Some trips just stick with you—and this is one of mine.

Back in September 2020, before I ever hit “publish” on my first blog post, I packed up my car, threw together a loose plan, and set off on a 7-day solo road trip through Arkansas. No content strategy. No shot list. Just me, my Honda Civic Sport, and a week of complete freedom.

To this day, I still talk about this trip all the time. It challenged me, surprised me, and gave me some of my favorite travel memories. So even though I didn’t document it as I would now, I’m finally giving it the space it deserves here on the blog.

If you’re craving a mix of hiking, scenic drives, small towns, and spontaneous adventure, this Arkansas road trip itinerary might just inspire your next solo escape.

Day 1: Home in Texas to Texarkana → Hot Springs

I kicked things off early, leaving College Station and heading north toward Texarkana.

My first stop? Lunch and a beer at Hopkins Icehouse, followed by a walk around town snapping photos at murals and, of course, the iconic state line.

From there, I made my way to Hot Springs, where I wandered through tourist shops, strolled along the historic promenade, and learned about the famous bathhouses.

For my first night of the road trip, I booked a stay at The Village Inn. It wasn’t anything to write home about, but it was the most affordable option in the area. This was the only night I stayed at a hotel/motel throughout my entire trip.

Day 2: Hiking Caddo Bend Trail at Lake Ouachita State Park

After a very disappointing motel breakfast, I packed up and drove 35 minutes out to Lake Ouachita State Park.

Despite starting my hike mid-morning, when it was well over 80°F, I committed to tackling the Caddo Bend Trail. This 4-mile loop offers beautiful lake views from just about every angle and, thankfully, plenty of shade along the way. I felt that familiar hiker’s joy, but this one felt extra special since it was my first solo hike in Arkansas.

Somewhere along the return side of the loop, I decided to slow things down, set up my hammock, and spend some time reading while I cooled off and relaxed. It was the perfect hike, just very, very sweaty.

After completing my hike around Caddo Bend, I was pretty worn out and thankful to return to the car and the air conditioning.
I drove a little over an hour and a half to the Petit Jean Valley Overlook, which took my breath away. It was the perfect way to end my day. I sat up on the edge of the overlook, ate my dinner, and waited for the sun to go down before heading into Mt. Magazine State Park for the night.

Day 3: Mt. Magazine State Park to Haw Creek Falls

I don’t think I was technically allowed to park here overnight, but I got in late after the office closed and checked in first thing in the morning. I stepped into the visitors center to get a map and use their restroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. After looking at the map, I saw the North Rim trail started right here at the visitor center and decided that was a perfect place to start.

The plan was to make a 4.4-mile loop connecting the North Rim, Mossback Ridge, and Greenfield trails. Although it was hot and humid, I did find quite a bit of shade along the way. The trails were well-marked and easy to navigate, and there were very few other hikers out on the trail.

Feeling ambitious, I added on the 1.8-mile hike to Signal Hill (2,753 ft). The trail itself wasn’t particularly difficult, but the heat was relentless. By the time I reached the summit, I was drenched in sweat and completely drained. I got my photo at the highest point in Arkansas, signed the logbook, and rested in the shade for a bit.

While I was resting, it hit me—I still had 3.5 miles back to my car. Along a road. In the heat. That walk back to the car was a pure mental battle. I was HOT, sweaty, probably a little dehydrated, and just downright depleated. It stopped being fun and turned into “just keep going” fairly quickly.

Lesson learned: always plan the full hike—not just the exciting part. 😂

That was enough adventure for me for the day, so I took off to find a campground to stay at for the night. My destination was Cove Lake Campground. I arrived after hours, and the only way to reserve a site for the night after hours was via a cash box. I don’t carry cash, so I kept driving, hoping to find another option.

My next planned stop was the Arkansas Grand Canyon, which was 2 hours away, so I decided I’d drive until I got tired and then find somewhere to camp along the way.

Eventually, I landed at Haw Creek Falls Recreation Area… also cash only, but it was getting late, so I took the risk, set up camp quietly, and planned to leave early. (Yes, I think this is probably questionable ethics, but there were many sites available, I was very careful to leave no trace, didn’t use any of the facilities, and convinced myself it was okay.)

Day 4: Haw Creek Falls, the Arkansas Grand Canyon, and Buffalo River

I was very excited for my first night of camping in Arkansas, but the experience was horrible. If I had a watch that calculated sleep score at the time, I’m sure it would have been poor. Between the heat, constant animal sounds, and me setting up camp at the site next to the restroom, I was up most of the night.

Nonetheless, I woke up at sunrise and packed up quickly because I knew I had to get out of the park before they officially opened. Before heading out, though, I walked over to the falls, sat on the edge, and just listened to the water, the birds, and the wind in the trees. It was the best way to start a morning. I was awake, I felt free, and I was happy. This trip was full of great views, great hikes, and great campsites, and despite it all, sitting on the edge of Haw Creek Falls first thing in the morning was one of my favorite memories.

I left the park early and hit the road for my next stop: The Arkansas Grand Canyon. This was one stop I had planned and was most looking forward to. I’d seen it in blogs and YouTube videos, and it always looked stunning. I ate breakfast in the car while I drove the 50 minutes to the canyon.

I must have really enjoyed my visit because these are the only pictures I got, despite there being so much more to the lookout. There is a wooden tower you can climb for free to get an even better view, a small shop full of trinkets and Arkansas memorabilia, and a whole “Arkansas Grand Canyon” sign!

I stayed here, just looking out into the vastness of the valley for quite some time. Again, just being so thankful for this opportunity and the freedom to explore.

After taking in that view, my plan was to drive out to Withrow Springs State Park. However, along the way, I saw Steel Creek Campground on Google Maps, and it looked really beautiful, so I decided to detour and head that way.

This is the image that showed up on Google from the National Park Service that convinced me this park was worth a visit:

Despite not getting the aerial view of the park during my visit, it looked just like this. The river flowing right along the high rock wall was a sight to see. The river was fairly low during my visit, but that didn’t stop a large group of people from enjoying the river all along the park. It was a popular day destination.

This was just a little side-quest stop for me, but I’m happy I drove through the park and got to see the Buffalo River again from ground level this time.

After a quick drive through Steel Creek, I got back on the road to Withrow Springs State Park, where I’d reserved a campsite for the night.

Withrow State Park is a small park, home to 29 Class AAA sites and only 10 tent camping sites. The park is known for its access to War Eagle Creek, which is a popular spot to get in and day-float. There are fewer than 5 miles of hiking trails throughout the park, so it’s an easy, evening stroll kind of place, and that’s exactly what I did.

I arrived around 2:00 PM, so I decided to do a quick, 0.75-mile hike along the DogWood Trail before setting up camp.

After I set up camp, I hiked the Creek Spur Trail and the Forest Trail before deciding I wanted to go out to dinner and get some real food. For the last couple of days, I’d just been eating peanut butter sandwiches, tuna packets, and protein bars on the go in the car.

Unfortunately, I do not remember where I had dinner, but I got Mexican food and a HUGE beer somewhere close by.

When I got back to camp, I set up my hammock (with bug net) and read until nightfall. It was quiet, peaceful, restful, and set me up for a much better night of sleep than I had gotten at Haw Creek Falls.

Here’s a photo from a random pull-off on the highway on my way to Withrow Springs State Park:

Day 5: Town Breakfast, Almost Getting Lost, and Hobbs State Park

My night at Withrow Springs was incredible. It was quiet, not too hot, and incredibly peaceful. I didn’t wake up to falls in my backyard, but my campsite was fantastic, and I woke up well-rested. I couldn’t have asked for more.

After I got packed up, I headed out in search of breakfast. I don’t remember the place I stopped at, but it was one of those diners where you walk in, and immediately everyone knows you’re visiting because you’re the only one in the diner that isn’t a regular. I ordered a biscuits and gravy breakfast and coffee while I sat and looked through some of the photos I’d taken already on this trip. Breakfast was great and fueled me for the big day ahead.

My first stop of the day was at Kings River Overlook, which was just a waterfall that looked really nice on Google when I was planning, and I wanted to go see it. What Google didn’t tell me was that the road out to the overlook was a skinny, all-dirt, backcountry road with no service at all. There were many times during the drive out to the overlook that I considered backing out and turning around because I didn’t have any service, I felt like I had been driving way longer than I was supposed to and I was nervous I was going to get stuck, or lost… but turning around wasn’t really an option as the road was a one way street and I would have never been able to make it.

Thankfully, there were signs along the way that said “Kings River Overlook” with directional arrows. Each time I saw one of the signs, I felt a bit of relief that I was still going the right way.

I finally made it to the overlook trailhead, and there was one other car out there. Typically, I like having nature to myself, but I was happy to see this older couple. Unfortunately, they shared with me that the river was all dried up and there wasn’t any water coming through the fallas at all. The drive was for nothing.

I believed them, but I’d already driven all that way, so I decided to still do the short little hike and head to the overlook. It was just a rock, as they said, with no water. I guess you win some and you lose some.

*Later, I discovered that I wasn’t actually at the overlook I thought I was at, and I’d like to go back and do this hike again in the future.

After that adventure, I drove about 45 minutes over to Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area. First stop was at the Visitor’s Center, which was really impressive! They had paper maps of the trails, which I happily took and set out on my hike.

I started on the Bashore Ridge Loop Trail, a 4.4-mile loop out to a beautiful view of Beaver Lake. I really enjoyed this trail, and being the only one at the viewpoint was special too. During my hike, I noticed there were a few primitive campsites along the way. I would have loved to stay out there. This park has miles of trails to explore, but it was nearing 5:00 PM when I finished my hike. I had to move on to my next destination. If I have time to come back in the future, I’d love to revisit this park and conservation area.

To wrap up the day, I drove about 45 minutes out to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville. Thankfully, they were open until 8:00 PM that night, so when I arrived around 5:45 PM, I still had plenty of time to walk around and explore. The museum has a very unique architecture, a beautiful garden, and a relaxing water feature in the middle of the grounds. I didn’t get any pictures of the museum in the dark, but it’s absolutely stunning all lit up at night. I was really glad to have been able to fit that into my itinerary.

It was already dark once I left the museum, and I hadn’t decided on a place to camp yet, so I looked up local places and landed on Blowing Springs Park. This was another cash-only camp spot, and I still didn’t have cash, so I did the same thing as I did the previous stay. I made sure there were a lot of open sites, I pitched, slept, and got up early, ensuring I left no trace, and left the park before they opened in the morning. This was another very good night of sleep. The park didn’t look like much from my late-night drive in and early morning departure, but after googling it, I have learned there are some great hikes right there at the park, and it’s a host to many events throughout the year.

Day 6: Eureka Springs, Christ of the Ozarks, and Cave Exploring

From Blowing Springs, I made my way east toward Eureka Springs. Right before entering town, I made a stop at one of the most iconic churches I’ve ever seen – Thorncrown Chapel. I’ve seen this place on YouTube videos, Instagram photos, and in magazines for years! Thankfully, when I visited, there weren’t any events going on, so it was open to the public, and I was able to go inside and explore the church. Words cannot explain how beautiful this place is with the morning sun shining through.

I spent a couple of hours of my morning just walking around Eureka Springs. I had breakfast at Main Street Café, sauntered up the main street, visiting souvenir shops, bookstores, and boutiques, and ended at the north end at BREWS for a couple (you guessed it) brews. It’s actually a coffee shop and bar, and I really enjoyed my time there sampling their beer flight.    

After finishing my beer sampler at BREWS, I ventured out to find the Christ of the Ozarks Statue. This stop was on my itinerary from the start, but I hadn’t planned out the details on how to get there exactly, which resulted in my hiking the VERY scenic route up to the statue and quite the adventure. I am not religious, but I find any statue of this size interesting.

Google Maps was my guide to Christ of the Ozarks, and my GPS took me to a small, side-of-the-road parking spot (Trolley Stop #39) to begin my hike up to the statue. I walked down to “The Lord’s Prayer” trail entrance and began the trek. I didn’t realize it was going to be more than a simple walk, so I was quite surprised as the switchbacks began pretty quickly after entering the forest.

There was no cell service out in the forest, so I was just meandering, hoping the trail would eventually lead me to where I wanted to go. The trail system here is themed, and each trail has a biblical or religious adjacent name and the signs for each trail were kind of cool. The Lord’s Prayer trail eventually connected with the Genesis trail, which took me to the incredible statue. Standing next to something that big is truly an experience. Christ of the Ozarks was built back in 1966 and stands at 67 feet tall, looking out over the mountain top.

*Once I was at the top, I realized there is actually a fully accessible driveway that would bring me all the way up to the statue’s parking lot. *facepalm*. I spent over an hour hiking up to the statue when I could have just driven another 10 minutes from where I parked the car. Luckily, the way down was a lot faster for me than the way up.

My next stop was at Onyx Cave. I have always loved visiting caves and taking cave tours, so this was something I was definitely looking forward to. I was the only customer there when I arrived, which was cool. The employee working the welcome desk gave me lots of information before sending me down into the cave with my audio tour guide, and we were able to chat more than I think he’d typically have time for with a full tour group. Some others did show up before I went down into the cave, but it was still very relaxed. Although not a huge cave or very long tour, I crawled out of it feeling very happy to have visited.

Since the hike up to Christ of the Ozarks took up a lot more of my day than I had envisioned, I was rushing to try to get to my final destination before it closed. The destination was Cosmic Cavern. I called while I was on the road to see what time the last tour took off from the visitors center, because often times it’ll be an hour before closing and I would only get there 30 minutes before they closed. I explained to the lady I was speaking to that I was roadtripping my way through Arkansas and wanted to include that in my day, but I didn’t know if I was going to make it. She was so sweet and told me to just come by, and she’ll take me on a tour when I arrive.

I got there around 4:30 PM, which was 30 minutes after their last tour, and she gave me a personal 1:1 tour of the cave! It was so fun! She was super knowledgeable, and you could tell she just loved her job. She didn’t try to rush me out or pressure me at any point of the tour. Her kindness closed out my day on a seriously positive note. When I left the caverns, I drove somewhere between there and Little Rock and car camped for the night.

Day 7: Little Rock Brewery Tour and Then Heading Home

The final day of my Arkansas adventure started with a 3.5-hour drive down to Little Rock. I stopped in for a much needed shower at Planet Fitness, then headed over to Mugs Café for some coffee and breakfast (unfortunately, this place has permanently closed). Across the street from the café was a cute little plaza that I spent some time lounging in while I finished up my coffee. They had swings!

From there, I headed over to the William J. Clinton Library and Museum. I didn’t have enough time to do a proper museum visit and tour, but I got to lay eyes on the very interesting-looking building and walk the grounds. There’s a short little wetlands trail next to the museum that is pretty unique and a great way to just get out and stretch your legs.

Although there seemed to be quite a few museums I would have loved to explore, I decided instead to do a self-guided brewery tour around town, starting at Lost Forty Brewing. I got a beer flight and enjoyed the atmosphere. Next up, I drove out to Flyway Brewing Co. for another, and I finished my little mini tour at Diamond Bear Brewing. There were only a few other people there, all alone, sitting at the bar, and we started chatting it up and having a great time together. Eventually, I got hungry and ordered a burger and sweet potato fries, which is a perfect pairing for all the beer tasting I was doing. Unfortunately, I had to hit the road and make my way home after that round-up in Little Rock. 

There was so much more I could have done, but I feel like this trip was the perfect amount of leisurely travel, spontaneous adventure, outdoor time, and relaxation. I had a very rough plan before I started my trip, and did a lot of “I’m up, what do I want to do today” type planning.

Although it was hot, some of the hikes were strenuous, and I hadn’t slept in a bed in a week, I loved every second of this trip. It’s one I’ve been telling people about for years, which is why I wanted to finally take the time to document it here on the blog. Arkansas is one of the most underrated states I’ve ever visited, and I will be back eventually to hike more hikes and explore more parks and waterfalls that this beautiful state has to offer.

Pin this for later so you have it ready when you’re planning your trip.