Ozark National Forest and Blanchard Springs Caverns - Arkansas

The Ozarks cover a large part of Southern Missouri and Northern Arkansas, and are known for the natural beauty of the mountains, hills and waterways and the local Ozark culture. Ozark National Forest includes the highest range in the Ozarks, the Boston Mountains and, at 2753 feet, Signal Hill on Mt. Magazine, which marks the highest point in Arkansas. Cave tours are available at Blanchard Springs Caverns.

Ozark National Forest offers over 300 campsites, 400 miles of hiking trails, including sections of the Ozark Highlands Trail, and 370 miles of fishing streams. Many of the trails are open to horseback riding, mountain bikes, and off-highway vehicles. The waterways offer kayaking, boating, swimming and fishing often in quite remote sites. The forest is mainly hardwood and pine.

Located 15 miles northwest of Mountain View off State Road 14, Blanchard Springs Caverns offers 3 different tours of the underground system. The Dripstone Tour Trail is less than half a mile long and is wheelchair and stroller accessible. The Discovery Trail Tour involves a lot of walking and stairs, and follows the natural entrance and the cave stream. Both tours leave often and cover many of the caves' impressive formations. Tours of the undeveloped part of the caves are available by reservation.

Ozark National Forest is really a patchwork of land totaling over a million acres in Northwest Arkansas. There are three main areas of interest to visitors. The first is the largest area in the Boston Mountains, north of I-40 and east of Fort Smith. Mt. Magazine is south of I-40, and Russellville and finally the Sylamore section is to the east of the Boston Mountains and is best known for the underground formations in Blanchard Springs Caverns.