North Sylamore Trial

Hike Name: North Sylamore Trial Location: north AR Length: 14 Submitted by: Lawrence Kerr Date Submitted: 0/0/00 Rating:	more Arkansas trail reviews Arkansas national parks Arkansas state parks
For more trail descriptions and topo maps, try a Free Trial Offer from Trails.com

Description
THE SYLAMORE TRAIL IS ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PLACES I HAVE EVER VISITED. THE WHOLE TRAIL IS LIKE WALKING THROUGH A HANGING GARDEN. WHEN PEOPLE ASK ME WHAT IT IS LIKE HIKING IT I TELL THEM THAT THE AREA RESEMBLES THE GARDEN OF EDEN BEFORE THE APPLE! THE TRAIL IS ABOUT 14 MILES AND IT IS LINEAR, NOT A LOOP. IF YOU BRING CHILDREN OR DOGS THEY SHOULD BE CLOSELY SUPERVISED AS THERE ARE PLACES ALONG THE TRAIL WHERE A FALL COULD BE FATAL. IT CAN BE ACCESSED FROM THE COMMUNITY OF ALLISON, BLANCHARD SPRINGS RECREATION AREA, GUNNER POOL RECREATION AREA, OR BARKSHED RECREATION AREA. THE DISTANCES BETWEEN EACH OF THESE ACCESS POINTS ARE:

ALLISON-BLANCHARD: 4.8 MILES
BLANCHARD-GUNNER: 5.1 MILES
GUNNER-BARKSHED: 4.1 MILES

THE TRAIL IS WELL MARKED AND THERE ARE MILEPOSTS ALONG THE WAY. IT FOLLOWS AND CROSSES THE NORTH SYLAMORE CREEK AT A COUPLE OF PLACES. THERE ARE HIGH LIMESTONE BLUFFS, SIDE CREEKS WITH WATERFALLS, AND SPRINGS. THERE IS ALSO PLENTY OF WILDLIFE INCLUDING DEER, BLACK BEAR, SQUIRRELS, SNAKES, TURTLES, AND HERON. IT WAS ON THIS TRAIL THAT I FIRST SAW A ROADRUNNER IN THE WILD. I DID MENTION BEAR WERE IN THE AREA, BUT SIGHTING ONE IS EXTREMELY RARE. YOU WILL NOTICE THAT THE CREEK FEATURES SOME OF THE CLEAREST WATER YOU HAVE EVER SEEN. IN SOME PLACES IT IS DIFFICULT TO GAUGE THE DEPTH OF THE WATER BECAUSE IT IS SO CLEAR. YOU CAN STAND ON THE BANK AND WATCH THE BASS AND TROUT SWIM AROUND.

THERE IS ALSO SOME HISTORY TO BE FOUND ON THE TRAIL. ON THE FIRST SECTION FROM ALLISON TO BLANCHARD YOU WILL COME ACROSS A BEAUTIFUL SPRING COVERED WITH JEWELWEED AND MAIDENHAIR FERN. THERE WAS ONCE A SCHOOLHOUSE NEARBY AND THIS SPRING PROVIDED IT WITH WATER. ON THE BLACHARD TO GUNNER SECTION YOU WILL ENCOUNTER THE RUINS OF SOME TURN OF THE CENTURY HOMESTEADS INCLUDING LOG CABINS, A BARN, AND AN OLD CELLAR LINED WITH LOCAL STONES.

THERE ARE SOME NICE OVERLOOKS OF THE OZARK NATIONAL FOREST. BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL IN THESES AREAS. AT SOME OF THESE PROMONTORIES YOU CAN HEAR THE CREEK EVEN THOUGH IT IS A COUPLE OF HUNDRED FEET BELOW. IT KIND OF SOUNDS LIKE PEOPLE TALKING. WHEN YOU ARE AT THOSE PLACES THAT ARE CLOSE TO THE CREEK WHERE THERE ARE DEEP POOLS, YOU MAY WANT TO DO SOME SWIMMING. JUST KEEP IN MIND THAT THE WATER IS SPRING FED AND COLD.

THE GLADES ALONG THE TRAIL ARE COVERED WITH CEDARS, MOSS, THISTLES, WILDFLOWERS, AND CACTI. YOU’LL PASS LICHEN COVERED LIMESTONE BLUFFS, SOME OF WHICH OVERHANG THE TRAIL. YOU’LL ALSO ENCOUNTER SEVERAL SIDE CREEKS, LIKE THE ONE THAT FLOWS OVER SLICK ROCK HOLLOW. SLICK ROCK HOLLOW IS AN ESPECIALLY NICE PLACE WHERE THE CREEK HAS SMOOTHED THE BEDROCK AND FLOWS INTO A LITTLE HOLE ON ITS WAY DOWN TO THE SYLAMORE CREEK. ALL OF THESE SIDE CREEKS INVITE EXPLORATION AS DOES THE ENTIRE SURROUNDING AREA. THERE ARE SOME SECTIONS OF THE TRAIL THAT CROSS PRIVATE LAND. BIKES ARE FORBIDDEN, BUT THE TRAIL TO INTERSECT SOME HORSE TRAILS.

WHEN YOU ARE IN THE BLANCHARD SPRINGS AREA, YOU MAY WANT TO CHECK OUT AN INTERIOR HIKING EXPERIENCE. BLANCHARD SPRINGS ACTUALLY FLOWS OUT OF THE SIDE OF A MOUNTAIN. IT WAS THIS WATER THAT FORMED BLANCHARD SPRINGS CAVERNS (ADMISSION CHARGE). AT THE TOP YOU WILL FIND A MODERN VISITORS CENTER WITH AN ELEVATOR THAT WILL TAKE YOU DOWN TO ONE OF TWO GUIDED TOURS. ONE TOUR IS LONGER THAT THE OTHER AND IS ONLY OPEN DURING CERTAIN SEASONS. THIS CAVERN SYSTEM IS ONE OF THE BEST IN THE WORLD AND WELL WORTH CHECKING OUT.

I HIKED THE SYLAMORE TRAIL IN THE EARLY AUTUMN AT IT HAD A “CRYSTALLINE” QUALITY TO IT. THE BEST WAY TO HIKE IT IS TO START AT ONE END AND HIKE TO THE OTHER, OR YOU CAN HIKE IT IN THIRDS. IF YOU WANT TO DO IT ONE WAY THERE ARE SEVERAL TROUT FISHING GUIDES IN THE AREA (IT IS NEAR THE WHITE RIVER) THAT WILL SHUTTLE YOU AND YOUR PARTY FOR $20-$25. THERE ARE ALSO INEXPENSIVE MOTELS AND CABINS IN THE NEARBY COMMUNITIES OF ALLISON, FIFTY SIX, SYLAMORE, AND MOUNTAIN VIEW IF YOU DON’T WANT TO CAMP. MAPS AND LITERATURE CAN BE OBTAINED FROM THE BLANCHARD SPRINGS CAVERN VISITORS CENTER OR THE SYLAMORE RANGER DISTRICT OF THE U.S. FOREST SERVICE IN MOUNTAIN VIEW. BRING PLENTY OF FILM. IF YOU WOULD LIKE SOME PICTURES FEEL FREE TO EMAIL ME. This part of the Ozarks is a good place to spend a week or two.

Directions to Hike
From Mountain View, Take Highway 14/9 North for 5 miles to the Community of Allison. Take Highway 14 West and take the gravel raod to the right as the highway curves and goes uphill. Follow this gravel road to the Allison trailhead. You can stop at Brickshy's Texaco, the Ranger Office, or the Blanchard Caverns Visitor Center for directions to all of the trailheads.

Contact Information
U.S. Forest Service
Sylamore Ranger District
P.O. Box 1
Mountain View, AR 72560
(501)-757-2211

submit a new trail review

---

About Our Reviews

Many people ask us to recommend a place to go hiking. Instead of us deciding what places are best, we let the backpacking community help out. The reviews on budget-travels-tips.com have been submitted by our viewers. Some reviews are positive and some are negative. If you don't agree with a review, feel free to submit your own trail review.