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| Our first water crossing |
This was my second AR adventure in the past four months, (See the Ouachita Switchbacks report.) and I am liking the closeness and variety the AR trails offer.
None of us had hiked tails with water crossings before, and what we had read about the rising levels of the Little Missouri River and its tributaries made us a little nervous about the hike. (The Albert Pike Rec. Area deaths were due to quickly rising waters.) The weather cooperated mostly, and none of the crossings were unmanageable or dangerous.
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| Jon, Jim and Amy |
Our imagination had us deep in the forest away from any forms of civilization. However, about 9:00 p.m. a truck drove down a road on the other side of the river with its high beams on. Oh well, at least we were not far from help if we needed it. (About 2:00 a.m. ATVs buzzed through to wake some of us. Danged motorized outdoor vehicles.)
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| Camp site #1 |
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| A smaller water crossing |
The trails were packed, and one can trek them in hiking boots or trail running shoes.
The skies stayed cloudy, and we were not affected by the wind down in the trees and riverbeds. A highlight of the day was the Little Missouri Falls. We saw more people here than anywhere else on the trail. We took a lunch break here and decided it would be a great place to cool down in the summer.
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| Little Missouri Falls |
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| A balancing act to cross some creeks |
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| Camp #2 |
We finished up our day setting up in a well-worn campsite that was on the other side of a shoes-off water crossing. We filled our bottles with filtered river water (of which there is plenty during the hike), ate our freeze-dried delicacies, and turned in early.
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| Sunday morning rain gear |
This was the side of the Loop with the most climbs and steepest portions of the trail. It also had the longer water crossings. We met a couple of groups of climbers going the opposite direction who warned us of each ascent ahead of us.
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| Little Missouri River crossing |
As with most hikes or runs, the closer you get to the end, the longer the distance seems to become. We thought we were done when we got to the actual Winding Stairs Trail, but ended up hiking what seemed another day or two. We were wet, sore, and tired, and it continued to rain. The climbs were tough, but the views were worth it.
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| One of the deeper crossings |
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| Eagle Rock Vista |
I highly recommend this trail. You can do the whole loop in a day if you are in shape, two like we did, or take longer or do portions of the trail. You will find every kind of terrain, and the water crossings make for variety and challenge. Give it a try!