172 Ben Hur Trailhead to Upper Jack Jones Hollow

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     It’s getting pretty close to the end of April, and we haven’t really seen much rain, April and May are usually the ‘rainy months’ here in Arkansas.  We’ll see what happens, will May be extra wet to make up for April, or are we in for a dry year?  At any rate I won’t be ‘waterfall chasing’ today, instead I’ve decided to check out some more of the Ozark Highlands Trail.

Crested Iris

    For my starting point I’ve picked Ben Hur Trailhead in Moore near the southwest corner of Richland Creek Wilderness.  The small parking area (3-4 vehicle capacity) is empty when I arrive, I head east on the OHT, across the road to the sign-in box which come to find out was donated by the Walmart Foundation.

sign-in box at Ben Hur Trailhead

    Up here in the woods is mostly flat and real easy hiking, the Ozark Highlands Trail is well marked with white blazes and in excellent shape.  Crossing a couple little dry creeks keeps things interesting.  Everything is really ‘greening up’ now that we’re well into spring; young poison-ivy is sprouting all over the forest floor along with some delicate little wildflowers.  Just before crossing Moore Road (NC 5050) is mile marker 135 nailed on a tree.

OHT in excellent shape

    After the road crossing the trail soon starts to drop and crosses two more little dry creeks then skirts near private property marked with faded red spray-paint on some trees.  Continuing downhill I cross ‘flowing’ Jack Jones Creek at a pretty, tight little scenic spot that includes a very small campsite right next to the creek.  Here the trail turns to the north and begins gently up the hill.

at Jack Jones crossing

    Rounding the bend back to the east are some ‘remnants’ of an old rock wall and north of the trail another rock wall pointing north along a small ridgeline.  After mile marker 136, I cross a dry drainage with lots of big rocks lining the creek bed, then another bigger creek this one with flowing water and even bigger boulders strewn around up and down the steep stream course.

lots of tiny blooms

    Now uphill again and soon as the trail levels out a wide ‘roadway’ which apparently someone keeps mowed but there are no evident vehicle tracks, just to the north I see a good-sized wildlife opening (food plot).  Another 300 yards at the top of a small drainage more old stonework above the trail, and 300 more yards a strange looking ‘double trunk tree’ (you got to see to believe) at an old road crossing.

double trunk tree

    This is Forest Road 92093C with a couple good parking spots near the OHT crossing.  An easy jeep road (for a while) and evidently favored by horseback riders, I leave the Ozark Highlands Trail here turning north and down the hill on the road.  Real easy hiking for almost half a mile, passing two more wildlife clearings on the right.  At the second small food plot the road turns south and heads down a steep rough hill, marking the end of ‘easy’ road travel.

recent blooms

    The ‘road’ now more of a trail turns back to the north, I leave the road continuing south.  At the bottom is a small creek with flowing water and lots of mud, and a climb up the other side.  Going south then west crossing a couple more little wet side streams in a nice scenic little canyon area.  Then it’s up onto a small ridgeline I keep going south.

stacked rock at old homesite

    A little farther up the ridge is an old homesite with lots of stacked rock all around what might have been the ‘yard’.  Nothing much remains of a house other than the rectangular footprint of the stone foundation.  Up the ridge maybe a hundred yards further is the rock wall seen earlier, and sure enough less than 100 feet more I’m back on the OHT heading west toward Ben Hur Trailhead.

rock wall near OHT

    Down the OHT a short way I cross paths with four young backpackers, they are in the middle of a three-day trip that started at Fairview Trailhead and will end tomorrow at Richland Creek Campground.  They seem to really be enjoying the hike and I wish them well as we all continue on our way.  Soon after ‘visiting’ I cross Jack Jones Hollow and continue on the OHT back to the parking area/trailhead.

back in Jack Jones Hollow

    Today's adventure was 4.9 miles with 690 feet of elevation gain, most of that was on the west half, section 18 of the Ozark Highlands Trail.  Just over half a mile was on the easy old road FR 92093C, and then the bushwhack, crossing creeks and heading up the ridgeline was about 0.4 miles, nothing very challenging there either.  The whole hike, while nothing in the way of ‘spectacular’ was still entirely enjoyable, needless to say, I had a great time.

delicate little wildflowers

OHT-Upper Jack Jones: Statistics Chart 172      It's pretty easy to get to Ben Hur Trailhead from Ben Hur, which is the 90° turn in Highway 16 just 2.7 miles east of the Pedestal Rocks Scenic Area parking.  Turn left (north) off Hwy.16 on Moore Road (NC 5050) and go about 1.7 miles to West Moore Road (NC 5057). Turn left (west) at the 'Moore Trailhead' (incorrect) sign, go up hill maybe a quarter mile to the Ben Hur Trailhead on the right at a 4-way intersection.

base map before fair use alterations is property of ArcGIS--licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 U.S. License


Location: Ben Hur Trailhead: 35.75363, -92.98225

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