Pedestal Rock Trail, Ozark National Forest, Arkansas

The Pedestal Rock Trail in the Ozarks

The Pedestal Rock trail in the Ozarks was so much more than a 2.4 mile loop trail with scenic views of the rocks the trail is named for. This trail connects with Kings Bluff loop trail. We stuck to the Pedestal trail due to time constraints. Follow the signs to stay on the Pedestal loop. When you come to the option to go right for the King Bluff, straight or left to stay on the Pedestal loop, go straight. After the trail sharply switchbacks to the left, you will see a volunteer trail (might be somewhat difficult to tell) that goes down to get to the view of the Pedestal rock pictured above. From here you can follow the bluff (taking a left from the above rock) along an unofficial trail. You will come to a section with an easy way down to the caves/rocks below. This is where the trail became spectacular for us. Spend time exploring all over down there-go both ways, go in the caves, crawl through the needles, etc. This was my husband’s favorite hike on our trip to the Ozarks. Pictures below are from our explorations down below. There is no official trail but you can explore anywhere along the bluff without getting lost or confused.

This trail was perfect for us to explore during Covid. We only passed one other couple the entire time we explored here. We went on a weekday on October 1.

Directions

Take Highway 7 to Pelsor, then turn east on Highway 16. Six miles on 16 and you will see the sign to the parking area. Parking is free. The trail is dog friendly but if you want to scramble around exploring the caves it would probably be difficult to take your pups.

Important To Note

We discovered that for the most part, you will be exploring all around here without cell service. We found it necessary to plan our route and stops in advance. We had to use our vehicle GPS system at times. We were unable to look up nearby points of interest once we left for a day, so what we had already planned was all we could do unless we paid attention and stopped places we just happened to drive by. Exploring this area is amazing but prepare well, it definitely takes some advanced planning!