Big Bluff Trail

The Big Bluff Trail leads to what is widely recognized as the tallest river bluff between the Rocky Mountains and the Appalachians. Big Bluff rises 550 feet directly above the Buffalo River, its sheer limestone face striped with mineral seeps and ledges colonized by rare cliff-dwelling plant species found nowhere else in Arkansas. The view from the Goat Trail, a narrow ledge path traversing the face of the bluff, is one of the most dramatic and vertigo-inducing in the entire National Park System.

The route follows the Ponca-to-Kyles Landing section of the Buffalo River Trail, descending from the Ponca trailhead through magnificent hardwood forest before reaching the river corridor. The Goat Trail section traverses a narrow limestone ledge across the face of Big Bluff, with the river glittering far below and the opposite canyon walls providing a spectacular backdrop. The ledge is narrow and exposed; hikers with a fear of heights should assess carefully before proceeding. Peregrine falcons nest on the bluff face and are regularly seen soaring on the thermals rising from the canyon. The Buffalo National River is America's first national river, and Big Bluff represents the pinnacle of its geological drama.