Arkansas offers a fabulous state park system, literally something for everyone from historical sites to full-hookup, 50-amp campsites. One of the best of these parks is the first state park in Arkansas, Petit Jean, about a 90-minute drive west of Little Rock.
Petit Jean State Park is mostly on top of a mountain, a mountain cut by a gorge with a rushing river and Cedar Falls, a 200-foot waterfall. You can drive close to an overlook and look down on it, or you can park at the trailhead and hike in a mile to stand at the bottom of the falls. The park brochure describes the hike as moderate to hard, and really that’s describing the first half of the trail as you drop down to the canyon floor. Once at the bottom, you walk alongsde the stream for about a half mile to falls, a relatively easy stroll.
Prints of Ron’s pictures are available from rdcomm@gci.net.