I don’t know about you, but with Spring right around the corner, most folks are itching to head outdoors for some fresh air and sunshine.

Sugar Loaf Mountain Island

The state of Arkansas is one of my favorite places to travel and if you love to hike like me Sugar Loaf Mountain Island near Heber Springs is one of the best in the state.

YouTube
YouTube
loading...

It is really an island all to itself surrounded by the natural beauty of Greers Ferry Lake in the foothills of the Ozarks and is the only island hiking trail in the state. However, the only way to get there is by boat, canoe, kayak, or if you prefer you can take a shuttle from Fairfield Bay Marina for the short trek to the island.

YouTube
YouTube
loading...

Once you arrive at Sugar Loaf Mountain you can climb the wooden stairs all the way to the top for some breathtaking views of the surrounding lake some 500 feet below.

YouTube
YouTube
loading...

The mountain island is 1,000 feet tall and offers hikers two trail options, a short trail (1.6 miles) or a longer trail (2.5 miles).  Depending on what time of year you go be prepared to see an array of natural flora that resides around the bluffs and sandstone which dates all the way back some 300 million years ago.

YouTube
YouTube
loading...

Wildlife is also abundant in the area too, especially deer as they make this their refuge.

YouTube
YouTube
loading...

How Sugar Loaf Mountain Got its Name

Settlers who inhabited the island many years ago thought the top of the mountain resembled loaves of unrefined sugar. The Osage Tribe that used to live there called it "Tonawanda." Sugar Loaf Mountain Island is designated one of the nation’s first National Scenic Trails according to Discover Arkansas.

YouTube
YouTube
loading...

So, there you go. Arkansas has many unique places you can explore and Sugar Loaf Mountain certainly meets the criteria for an awesome adventure outdoors. It’s worth the drive to get there and worth the hike to get to the top of the mountain.

Grab your hiking boots and let’s do this!

Just for the record, there are cabins in the area if you decide to stay for a while. More information here. Depending on which way you travel Sugar Loaf Mountain is approximately 2 and a half hours from Texarkana. See Google Map.

LOOK: Here are the best lake towns to live in

Many of the included towns jump out at the casual observer as popular summer-rental spots--the Ozarks' Branson, Missouri, or Arizona's Lake Havasu--it might surprise you to dive deeper into some quality-of-life offerings beyond the beach and vacation homes. You'll likely pick up some knowledge from a wide range of Americana: one of the last remaining 1950s-style drive-ins in the Midwest; a Florida town that started as a Civil War veteran retirement area; an island boasting some of the country's top public schools and wealth-earners right in the middle of a lake between Seattle and Bellevue; and even a California town containing much more than Johnny Cash's prison blues.

LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.

More From Kicker 102.5