Recreation area

Upper Buffalo Wilderness Area

Arkansas — managed by USDA Forest Service

Open recreation area — no reservation needed

About this campground

The main section of the Upper Buffalo Wilderness was designated in 1974 with additional acreages created by the 1984 Arkansas Wilderness Act totaling approximately 12.000 acres. This is one of the 3 wildernesses on the Buffalo Ranger District. The forest cover is mostly second and third growth oak-hickory. Some scattered stands of shortleaf pine in old fields still exist from when the Forest Service purchased the land in the 1930s and 1940s. The route to Hawksbill Crag is the only designated hiking trail located in the wilderness. The trail is developed but unmarked. A system of old lodging roads that runs throughout the area provides and informal network of trails for hiking and horseback rising. There are four developed access points to reach the Upper Buffalo Wilderness : Hawksbill Crag, Kapark Cemetery, Dahl Memorial, and Boen Gulf. Point of interest- Hawksbill Crag Rock Formation.

Getting there

See trailhead links (under "Find Area" in right column) for map, directions and latitude/longitude of each trailhead.

Activities

  • HORSEBACK RIDING
  • HUNTING
  • WILDLIFE VIEWING
  • HIKING

Nearby federal campgrounds

Explore more Arkansas camping

Upper Buffalo Wilderness Area doesn't take campsite reservations — but plenty of nearby Arkansas campgrounds do, and we'll alert you the moment a sold-out site opens up.

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Details from Recreation.gov's official RIDB catalog. Conditions change — confirm with the managing office before you go. Not affiliated with Recreation.gov or any federal agency.