Location: Ponca to Pruitt, Arkansas, South side of the Buffalo River.

Distance: 25.5 miles Oneway

Water: Water is available from the Buffalo River nearly everywhere along the trail, at Steel Creek Camprgound (2-mile point), at Kyles Landing (10-mile point), at Erbie Campground (17-mile point), Ozark Campground (23-mile point), and numerous streams and runoffs along the way during the wet season - in other words - water is not a problem, even in dry weather.

Parking: Overnight parking is available in Ponca, at Steel Creek Campground, at Kyles Landing, at Erbie Campground, at Ozark Campground, and at Pruitt. Parking and shuttle service can also be arranged with the Buffalo Outdoor Center (see links below).

Comments: I know, this isn't Missouri, but it is a good one ! My son Shannon and I hiked this 25.5 mile section in October of 1996. From the trail description that we had we had high hopes of seeing waterfall after waterfall but the dry warm fall had left little moisture in the intermittant streams that flow into the Buffalo. However, that didn't hinder the scenery along the trail and the spectacular views from the bluff tops out across the Buffalo River valley. The leaves were changing colors as well and that helped as a reward for the fact that all the potential waterfalls were dry. We must hike it again when there is more water ! We chose to use the Buffalo Outdoor Center (check out the link) to shuttle the one car that we took with us. We had driven from Sullivan to Table Rock State Park and spent the night before driving on to Ponca the next morning and going directly to the Buffalo Outdoor Center which is just a 1/2 mile from the trailhead. We left our car and one set of keys there and they had the car waiting for us in Pruitt 48 hours later. We hiked 10-miles plus that first day from the Buffalo Outdoor Center in Ponca to Kyles Landing and spent the night at Kyles Landing campground. The next day we hike to the Erbie Campground, ate lunch where there was plenty of water, and then hiked on for a few more miles before camping on a bluff top above the river, about 8 miles total for the day. Our final morning out we finished the 7.5 miles before noon and we were on our way back home by lunch time. Unfortunately, the brakes had gone bad on the front of the car and we made an unscheduled stop for several hours in Harrison, AR to get some brake work done. The elevation along the trail ranges from 1000-feet at Ponca to about 700-feet at Pruitt with a climb to 1800 feet at the 7.5-mile point at Slaty Place.

There are many other trails in the area that are just as spectacular but some of them require river crossings so the time of year could play a big factor in which trail you take. One of my favorites is hiking down from the trailhead at Compton, AR (north side of River) and following Sneed's Creek on down to the Buffalo. This allows a visit to the waterfall in Hemmed-In Hollow, the largest waterfall in the mid-west. This is a good weekend trip as it is only about 8.5 miles of hiking but requires a 1200 foot climb up and out back to the trailhead in a short 2 miles. Coming from Harrison you will drive through Compton, AR (a spot in the road) as you proceed to Ponca. For reference and trip planning I purchased a copy of a book called: Buffalo River Hiking Trails, by Tim Ernst. It has a fairly decent map, although not a contour map, and a step by step description of what to see and expect along the trail. I purchased the book in Springfield, MO at a local outdoor type store. You could hike in this area every weekend and take a year to hit all the available trails. I think Missouri should annex this part of Arkansas.

Maps: If you don't buy the book mentioned above then contact the Buffalo National River, P.O. Box 1173, Harrison, AR 72602-1173 or call (870) 741-5443 for further information.