If you plan to hike in Arkansas, this is your best resource page. Tim Ernst is the godfather (only good connotations) of the trail system in the Natural State. You can order his exhaustive trail guidebooks from this site along with other books and wilderness maps. He also maintains The Ozarks Highland Trail Association and HikeArkansas Web sites and links are available from this page. Ernst also has something called "Cloudland Journal" that he frequently updates with entries and pictures of his travels around the state trying to capture more of his superb photographs with his camera. Always an interesting read.
Ozark Light - Nature Photography by Randy Wilson
This is a fascinating site to us with collections of stunning photographs of Northwest Arkansas and compelling journal entries that shed background information about the photographs and Wilson's life.
The Ozark Trail
Home page of the Ozark Trail Association, an organization that develops and promotes a long distance hiking trail, that when completed, will stretch from St. Louis to the Arkansas border; 350 miles have been completed. Lots of stuff here plus free maps for download of each section of trail.
Danny's Missouri Backpacking & Hiking Trails Reviews
This site is run by Danny McMurphy. He writes many, many reviews of hiking trails in Missouri plus links to other hiking sites.
Missouriplants.com
While Don Kurz's classic Ozark Wildflowers is our "go to" reference for identification of wildflowers on the trail, this Web site is pretty darned good. Lots of photos and scholarly comment. Only problem we have is that they only use the botanical name of a plant rather than the name in common use. So a trumpet vine becomes Campsis radicans. Still, a good place to go if you are stumped.
Missouri Department of Conservation
Good general information site on Missouri outdoors plus schedules of hunting seasons. Keep that hunter orange vest handy when you are hiking.
Arkansas Fish & Game Commission
Ditto. Good general information site on Arkansas outdoors plus schedules of hunting seasons.
The Ozark Whitewater Page
If you ask us, these whitewater floaters are maniacs but highly entertaining. Lots of trip reports of what look to be near death experiences. Comprehensive listing of Arkansas creeks and river destinations with detailed directions that can be a handy reference for hikers. Ton of stuff here.
