Hanging out in Jasper, Arkansas

I follow the Only In Arkansas Facebook page and one fine day I happened to see this post. I texted the hubs, “I want to go camping in Jasper next weekend,” and sure enough a week passed us by and it was time to check out this small slice of The Natural State. Time to visit Jasper, Arkansas! Population just over 450. That’s not a typo. 😉

We loaded up the truck and a few hours later we pulled up to our campground, Dogwood Springs Campground Resort. Just a note: We had wanted to camp at Horseshoe Canyon or Steel Creek Campground, but because there was a huge rock climbing event it was a risk not to have something reserved (they work on a first-come, first-served basis). Dogwood Springs is centrally located and has okay amenities. It is close to the road, so you will hear road noise, i.e. motorcycles. It is also close to everything, so you can drive most places pretty quickly. Hubs and I pitched the tent. Okay, he mostly did – I assisted. Time to get our camp on!

Visit Jasper, Arkansas

You may think for such a small place there isn’t a lot to do. But it couldn’t be further from the truth! In fact you need more than a weekend here. You NEED to visit Jasper, Arkansas! Here are a few of our favorite things to do and see there:

The Arkansas Grand Canyon

I had heard mixed reviews about this spot, but I knew I wanted to see it. We got up pretty early and headed to check it out. I could share 50 pictures, but I’ll cut it down to a few. To me, it was UHHH-Mazing! I have been to the other Grand Canyon (you know the giant one in Arizona), and they’re just not something to compare to each other. This spot, it was gorgeous and I could have stared for hours.

No filter!

Indeed we do.

Little Buffalo River

Not to be overshadowed by its much larger counterpart; the Buffalo River, the Little Buffalo River is charming. There weren’t too many fish biting, we caught a few things here and there, but that didn’t deter us. We spent an entire day on different parts of the river we enjoyed it so much.. On my first freshwater cast (I’d only ever been saltwater fishing) I caught this beast HA! It was lovely wading through the water and casting our fishing rods. The scenery was just beautiful.

Food

All that time on the river and you will work up an appetite. The town square is adorable and its star is the historic Ozark Café. We had a carb-packed meal there (don’t expect many healthy choices). The service was a bit slow, but delightful all the same. I didn’t get any pictures, but when you visit Jasper, Arkansas you definitely have to try Low Gap Café, too. The filet was beyond delish and cooked perfectly.

And that’s not all…

When you visit Jasper, Arkansas you don’t even have to look to find cool spaces. We happened upon this lovely spot and I just had to climb the tower to take in the view.

Le sigh.

A little crickety, but just hold the handrail…

Tangent: Guys, there were walking sticks, ummm…making babies ALL over this tower! I now dub it “Lover’s Lookout” LOL.

I could go on and on, but if you need a getaway, some peace, nature and quiet – visit Jasper, Arkansas. It will not disappoint. I found myself looking at land for sale in the area I loved it that much. We only began to scratch the surface and I cannot wait to get back. With spots like this to help you get away from it all, I don’t know anyone who could resist.