If you’re looking for a somewhat claustrophobic hike in Arkansas, then you might enjoy the Lost Valley Trail near Ponca. This beautiful trail is in the nationally protected Buffalo National River area and is in the heart of the Ozarks. It’s not long, but you’ll see so many interesting things along the way. Read on to learn more about this very special trail.
Have you ever hiked in the Buffalo National River protected area in Arkansas? If you haven’t, or even if you have, now is the time to take on the Lost Valley Trail. It’s one of the prettiest trails in this area! This area is full of trails that are full of waterfalls, rock formations, forests, and natural beauty, so that’s saying a lot.
The Lost Valley Trail is just 2.5 miles in length out-and-back – although there is also a loop portion of the trail toward the end. When you head out on this trail, you’ll experience just 425 feet of elevation gain, and then the walk back to your car will be all downhill. This trail is ranked easy-to-moderate by other hikers.
The first part of this trail is even wheelchair accessible, and there are lots of benches for resting and wildlife watching along the way. However, at about the halfway point, there are some stairs that will disallow wheelchair users from continuing further.
People come from all over the state and the nation to explore the rock formations and to see the waterfalls on the second half of the trail. There are also several caves that visitors can explore. Most exciting, perhaps is the 50-foot-long tunnel of limestone that creates a natural bridge. This can be found just past the loop split if you choose to follow the loop in a counter-clockwise manner.
There are quite a few narrow caves on this route. Some are named; others are not. Some have water in them; others are dry. They’re all worth checking out…