Sport & Outdoor
Outdoor AdventureBlanchard Springs Caverns
Under $25Take a guided walk through a living limestone cave of stalactites, columns and flowstone in the Ozark National Forest.
Photo: OakleyOriginals, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.
Sport & OutdoorOutdoor AdventureFree
Buffalo National River
Tyler Bend Visitor Center, off US-65 about 31 miles south of Harrison · Harrison, AR
Why you should go…
Designated in 1972 as the first national river in the United States, the Buffalo is one of the few undammed rivers left in the lower 48 states. The National Park Service manages 135 miles of it through the Ozarks, where you can canoe or kayak past massive bluffs, fish, camp and hike. The park is home to Arkansas's only elk herd. Tyler Bend Visitor Center sits off Highway 65 south of Harrison, and the park warns that GPS is unreliable here, so bring a paper map.
- #national river
- #canoeing
- #kayaking
- #ozarks
- #hiking
Good to know
General sport & outdoor guidance
Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.
Weather calls the shots
Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.
Shoes, water, sun cover
The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.
Parking and launches fill early
On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.
Daylight shrinks in shoulder season
Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.
What's around here?
The closest stops to Buffalo National River, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.
