The Old Goats Hike the Goat Trail to the Big Bluff Viewpoint

We fixed breakfast burritos on our outdoor griddle for eleven people. We have learned that the hole in the griddle that was made to drain the grease, will also drain runny eggs right off the grill too. Oops! We started packing up camp; but first, the children wanted to show Gram and Grandude their "secret place."

The girls weren't afraid to get their shoes wet, so we explored deeper into the secret areas of Horseshoe Canyon than ever before.

Denisa was a little worried about the uphill climb out of Horseshoe Canyon, but our little pickup pulled our little trailer heroically up those dirt roads and through the water. They do warn when you make a reservation that a four wheel drive is recommended for vehicles pulling a trailer. Mark had it in four wheel drive mode the entire time.

We realized that we forgot to hand out the frozen pop ice treats to the kids while we were camping with them. It looks like Grandude was going to have to just eat them himself!

Out trip today was only 12 miles, because we're not finished with this section of Arkansas that we have never visited before. Floating the Buffalo National Scenic River has been on our bucket list, and we'll never be closer. We found that the campgrounds in this area were very expensive, and we can't really recommend the Centerpoint Horse camp where we moved this day. But it was the least expensive option, and it's right across the road from one of the top-rated trails in the area--the Goat Trail. After moving the trailer and eating lunch, we walked across the road to the Centerpoint trail head. Mark was stretching, because his back isn't sure he should be starting an eight-mile hike.

Since it's April, we were glad to see a few wildflowers to entertain us as we walked through the forest this afternoon.

The name of this hike is "Centerpoint to the Goat Trail to the Big Bluff Viewpoint."

We much prefer trails where we hike up to mountain tops, because we know that we will have the easier downhill portion when we are tired and heading home later. But this trail was taking us down first toward the river. We found the first mile to be quite easy, while the second mile was steep and rocky, and then the third mile was easier again.

After almost four miles in the forest, we finally started seeing the limestone ledges that this trail was known for.

We came to a shaded ledge with a nice seating area and a fun little hole in the wall. Interestingly enough, the trail took us back down and around instead of through that hole.

We finally made it to the highlight of the day--views of the Buffalo River from high above.

The rock ledges made a nice path across the face of the biggest rock bluff above the river.

No hand rails here in the wilderness, but we felt quite safe on these wide paths. We were blessed to be wandering His wonders this day!

This was called the Goat Trail, and we wondered about its origin. Could it be that it was named "Goat" because it was the Greatest Of All Time? I later asked a local, and he explained that a goat-farmer used to live in these Ozark mountains, and his goats roamed this area and made paths through the forest. When this trail was established, they simply followed the goat paths to this overlook.

We wondered if any goats (or careless hikers) stumbled off these rock ledges? It's straight down from here. Imagine how surprised we were when a guy on a bike passed us here. We can't imagine riding a bike on the trail we just hiked! He explained that he had hiked it last year, and decided that he would try it this year on his mountain bike.

The goats used these rock alcoves for protection from storms, and also for great views of the Buffalo River Valley far below.

This old goat ate his picnic here enjoying those same views from the Big Bluff. We could see the rapids in the water below, but it was a little late in the day to see too many kayakers.

We headed back towards the trailhead until we got to the hole in the rock.

Mark had hiked around this section, and was resting his back in the alcove that Denisa framed through that hole. Could she fit through that hole?

Yes, she could. It saved her a few steps on the hike back.

It was a gentle uphill climb back to the top, but we were still amazed that a biker did it. I wonder what he did to get his bike through this maze of fallen trees?

We were glad to see him again on his ride back up the hill. He was impressed at how fast we were hiking because it took him so long to catch up with us again. We took this picture in a smoother part of the trail, but we were still impressed with his mountain-biking skills.

Besides our secret place hike this morning, we added another 8.2 miles with 1,844 feet elevation gain from the Goat Trail this afternoon. We were ready to sit down the rest of the day. So we made the four-mile drive to the tiny town of Ponca to look around. Elk used to roam this river valley until they became extinct in the 1840s. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission reintroduced 112 elk here in 1981. We went on a drive to find one of the herds, and with the help of other "hunters" we caught sight of a small herd. They were just dots in our cell phone camera lens, so we didn't even bother with a picture, but we did officially see the elk of the Buffalo River.

We also stopped in at the put-in spot for most river floats on the Buffalo River. It's quiet this evening, but we've heard there could be storms tomorrow, and the price to shuttle a vehicle is very expensive here. Should we try to float America's first national scenic river tomorrow?