Arkansas Sphinx
"For ten thousand years, I have gazed upon the never ending journey of each new era." - Ramon Ravenswood - Sphinx Speaks
Difficulty - ✹✹✹✹ (out of 5)
Scenic Beauty - ✰✰✰✰ (out of 5)
Directions - click here
Video Blog - click here
Most people don't know that Arkansas has a sphinx except ours is just a big, weird rock on the top of a mountain. It's a steep climb through dense forest to get there but the payoff is certainly worth it. It can be found on Pilot Rock road (gravel) about 22 miles north of Clarksville, AR on highway 123.
Inside Info - I love this place but I hate the hike. My opinion on the hike is biased because I have only been there twice and both were in the middle of summer and at this time of year the hike is quite simply miserable. It's not a long hike and is roughly (guesstimating) only around a half mile round trip but is a fairly steep climb straight up a hill. And it's not even the steepness that makes it hard because fatigue is not really all that much of a factor. A large part of the climb is through extremely dense brush that is literally littered with sticker bushes and thorny trees. Add to that the sweltering heat (100 degrees on my last trip), humidity and bugs and it requires all of your determination to fight your way through the Arkansas jungle to get to the top of the mountain. I don't usually do this but I have added a picture of myself at the bottom of the blog to show you my drenched shirt. Now granted, choosing to do this in the summer heat is a self inflicted wound but I'm just trying to paint a picture of why anyone who wants to see this beautiful rock formation should wait until the fall or winter months to do so. I can safely say that I don't see myself doing this hike in the summertime anymore. The rock itself seems completely out of place. There are a few other boulders around but none that even compares to the sphinx and it looks like some sort of lonely sentinel watching over the valley below. In both trips, I never saw any indication that anyone else had been there in the recent past and I imagine that I could make this hike ten times and there is only a remote possibility of ever seeing anyone else there. For that reason I absolutely love the serenity and beauty of the views you get from this location. There is even a small cave/hole in the top of the rock on one side and a hollowed out tunnel formation on the other. I have included a picture of my son sitting in the tunnel part of the rock. My goal this winter is to get a sunset picture at the sphinx. Be aware that there is no real parking area for the sphinx and you have to park your vehicle on the side of the road at the trailhead.
Final Word - I love this place and I realize that a lot of people won't have the same opinion. For the reasons listed above, I strongly encourage people to wait until fall or winter to make the climb to avoid having to deal with the thorns and briar bushes. It is a pretty steep climb but since it's a short hike, fatigue isn't really a big part of the equation but I do not recommend this hike with small children or anyone with mobility issues. My 11 year old daughter handles it like a champ though.
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Trailhead Pic
Video Blog - click here
Most people don't know that Arkansas has a sphinx except ours is just a big, weird rock on the top of a mountain. It's a steep climb through dense forest to get there but the payoff is certainly worth it. It can be found on Pilot Rock road (gravel) about 22 miles north of Clarksville, AR on highway 123.
Inside Info - I love this place but I hate the hike. My opinion on the hike is biased because I have only been there twice and both were in the middle of summer and at this time of year the hike is quite simply miserable. It's not a long hike and is roughly (guesstimating) only around a half mile round trip but is a fairly steep climb straight up a hill. And it's not even the steepness that makes it hard because fatigue is not really all that much of a factor. A large part of the climb is through extremely dense brush that is literally littered with sticker bushes and thorny trees. Add to that the sweltering heat (100 degrees on my last trip), humidity and bugs and it requires all of your determination to fight your way through the Arkansas jungle to get to the top of the mountain. I don't usually do this but I have added a picture of myself at the bottom of the blog to show you my drenched shirt. Now granted, choosing to do this in the summer heat is a self inflicted wound but I'm just trying to paint a picture of why anyone who wants to see this beautiful rock formation should wait until the fall or winter months to do so. I can safely say that I don't see myself doing this hike in the summertime anymore. The rock itself seems completely out of place. There are a few other boulders around but none that even compares to the sphinx and it looks like some sort of lonely sentinel watching over the valley below. In both trips, I never saw any indication that anyone else had been there in the recent past and I imagine that I could make this hike ten times and there is only a remote possibility of ever seeing anyone else there. For that reason I absolutely love the serenity and beauty of the views you get from this location. There is even a small cave/hole in the top of the rock on one side and a hollowed out tunnel formation on the other. I have included a picture of my son sitting in the tunnel part of the rock. My goal this winter is to get a sunset picture at the sphinx. Be aware that there is no real parking area for the sphinx and you have to park your vehicle on the side of the road at the trailhead.
Final Word - I love this place and I realize that a lot of people won't have the same opinion. For the reasons listed above, I strongly encourage people to wait until fall or winter to make the climb to avoid having to deal with the thorns and briar bushes. It is a pretty steep climb but since it's a short hike, fatigue isn't really a big part of the equation but I do not recommend this hike with small children or anyone with mobility issues. My 11 year old daughter handles it like a champ though.
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Trailhead Pic
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