Get a different perspective of the Ozarks on a three-day trek on the Buffalo National River Trail. Partially located in the Ponca Wilderness Area, the trail extends for 36.8 miles from the hamlet of Pruitt to Boxley Valley, sometimes hugging the river, sometimes topping oakand hickory-clad bluffs. Camping is allowed anywhere in the backcountry. Drive north another 75 miles to Pruitt. The final segment traverses sandhills and scrub, leading you to Clearwater Lake.
Summers are hot, humid, and buggy.
Passing through hickory-oak forest on the ridgetops, the trail descends to mixed stands of sweet gum, yellow poplar, and red maple in the moist coves. Ten primitive backcountry campsites are spaced along the trail, including Bumblebee Ridge, near plunging Slippery Rock Falls. Leave a second car at the parking area on Georgia 85 in Warm Springs. The park has 17 housekeeping cottages scattered along the south shore of Delano Lake. The Ridge Trail straddles the crest of the Cumberland Mountains east of Cumberland Gap, starting at Pinnacle Overlook and running 16.6 miles to the park's eastern boundary, near White Rocks.