Pedestal Rocks

Friday Matt and I went for a day hike in Arkansas. I hadn’t been hiking in Arkansas in a long time, so I was excited to spend some time in our neighboring state to the south’s portion of the Ozark Mountains. I’m sure to many people, hiking upwards of 7 miles in freezing rain, sleet, and snow sounds like the definition of misery, however I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Typically hiking the Ozarks in winter is fun, though not particularly photogenic. The exception to that rule is when there is snow involved, so I did manage to get a few decent shots, which I’ll post once I’ve reviewed them all. The main objective of the trip was just to get out and enjoy nature and have a good time, which we certainly accomplished.

Pedestal Rocks is basically a heavily eroded cavernous bluff ridge. Some of the formations resemble tall stand-alone pedestals.

Here is Matt on a bluff edge next to one of the ‘pedestals’. I’m not sure how tall the average drop off was, but I would estimate mostly between 40-80 feet.

Here I am next to a huge Shortleaf Pine. I was fascinated by the size of the bark plates. My highlight of the day, ha!

We stopped at this overlook for awhile and enjoyed the view and the snow that was silently falling over the mountains. The tops of the mountains were shrouded in clouds, adding a bit of mystery to the scene.

We also stopped at Alum Cove Natural Bridge on the way back. It, like many large natural features, looks deceptively unimpressive in a photo. The ice-cicles were taller than me. In person it was pretty cool, and this trail also contained a nice stream, a couple wet season waterfalls and some cave-like formations that were fun to explore.