District, The Plaza and The Railyard.

Walking helped burn off some of the amazing food we ate during our trip. I wrote about our favorite restaurants here.

Santa Fe New Mexico is the oldest capital city in the United States — If you plan to walk a lot, it’s good to remember that Santa Fe sits at 7,199′ in elevation.

Before kids, we occasionally traveled abroad where we staid in tiny hotel rooms and shared sandwiches (and bottles of wine). European vacations with kids seem much less romantic 😉 Now I’m looking for ways we can gain cultural experiences closer to home.

Santa Fe is the oldest capital city in the United States. The blend of Anglo, Spanish and Native cultures can be seen in the architecture, food, and art.

The blend of Anglo, Spanish and Native cultures can be seen in the architecture, food and art.

The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi

Santa Fe’s Cathedral is located in downtown Santa Fe near The Plaza. The historic cathedral is an active Catholic church with daily Mass. Visitors are also welcome to tour when services aren’t taking place. We took a moment to say a family prayer of gratitude.

Loretto Chapel

We also visited the Loretto Chapel which is known for the Miraculous Staircase. This historic landmark is no longer an active Catholic church, but can be rented out for weddings. There is a fee to tour the chapel.

Parks and Playgrounds in Santa Fe

We are always on the lookout for playgrounds for our girls to burn off their extra energy. Santa Fe, New Mexico has a lot of great public outdoor spaces. I believe one of the reasons Santa Fe prioritizes outdoor parks is the dry climate. Unlike where we are from (where we are worried about rivers flooding), most homes don’t have large, lush lawns because the financial cost and water waste would be too high. The parks help save precious resources and provide recreation – I’m all for that!

Railyard Park is conveniently located within walking distance to our hotel downtown. It is a green park – designed to fit in with the natural surroundings of the mountains. The children’s area includes climbing walls and slides.

Frenchy’s Field/Santa Fe River Trail park was a big hit. We played on the playground’s swings and teeter-totter, then took a scenic stroll on the walking trail around a large open field and down along the river.

We visited Ragle Park which has an impressive-looking slide. Unfortunately the slide was boarded up during our visit. Another disappointment was our failure to make it into Tent Rocks National Monument. We were hoping to hike in the unique rock formations, however we didn’t arrive early enough. The traffic to get into the park was well over an hour.

Mountain Drive from Santa Fe to Taos & Red River

When it was time to go, we were sad to leave Santa Fe behind, but excited to begin the next part of our trip. From Santa Fe, we took a scenic drive to Taos. There are two routes called the “High Road” and the “River Road”. We drove along the “River Road” where we enjoyed views of the Rio Grande and surrounding mountains. You could make a whole day out of this drive. Taos.org provides tips for places to stop along the way.

We continued our drive to Red River, New Mexico for lunch at Red River Brewing Company. Re-energized by our stop, we drove on to the Great Sand Dunes National Park in Southern Colorado.

New Mexico has always held a special place in my heart because of childhood trips I enjoyed there. It was wonderful to return as an adult with my own kids.

4th of July Weekend in Estes Park, Colorado

I can’t believe that next week we will be celebrating 4th of July! If you are heading to Estes Park, Colorado, I looked back through our ‘archives’ to see what we’ve done on this holiday weekend over the past several years.

From firework displays to waterfall hikes, we’ve always had a blast. A lot of people complain about the crowds this time of year, but the key is just getting up early. We aim to get into the park before 7:00am. I also have a few suggestions for trails that are typically less crowded.

FIREWORKS HIKE

We took an evening hike starting at the Lumpy Ridge trail head up to a spot that looks over Lake Estes to watch Estes Park’s annual fireworks show at 9:30pm. After the spectacular display, we hiked back down the trail with a large group of people who had the same idea. It was magical to see the trail lit up by headlamps. My preschooler thought it was the coolest thing because she got to stay up WAY past her bedtime. It was one of the most memorable 4th of July’s we’ve had (ever).

Hike in the Wild basin

The Wild Basin area of Rocky Mountain National Park is located approximately 19 miles south of Estes Park on highway 7. The Wild Basin area is more remote than other areas of the park. There is not shuttle service to this area. Even though it is more remote, you will still need to arrive early to find a parking spot, but we’ve been lucky to find spots there even on 4th of July weekend several times.

Once you turn off the highway, drive down narrow dirt roads to get to the Wild Basin trail head. You can walk to Copeland Falls (.3 miles/way) and Calypso Cascades (1.8 miles/way) which are some of our favorite family-friendly waterfall hikes.

Less Busy Hikes in Rocky Mountain National Park

The Pool is another hike we’ve enjoyed over the 4th of July weekend. This trail is located in the Moraine Valley area of RMNP. I love that you can shorten the hike by stopping at Arch Rocks or extend it by going on to Fern Falls. I wrote more details in this post.

Alluvial Fan

The Alluvial Fan is a “waterfall” (created by the lawn lake flood in 1982) located right off Old Fall River Road near Horseshoe Park in Rocky Mountain National Park. This is a fun spot to explore. I recommend packing a picnic because there are several picnic spots nearby.

Lake Estes

A walking trail goes around Lake Estes and leads to downtown Estes Park. There is a playground, picnic spots, fishing, and boat rental. You can learn more about the fees, hours, and rentals on their website.

Trail Ridge Road & Grand Lake, Colorado

As I write this post (June 26, 2019) Trail Ridge road is closed because of a late-season snow storm. The scenic highway that connects the East and West sides of Rocky Mountain National Park is typically open this time of year and will hopefully re-open in time for the holiday. Visitors can call 970 586-1222 to get updated information.

You can spend a full day on Trail Ridge Road if you stop at the many outlooks to take pictures and spot wildlife. The Alpine Visitors Center is awesome for lunch, bathroom breaks, shopping, and breathtaking views!

We enjoy going all the way over to Grand Lake, Colorado to walk along the shore of the largest natural lake in Colorado, play on the playground, and eat ice cream while strolling around the scenic mountain town. I wrote more about Grand Lake here.