upper buffalo wilderness

I know Earnst's waterfall book has quite a few references to the Upper Buffalo Wilderness area, but I haven't found many topics about the place on here. Does anyone have much experience with the area? I hear you can travel via some old logging roads to get around.

The guidebook has all the gps stuff, maps, and directions to at least 17 great waterfalls in the Upper Buffalo Wilderness Area. Some routes are via logging roads or trails (or a combination), while others are just bushwhacking. That should keep ya busy for quite a while!

Are you looking for waterfalls and such, or are you just generally interested in the Upper Buffalo area?

To be honest, it seems like there are lots of logging roads all around the Buffalo, but to see the cool stuff you generally have to get off the roads (and trails!)

If you're looking to go somewhere in the UB specifically, let us know. Someone might have some info for ya.

I've spent quite a bit of time up there and seen most of the waterfalls, so if you have any specific questions I will try to help.

There are a lot of old road beds up there, some are overgrown enough that they're hard to spot... some are better cleared.

Seems these guys mostly hit the trails. I am a bushwacker. Have not done the area you are talking about. We mostly do the Big Piney and Illinois Bayou areas. I got out of it but now that my kids are big enough and enjoy it, we are starting again. All the places we found... and did not find... were pre gps days.

Be interested to know some cool off track areas.

Nearly everything in the Upper Buffalo Wilderness Area is bushwhacking - the only official trail is out to Hawksbill Crag. You can use the guidebook as a starting point to find out where some of the neat stuff is, and then find your own way to get there - that is what bushwhacking is all about! Plus there are numerous drainages that you can bushwhack up or down - some pretty tough stuff with nor trails or roads. If you are a real bushwhacker, you can take any plot of land and have a great time bushwhacking! Part of the fun is not knowing what you are likely to find along the way. The Leatherwood Wilderness Area is another great bushwhacking place - no official trails in there at all - just park your rig and head out and follow the drainages or the ridgetops and you will find all kinds of neat stuff. No gps needed.

That was the fun of it... and I forgot to mention Richland creek area... how many times we went in search of something we read about. Never got "there" but found lots of places to explore and had blasts doing it.

that's awesome. I'm actually going to Richland wilderness this weekend. to me, famous hiking trails are nice, but personally, I seek out wilderness areas. the wilderness spot I am probably the most familiar with is Hercules Glades in Mo, but for some reason, unlike Ar. they allow trails. I was actually kinda shocked when i moved back to Ar. and started doing all my camping here. We have sections that you can only get to by bushwhacking. That is special!
I was also surprised, that as huge as Ouachita is, they have very little designated wilderness.

Actually Arkansas is about the only state in the country that is against trails in wilderness areas. That is the result of a few overzealous environmentalists and a forest service that was against wilderness areas to begin with. Trails don't destroy wilderness, nor do they mess up the solitude. Anyone worth their salt can find all the wild country they want in most of our national forest lands outside of wilderness areas - 99% of it never sees a human during the year. Trails do help concentrate the use, but in some areas like Caney Creek, a trail also tends to attract far too many people to those same areas. But even in Caney, it is easy to get lost and never see another soul even on the most popular weekends - you just have to be a real bushwhacker!

What exactly were you trying to get into in the area?
I've been going to the Upper Buffalo area almost every week for quite some time now - although, I've been bushwhacking and mapping the older, seldom used trails of the Ponca Wilderness Area as of the last three months.

I was going to go to Bower's Hollow this coming Monday to look for Yellow Lady Slippers but my ladyfriend gets a chance to come along and wants to walk the rim of Hemmed-In, some of the ORT, and Chimney Rock as a loop - I won't argue!