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| lrh | profile | all galleries >> Jasper ARK Pictures >> Jasper 2024 (J10) >> Page For KSG | tree view | thumbnails | slideshow |
| Dates | July 14th-19th 2024 |
|---|---|
| Location of Cabin | Google Maps Link (GPS Coordinates: 35.9529517,-92.58016) Outside Marshall ARK |
| Cabin Information | AirBnb Link |
| Our Car | A Rental, 2021 Toyota Corolla |
| Other Cabin Information | Full Service Kitchen, Good WiFi and Roku TV, Large Fan (Of Course), 2 Bedrooms and Full-sized Pullout Couch, Washer-Dryer, Very Secluded, Drive Down 2½ Mile Gravel Road To Get To It, Gated, Surrounded By Cow Pasture |
| My Saved Points of Interest Google Map (S=Swimming, FG=Food/Gas, WF=Waterfall, HK=Hiking, MC=Motel/Cabin, LM=Landmarks) | Link (01_LRH Are Mine, Others are Copied From Gez Rogers) |
| Share My Location App | My GPS Location (Link) |
| Cooking Ideas | Taco Spaghetti, German Spaghetti, Chili Mac, Brunswick Stew & BBQ, Peanut Butter Pie, Pepperoni Grilled Cheese Sandwiches |
Well, we're here now. (Sunday, July 14, 2024 09:38:31). Obviously, this is a page I created to reference and describe our upcoming Jasper 2024 vacation. It contains information on the cabin we're staying in and details on the various points of interests, and links to the resources for the POIs in case you wish to do some reading of your own. (Much of this can be found in the pull-down menus above, and in the body of the page itself.)
Now that we're here and you're en route, there won't be many more updates to this page. However, for reading purposes, I will tell you my wife sent me another custom map (link) which has many POIs that I've never heard of, it's called the "Gez Rogers" map, and I've been filtering through it to find new spots never seen before. So far three new ones have been visited: Sulphur Springs, Illinois Bayou and Archey Fork, the last two of which are now some of our favorites.
It also contains information on our intended iternerary--understand, nothing is set in stone, this is merely a projection of what I think the trip will look like in terms of which places we're interested in going, etc. I'm not at all committed to the itenerary as a must-do.
At the top of this page you will find a pull-down menu of links to various things. (I've tested it and it works at PCs and phones alike.) I also sometimes link to things within the body of the text. With my custom map of POIs (PC link, phone link), this map is EXTREMELY detailed if everything is open at once. It also contains all the "Gez Rogers" links, they appear in the map as "layers" on the left you can check and un-check. My points are all in one "layer" called "01_LRH." (I'm working on making another "layer" which only stresses those close to the cabin, as opposed to showing them all, for now there's a table at the bottom which shows these.)
These are the key "takeaways" regarding our upcoming 2024 trip:
Keep in mind, I'm a GPS man, through and through. You're certainly allowed to do things your own way, just know that if by chance we're having to meet up somewhere in separate vehicles that I typically don't communicate well with "old fashioned" directions (you know, "turn right by the old barn with the yellow cow" etc). If I'm relaying where I am, I'm apt to send a text with a GPS link, and more importantly, if I'm meeting you somewhere unknown, I will need that from you else I'm apt to become helplessly lost. (If it's a common spot in town, such as Harp's or McDonald's, then that's no problem.) Most times if I'm relaying where I am I can send a text, but if by chance cell service is poor in the area, you can still get to any spot via a Garmin Nuvi and the spot's GPS coordinates. (You can in fact download a log of the spots in table format, with the coordinates listed, as a PDF file {link}, which can then be accessed even if cell phone service is absent, or you can print it off and put that in your glovebox).
Beyond that, if you wish to use a Rand McNally Atlas or Arkansas State Map, paper maps as it were, be my guest. It's up to you, fully. Just know that I don't use those at all and won't be able to explain a spot to you that way or understand a spot you're trying to guide me to in that fashion. I'm a GPS and GPS coordinates man, through and through, forwards and backwards. (Or, if you're located near a major business which can easily be looked up, that's fine too.) Just so you know....
| Name of Cabin | Country View Get Away |
|---|---|
| City | Marshall ARK |
| GPS Coordinates | 35.9529517, -92.58016 |
| N 35° 57' 10" W 092° 34' 48" | |
| Airbnb Link | Link |
| Google Maps Link: | Link |
We found a new cabin for staying in for 2024, it's cheap and secluded but roomy, and gets good reviews. At a minimum, you will have a roomy couch for sleeping, and there's a full service kitchen. It's located in Marshall ARK, which is about an hour from Jasper, but there are plenty of POIs close-by (unlike last year in Alabama, these POIs are ones we've already been to for the most part and know well), and we will also be going to many of them in Jasper as well.
My wife has in recent years complained about everything being "re-ran," this way we will be closer to spots we've visited less frequently and thus things will seem less "stale," but we will still within range of ones we've been to numerous times before. Still, unlike last year in Alabama, almost none of these spots will be ones we're visiting for the first time, so there's much less likelihood of being disappointed.
Further down this page, you will see a very lengthy and exhaustive list of around 210 POIs, but here I will summarize and only list key spots, ones we've been to already and intend to potentiallyvisit this year (if a page number is listed, that corresponds to the page number in the book where it's found, you can go to the book and view it as a PDF by clicking here.)
All of these are spots we have visited previously, and know well. Some of them we've been to so many times they risk becoming "stale," others we've only been to 1-2 times and so these are more "fresh" if you will. Regardless, NONE of these are ones we have no experience with, so (again) unlike last year in Alabama, we know all about them already.
These are spots we have NOT been to before or visited for the first time during our "mini" trip in June and intend to check out (I'm sure we will not get to all of them, this is more like a "list of candidates"):
I just started on this tentatively Tuesday, May 28, 2024 06:25:13. It's just to sort of "project" what some days may look like in terms of "pooling" certain spots together that are in the same area. Again, NOTHING is "set in stone" as it were.
The length of this listing may cause you think that we will be so busy trying to visit so many different spots that it risks becoming exhausting. Relax, we're not likely to do that, we know well that many times you get a better result by simply focusing on fewer spots and simply enjoying those, and at a slower easier pace, rather than trying to engage in a "rat-race" and visit so many spots that you exhaust yourself. This is simply a list of possibilities as it were.
This is a table I threw together which provides directions and ETA estimates from the cabin to the spot, just to give an idea of how it may be.
| From | To | Time | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabin 2024 | Barkshed | 44 min | |
| Cabin 2024 | Big Pinkey Creek | 2 hrs | |
| Cabin 2024 | Big Spring | 50 min | |
| Cabin 2024 | Blanchard | 45 min | |
| Cabin 2024 | Blue Hole (original) | 55 min | |
| Cabin 2024 | Buffalo Point | 31 min | |
| Cabin 2024 | Crow Hole | 1 hr 18 min | |
| Cabin 2024 | Dam Site | 1 hr 30 min | https://maps.app.goo.gl/sx11TPBfzT5iG1M38" |
| Cabin 2024 | Dillards Ferry | 20 min | |
| Cabin 2024 | Falling Waterfalls | 1 hr 5 min | |
| Cabin 2024 | Gunner | 45 min | |
| Cabin 2024 | Lake Leatherwood | 2 hrs | https://maps.app.goo.gl/oEK9N6PJRcFe8RdSA |
| Cabin 2024 | Longpool | 1 hr 50 min | |
| Cabin 2024 | Lost Valley | 1 hr 30 min | |
| Cabin 2024 | Mouth of Calf | 30 min | |
| Cabin 2024 | Ponca | 1 hr 30 min | |
| Cabin 2024 | Robertson Hole | 45 min | |
| Cabin 2024 | Shine Eye | 27 min |
This is a "short list" of the POIs, the ones we're most likely to visit. I left out all the rest in this listing (a much more extensive list, if you dare, is shown on the bottom of the "detailed" POIs page). In this listing, the GPS coordinates are themselves clickable Google Maps links, and beside the names of certain ones I've provided a directions link from the cabin.
Type: S=Swimming Hole; WF=Waterfall; HK=Hiking, FG=Food/Gas/Groceries; MC=Motel/Cabin; LM=Landmark.
| Spot | GPS Coordinates | Type | Source | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred Fountain Grocery | 35.7205,-92.82393 | FG | O | New grocery store found in 2024 in research. |
| Alum Cove (p39T) | 35.8576,-93.2346 | HK | B | Small quiet hiking spot visited in 2015, told about it by Dogwood Springs owners, it's also in the trails book. |
| Archey Fork Bluffton Preserve, PARK | 35.64558,-92.52582 | S | GR | New spot for 2024, a really good one. Coordinates are parking, the spot is at 35.64321,-92.52218 |
| Archey Fork Bluffton Preserve, THE SPOT | 35.64321,-92.52218 | S | GR | The actual best spot for Archey, has a rope swing, small rock you can jump off of, and even a zip line setup. Basically it's the spot right of the `camping` spot, with a smooth entrance vs a sharp dropoff. |
| Barn Shot Falling Waterfalls | 35.93986,-93.10139 | LM | O | Barn shot I took sometime near Falling Waterfalls. |
| Bayou Bluff p 42 | 35.52389,-92.9425 | S | B | Visited in 2020 and 2024, wasn't that much (water levels?). |
| BBQ Eating Place (Slims) Near Falling Waterfalls | 35.67476,-92.95053 | FG | O | BBQ place wife found on the fly near Falling Waterfalls area. `Country` sounding music playing, wife liked BBQ sandwich, I bought bottle of sauce. |
| Benton (sh.org) | 34.6056,-92.6192 | S | W | A river spot on the way in Benton ARK, have stopped twice but it wasn't much, might be in years where it's rained a lot. |
| Big Spring p50 | 36.2661,-92.5431 | S | B | Swim hole in town with rope swing, was too shallow for me, but kids usually like it. |
| Blanchard, Lower (p56) | 35.9681, -92.1792 | S | B | A cluste of spots we should be visiting in 2024, also includes caverns. |
| Blanchard, Upper (p56) | 35.9731, -92.1772 | S | B | A cluste of spots we should be visiting in 2024, also includes caverns. |
| Blue Hole 2024 | 35.521475,-92.880437 | S | O | Spot wife found in 2024 research, to check out if possible. It's near Wolf Den (below) and may be the same spot. |
| Blue Hole 2024 `Victor` 1 of 2 | 35.6498,-93.0027 | S | GR | Spot found by wife on the fly in 2024 which turns out was in fact a pre-existing Gez Rogers spot, only our spot was a dud, this one seemed to be good, 1 of 2 |
| Blue Hole 2024 `Victor` 2 of 2 | 35.6506,-93.0055 | S | GR | Spot found by wife on the fly in 2024 which turns out was in fact a pre-existing Gez Rogers spot, only our spot was a dud, this one seemed to be good, 2 of 2 |
| BOC Zipline Tours | 36.03872,-93.381349 | LM | O | Spot wife found in 2024 for apparently doing zipline near Ponca. 1 870-861-5514 |
| Bojangles Clarksville ARK | 35.47094,-93.4788 | FG | O | Bojangle's found not far from Russellville in 2024. |
| Bojangles Prescott ARK | 33.82776,-93.39362 | FG | O | Bojangles discovered in Prescott ARK in 2024. |
| Bradley Park (p 48) | 36.00387, -93.19468 | S | B | Visited all years, a small city-park based swimming area that's ~ 2 miles from the cabin, great for "quick dips" on the way to somewhere else or when you're tired and settling in for the night. Coordinates from the book seem wrong, these are mine. |
| Bridgets Hamburgers | 35.715056,-92.82332 | FG | O | Spot to eat in 2024 near Falling Waterfalls |
| Buffalo Point p110 | 36.06948, -92.55571 | S | B | High praised spot. Went in 2018 it was closed, went in 2021 best stop was different vs book coordinates (better coordinates shown here). Wife didn't like, no shade and water wasn't cool. |
| Cabin 2024 | 35.95305,-92.57876 | MC | O | https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/48401266 35.95305,-92.57876 Cabin we stayed in during 2024, cheap but nice. 870-652-3624 2226 Barren Hollow Road |
| Cafe Near Archie | 35.8165,-92.55028 | FG | O | New diner/cafe found near Archey in 2024. |
| Carver | 35.98419,-93.04162 | LM | O | A scenic spot found "on the fly" from visiting Blue Hole in 2012, visited many times since. It has water but it's usually shallow, mostly good for the scenic shots as a quick stop. |
| Cedar Creek | 35.68913,-93.31722 | S | GR | New 2024 `Gez Rogers` spot `` big water hole `` video shows hike to Hobo Falls (far?) & Cedar Creek Falls & Swim hole here: https://youtu.be/jX6dJ_8QjeQ |
| Charlton (sh.org) | 34.51758,-93.38194 | S | W | Spot "plugged" from swimmingholes.org, never visited.Swim in damned pond |
| City Pond Park Fishing Marshall ARK | 35.90839,-92.632334 | LM | O | 2024, fishing pond in city cabin owner told me about, it's stocked with fish for that purpose. |
| Collier Homestread Trail (p42) | 35.975283,-92.76557 | HK | B | Spot from trails book, good photos in 2017, near Tyler Bend |
| Cougar Falls p98W | 36.04055,-92.37685 | WF | B | New spot added in book in 2021. |
| Crow Hole | 36.063476, -93.127216 | S | O | Spot a local told us about in 2017 as "Craw," went to in 2021-2--good spot, but 1 mile of rough gravel road (car can handle it, but it jars the nerves). |
| Deer Stand Cafe | 35.828609, -93.20897 | FG | O | New restaurant found near Deer ARK in 2021. May be closed as of 2024. |
| Diner Marshall ARK | 35.91153,-92.63835 | FG | O | A Sharon Ks type diner found on the fly in 2024 in Marshall, closed Tue-Wed open 630-2 870-448-3357 |
| Elephant Rock | 36.136325,-92.428406 | HK | O | New spot wife found at early 2024 trip. |
| Falling Waterfalls (p44) | 35.72194, -92.94944 | S | B | A+ spot, found in book, 1st visited in 2013, visited most years since. |
| Ferguson's St Joe | 36.00009,-92.7625 | FG | O | Eating located found in St Joe's for 2024 route planning. |
| Fishtrap (p98) | 35.9803,-92.7917 | S | B | Spot from book I don 't think we've ever been to. |
| Fort Douglas Bridge 123 (p 36) | 35.6769, -93.235 | S | B | South of Branson near Haw Creek, found in book (not sure what year we went) near charming old bridge, sort of like a `quick dip` in a river. |
| Fuzzy Butt Waterfalls (p88 W) | 35.76368,-92.93839 | WF | B | Waterfall spot we've seen in the book numerous times but I don't think we've ever visited, near Falling Water Waterfalls. |
| Gas ARK 7/16 | 35.78348, -93.1134 | FG | O | Gas stations are hard to come by in this area, but there's one here, good to know. |
| Gas Station Deer ARK | 35.82426, -93.2878 | FG | O | New gas station found in 2021 near Deer ARK. |
| Grinder's Ferry | 35.98493,-92.74401 | S | W | NEW SPOT found "on the fly" visiting Shine Eye & Tyler Bend. (Also at sh.org.) That's the parking spot, the spot I jumped in was at 35.9859, -92.74293. Very busy, tend to avoid now. |
| Hardee's Benton ARK | 34.5645,-92.6012 | FG | O | Hardee's we ate at halfway on trip in 2017. |
| Hardee's Harrison ARK | 36.25972,-93.12655 | FG | O | A Hardee's in Harrison ARK |
| Hardee's Mountain View | 35.86522,-92.10908 | FG | O | Hardee's found on the fly in 2024 near Blanchard areas. |
| Hardee's Prescott ARK | 33.8281,-93.39442 | FG | O | Hardee's on the way to Jasper about halfway there, later we'd use this town as a halfway stop point. |
| Hardee's Russellville ARK | 35.27829,-93.09459 | FG | O | A Hardee's in Russellville, which is about an HR from Jasper. |
| Hardee's``Krispy Kreme Conway ARK | 35.0668,-92.4406 | FG | O | Hardee's and Krispy Kreme beside each other in Conway ARK. Went there in 2021 after car had stalled for 2 hrs in Clinton and went again in 2024. |
| Harp's Marshall ARK | 35.90983,-92.64962 | FG | O | Grocery store in Marshall ARK for new 2024 cabin. |
| Hasty Campground (p 84) | 36.00792,-93.08185 | S | B | NEW SPOT in 2015, took photos of French tourists there in 2017, a regular spot since. |
| Illinois Bayou Swim Hole | 35.54487,-92.94935 | S | GR | New "Gez Rogers" 2024 spot `` saw and liked a lot. The coords are to a deep but busy hole, about 0.2 prior on the right is a more private part of it. `` video https://youtu.be/7zU0NT0ulzo |
| Indian Rock House Trail (p44T) | 36.0814,-92.5693 | HK | B | Hiking trail we went to in 2018, was tiring, but did have a cave near the end. |
| Jack's Fine Foods | 33.1385,-94.1631 | FG | O | Eating place in Atlanta TX visited in 2017 and 2021 on the way out of TX. |
| Longpool (p38) | 35.55,-93.1622 | S | B | First went to as part of "tail-end" of 2016 (J4) trip, then again in 2020. You need to use "bypass" coordinates from custom map to prevent driving for miles on a gravel road. |
| Lost Valley? | 36.0091,-93.372 | HK | B | A standard spot. Hiking trail near Ponca, longish walk (1 mile each way or so) but good scenic shots are possible. Coordinates updated in 2021 to reflect work on parking lot. |
| McDonald's Marshall | 35.90731,-92.6564 | FG | O | Location of a McDonald's in Marshall ARK for 2024. |
| Mexican Restaurant (Marshall, Los Aztecas) | 35.911778,-92.637736 | FG | O | Found "on the fly" while visiting Shine Eye ~ 1 hr away eastward from cabin in 2015. Coordinates updated in 2021. |
| Mexican Restaurant Clinton ARK | 35.60169,-92.46274 | FG | O | New restaurant found in Clinton ARK in 2024. |
| Mexican Yelville ARK | 36.22676,-92.68825 | FG | O | Ate here in 2021 after Robertson hole visit. |
| Mirror Lake Waterfall | 35.96384,-92.171283 | WF | O | Scenic waterfall wife found out about but in fact is part of Blanchard, somewhat scenic and I'm told fishing is good there. |
| Mouth of Calf (p100) | 35.979,-92.7725 | S | B | Spot from book I don 't think we've ever been to. |
| Mt Hershey (p88) | 36.00888,-92.95333 | S | B | Spot from book I don 't think we've ever been to. |
| Ozark Campground?(p76) | 36.06500,-93.1592 | S | B | One of the "foundation" spots found in 2012 in swimmingholes.org/ar.html that was a basis for starting up Jasper trips back in 2012. A decent but not stand-out spot for us. |
| Pizza Marshall | 35.90805,-92.6649 | FG | O | Pizza place in Marshall ARK for 2024. |
| Ponca Access Bridge (p 68) | 36.01870,-93.35710 | S | B | A+ Visited every year. Found accidentally by wife in 2012 after leaving Lost Valley (although it was at the website and in the book), a perennial favorite. |
| Pruitt p80 Updated 2021 | 36.0602,-93.1394 | S | W | One of the "foundation" spots found in 2012 in swimmingholes.org/ar.html that was a basis for starting up Jasper trips back in 2012. Remodeled, coordinates updated in 2021. |
| Richlands (p46) | 35.7975,-92.9322 | S | B | A spot near Falling Water Waterfalls several miles down a gravel road, finally went in 2020 after meaing to in past times, it's highly acclaimed but it wasn't that great to me. |
| Robertson Hole (p94) | 35.97083,-092.8794 | S | B | Went for 1st time in 2021 though spot had been in book all along, water very deep & wife really liked it. Same as Woolum in sh.org |
| Roundtop Trails (p40, Trails) | 35.98348,-93.1782 | HK | B | Spot from trails book, good photos in 2017 |
| RT123 Bridge (sh.org) | 35.285564,-92.472782 | S | W | NEW SPOT to check out for 2024, near Conway from sholes site, said to have rope swings and to be easy to get to. |
| Rush p112 | 36.125,-92.54861 | S | B | Visited in 2018 when nearby Buffalo Point was closed. Somewhat shallow. |
| Scenic Detour Near Benton | 34.8838,-92.7753 | LM | O | This is a "dropped pin' for forcing the scenic route vs freeway near Benton ARK (taken in 2018 I believe). |
| Sharon K's Cafe | 36.0059,-93.186 | FG | O | A "mom & pop" type of cafe within Jasper (mostly open during day vs night), have visited most years. |
| Shine Eye (p 104) | 35.988,-92.7344 | S | B | Main spot, first visited in 2015. |
| South Maumee Access Swim Hole | 36.04001,-92.63719 | S | GR | A spot from the "Gez Rogers" map near the 2024 cabin. |
| Sulphur Springs | 34.67313,-92.79858 | S | GR | New Gez Rogers spot, near Benton on 'scenic detour' short walk to it https://youtu.be/tG43kxk-DwE |
| The Skillet Mt View | 35.88146,-92.11869 | FG | O | Eating spot near Blanchard spots area for 2024. |
| Western Sizzlin Clinton | 35.57398,-92.45222 | FG | O | Stopped there in 2021 on way out and car broke down for 2 hours, but a good spot for the future especially 2024. |
| Whiteley Hole (p 64) | 35.94694,-93.40138 | S | B | First visited in 2015, wife-kids like it more than I do (too shallow for me). I got a great barn shot here in 2015. |
| Zack Ridge | 35.99372,-92.70094 | S | O | Spot told of by cabin owners in 2024. |
To see a table of ALL of the POIs I have (about 180 as I write this), click here and go to my "detailed" POIs page, the listing is on the bottom of the page.
This is a comprehensive listing of most of the POIs, also including many eating places, gas stations, grocery stores etc as well. If service is good, you can simply open the spot up in Google Maps by simply clicking on the GPS coordinates themselves.
In addition, the GPS coordinates are listed, this will enable you to find the spot via an offline GPS (such as a Garmin Nuvi) even if Google Maps isn't working due to bad cellular phone reception. (Note that these spots are listed in the "decimal degrees" format whereas Garmin Nuvi units tend to be set to "degrees-minutes-seconds" format out of the box. In anticipation of this, I have also provide a listing with the D M S format. There is also {this link where you can convert the format of the numbers.
Type: S=Swimming Hole; WF=Waterfall; HK=Hiking, FG=Food/Gas/Groceries; MC=Motel/Cabin.