Outdoor Vista

The Hawksbill Crag, also known as Whitaker Point, is located along the northern edge of th e  Upper Buffalo Wilderness in the Ozark National Forest, just south of the Buffalo National River. It is easily one of the most photograped and recognizable features in Arkansas, and is often seen on publications depicting the outdoors in Arkansas. The hike to it is an easy 3.0 mile round trip, and offers scenic vistas, huge boulders, beautiful waterfalls and colorful wildflowers. 

The North Fork of the White River Watershed, in Missouri occupies approximately 1,389 (888,960) square miles in parts of six counties in the Southern Missouri Ozarks. These counties include Douglas, Howell, Ozark, Texas, Webster, and Wright. The North Fork Watershed in Missouri constitutes approximately 76% of the total area of the North Fork Watershed with the remainder in Arkansas. Two major streams drain the North Fork Watershed, the North Fork of the White River and Bryant Creek. The North Fork of the White River originates in the vicinity of Mountain Grove in southeastern Wright County. The river flows in a general southerly direction across Douglas and Ozark counties for 67 miles before emptying into Northfork Reservoir near Tecumseh, Missouri. Northfork Reservoir is a 22,000 acre (at conservation pool) United States Army Corps of Engineers reservoir. The North Fork of the White River is joined by Bryant Creek approximately one half mile north of Tecumseh, Missouri. Bryant Creek,

Fiery Fork Conservation Area is in Camden County, 15 miles northwest of Camdenton, Missouri and seven miles east of Climax Springs, off Highway 7. The area includes 1,509 acres of oak and hickory forest and was named after Fiery Fork Creek, which flows into the Niangua River. Hiking trails on the area vary in length from 0.25 mile to 1.25 miles and offer ideal opportunities to view wildlife in its natural setting. All boundaries of the area are marked from tree to tree with blue paint and are posted where they intersect state and county roads or private lands. Visitors are urged to respect the rights of adjacent land owners. At the end of the video is a nice review of some of the wildflowers along one of the trails. Our thanks to the two ladies who placed flags beside each wildflower.

Pedernales Falls State Park has arguably some of the most beautiful and unique scenery in the Texas Hill Country. While the river itself is reason enough to visit the park, scenic trails wind through forests, atop ridges, and along the riverside. Walk the sandy shores of the Pedernales River and climb on the river’s rock formations. You can cross its waterfalls (water levels permitting), and delve into the nooks and crannies formed by the boulders in the riverbeds and along the shoreline. The scenery at the state park is beautiful, and with several miles of trails visitors have countless ways to explore the terrain.

Legacy from the creators of the Beverly Hillbillies Covering 1,534 acres just northwest of Branson, the Ruth and Paul Henning Conservation Area preserves one of the most scenic and historic sites in Missouri. The area was preserved largely through the efforts and generosity of Ruth and Paul Henning, who donated or sold much of the preserve to the state of Missouri. Paul Henning is best known as the creator of several of America's most popular television series, including the Beverly Hillbillies, Petticoat Junction and Green Acres. He also wrote episodes of the Andy Griffith Show, the George Burns and Gracie Allen Show and the 1988 film Dirty Rotten Scoundrels Natives of Missouri, the Hennings maintained a life-long love for the state, its scenery, culture and citizens. They helped establish the conservation area to preserve the landscape for future generations.  The area protects a unique series of natural features called "balds." Open glades along the slopes and

We head to Creede, Colorado area for a backpacking/camping trip. After traveling through Texas and New Mexico at 105° the high altitudes of the San Juan Mountains was very welcome. Creede sits at an elevation of 8,799 feet and is located in Mineral County, which is northeast of Durango and has a population of 712, making it the second least populated county in the state, Creede itself has 299 full-time residents, as of the 2010 Census. Creede was the last silver boom town in Colorado in the 19th century and went from a population of 600 in 1889 to more than 10,000 in 1891. The 2013 film, The Lone Ranger was filmed in Creede, as well as The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.