My wife, Lili, and I hadn’t been in a road trip since the pandemic began, except for the occasional weekend trips to Norman, OK, and Austin, TX to visit our kids. So, when Lili had a 2.5-day break in her retail work schedule last month, we jumped at the opportunity to take a mini vacation. But to where?
“Let’s go to Arkansas,” I said. Although it is less than three hours away from the northern Dallas suburbs where we live, we hadn’t been there in over 10 years. I started scouring the map of Southwest Arkansas and quickly narrowed down the options to two state parks: DeGray Lake and Lake Catherine. I decided on the latter as it has cabins that are described by Lonely Planet USA guidebook as “real gems … lovely rustic cabins overlooking the lake; some come with wood fireplaces or spa tubs.” Moreover, Lake Catherine State Park is located close to Hot Springs, which provides additional sites to see. I checked the reservation site and was glad to find that a 2-person cabin was available for the September 14-15 nights.
We left our house on Tuesday morning, taking our hybrid SUV on its maiden road trip. Instead of taking the fast I-30 route, we took SH 121 north to Bonham, then US-82 East until it met I-30 near Texarkana. We passed through green, undulating farm fields and small towns with names such as Toco, Reno, and Detroit. We had lived in Dallas area for 26 years, yet we had never been to this northeast corner of Texas. In Paris, we stopped briefly at the Eifel Tower replica. It was much smaller than I thought and somewhat disappointing, but we did a quick pose anyway (or rather, I cajoled Lili to take a picture with me).
After a delicious lunch at Ironwood Grill in Texarkana, we continued northeast on I-30, then turned west at AR-171 near Malvern, AR. It is a winding country road, with no speed limit in sight. What a fresh change from the interstate highway full of 18-wheelers!
The Lovely Cabin On The Water
We arrived at Lake Catherine State Park just after 4 PM and went straight to the Visitor Center to check in. The friendly park ranger told us that we were assigned to cabin #15, which was a short walk down the stairs behind the visitor center — we fell in love right away when we saw it. The green and ochre cabin sat peacefully above a quiet cove. Nearby, there was a picnic table, a bench, and a grill.
“We fell in love right away when we saw the cabin. It sat above a quiet cove, and the rocking chairs in its porch invited us to relax and forget the world’s troubles.”
The outside door of the cabin opened to a screened porch that faced the water; its two rocking chairs invited us to sit, sip coffee, and forget the world’s troubles. The second door led us in to a cozy, clean studio room. Cabin #15, and #16 next to it, was a Civilian Conservation Corps’ fishing barrack that has been converted to a beautiful studio duplex; its exposed ceiling beams added to the rustic feeling of the cabin.
While Lili and I could have hung out forever at the cabin, there were so many things to see, and we didn’t have much time. Thus, we got into our car and drove to Hot Springs. The drive through the meandering two-lane country road took us across Ouachita River, the river that was dammed to build Arkansas’ first major hydroelectric station in 1924 and created Lake Catherine in the process. Harvey Couch, the prescient founder of Arkansas Power and Light Company (now Entergy), foresaw the growing needs for electricity in Southern Arkansas and built the first two dams along Ouachita River to cater for that (the third dam was built by the federal government). Lake Catherine was named after his six years old daughter.
The Elegant Bathhouse Row
Parking our car in the free public parking garage at Exchange Street, one block east of the famous Bathhouse Row, Lili and I strolled along the east side of Central Avenue, under the shady magnolia trees. As I gazed at the elegant buildings that once housed the luxurious spas, I couldn’t help but imagine the rich and the famous (and the gangsters) milling around in their lounges and front verandas a century ago. Most of the bathhouses have stopped offering the thermal water treatments, but you can still experience the service at Buckstaff Bathhouse. Fordyce, the largest — and arguably the most elegant — bathhouse, now serves as the Hot Springs National Park Visitor Center and Museum.
Lili and I kept walking north past Arlington Resort Hotel, its grand façade reminding visitors of the hotel’s glorious past. When built in 1875, it was the largest hotel in Arkansas, and it has hosted many dignitaries since then. We crossed Central Avenue and walked back on the west side. Along the way we passed many cute gift stores but alas, most of them were already closed for the evening.
On the way back to the cabin after dinner, we stopped by Dolce Gelato, an Italian ice cream and coffee shop that got 4.6 stars in Google. The friendly barista let us try different gelato flavors, and we settled on pistachio and tiramisu. Oh, they tasted heavenly! It was a perfect ending to our first night.
A Tale of Two Trails
We started our second day with a few slices of banana cake that Gabby, our friend’s daughter, had made, plus, of course, a cup of fresh brewed coffee. By 9 AM Lili and I were already at the park’s trailhead. It was sunny and 70ºF (21°C). Wonderful! There are three trails to choose there, and they are marked with white, yellow, and red painted squares on the trees. All three trails loop back to the trailhead.
We picked Falls Branch Trail first because it promises the view of a seasonal scenic waterfall that often adorns Lake Catherine State Park description. We climbed up through pine and hardwood trees; their leaves filtered the morning sunlight. The 2-mile trail crosses Little Canyon Creek several times, and the sound of its trickling water created a very peaceful ambience. AllTrails.com described the Falls Branch Trail as “heavily trafficked,” but in that Wednesday morning, there were barely any other souls on the trail. A young guy with two cheerful Australian Shepherds was one of the exceptions: “I live near here, and my wife is out of town,” he said, “so I am taking these girls for a walk.”
About halfway through the loop, we reached the highest point on the trail, gaining 209 ft (64 m) in elevation. As we descended, we walked alongside Falls Creek, and soon we reached the location of the acclaimed waterfalls… except we couldn’t find it. The boulder where the stream was supposed to tumble over was silent and dry. Although a bit disappointed, perhaps I shouldn’t have been surprised. The waterfall is described as both scenic and seasonal, and I had conveniently ignored the latter.
The rest of the Falls Branch Trail wanders gently along the shore of Lake Catherine, bringing us back to the trailhead. The early fall foliage colors on some trees made up for the missing waterfall. We consider Falls Branch Trail as an easy and enjoyable one (and we are not avid hikers by any means). We did it in 1.5 hours, and that included multiple Instagram-worthy stops.
Feeling good, we picked up the Horseshoe Mountain Trail after just a short break. It is a 3-mile trail that climbs up 547 feet (167 m), more than twice the Falls Branch Trail, and it reaches the highest point in the park. Right away Lili and I felt that indeed it was a more strenuous trail. We ascended a steep rocky path, and when we thought that we had reached the top, the trail climbed up again. Along the way, we met the same guy again, and his two still-cheerful Aussies gave us a boost in spirit.
“Falls Branch Trail is an easy and enjoyable path, while Horseshoe Mountain Trail is more strenuous. But both are rewarding in their own way.”
As we walked along the ridgetop of the Horseshoe Mountain, the trees became sparser, and the trail revealed interesting and colorful rock formations on the ground. I learned later that these rocks are novaculite, a type of quartz with high silica content. For thousands of years, novaculite was used by the Native Americans to make chipped stone tools. (The Latin word novacula itself means razor stone.)
We arrived back at the trailhead around 12:30 PM, tired and hungry, but completely gratified. After a quick shower, we headed to Hot Springs for lunch, followed by another stroll along Central Avenue to visit a few gift shops that were closed the night before. After some time, I said to Lili, “Let’s go to Fox Pass Pottery!” I had read about it in the Arkansas Off the Beaten Path book by Patti DeLano. The place is a bit out of town, but it seemed like a cool place to see. True to its promise, it became the highlight of our sightseeing activities in Hot Springs.
The Master Potter In The Woods
Fox Pass Pottery is located about 3 miles north of the Bathhouse Row. Housed in a rustic building nestled in the woods, complete with a roster that roams its yard, the relaxed atmosphere invited us to come in. When we stepped through the door, a cowbell rang, and Jim Larkin, the store owner, came out to greet us. We were the only visitors that afternoon, and Jim let us browse around his store. There were all kinds of stoneware items, both functional and decorative: mugs, bowls, containers, vases, candleholders, etc., all in attractive colors and patterns. Jim explained that everything is handmade and built by either him, his wife Barbara, or his son Fletcher (who now lives near Little Rock but still sells his artwork in his parents’ store).
At some point Jim asked us, “Do you want to see how it is made?” I said yes, of course. Who would want to miss that? Jim led us to his workshop just behind the store. On top of a wooded table stood a row of mugs that he had just worked on and were being led to dry. After some time, they would be put into a kiln that goes to 1,800ºF (982ºC) and after the cooling period, they would go to another kiln that fires up to 2,400ºF (1,316ºC). This second process adds the shiny glaze, resulting in stoneware that is both beautiful and durable.
Jim also gave us a live demonstration of creating a mug using the potter’s wheel. For a person whose fingers are only adept at hitting the keypads (and not even very good at that), it was truly amazing to see a lump of clay rise and bend and conform to the guidance of Jim’s skillful fingers. “Do you think we can mold a clay like that?” Lili asked me later in the car. “I am sure,” I said, “that if we were the ones doing it, we would produce a very weird mug, if at all.”
“For a person whose fingers are only adept at hitting the keypads, it was truly amazing to see a lump of clay rise, bend, and conform to the guidance of Jim’s skillful fingers.”
We left the store with a beautiful kitchen jar for Lili and a unique coffee mug for me. We spent the rest of the afternoon in the serenity of our cabin, and Lili cooked a simple-but-delicious dinner that evening. I grabbed my fishing pole and casted it a few times for fun. No bite, but even just standing there on the deck of our cabin was so relaxing.
The next morning, we checked out early at 8 AM because Lili had to work that afternoon. Before leaving, I bought a bumper sticker from the park store. It says, “Think outside. No box required.” Indeed, it is good to step outside your “box” sometimes, even if it is only for a two- night getaway.
TRAVEL TIPS Lake Catherine State Park information is available at https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/parks/lake-catherine-state-park Scroll down to see the list of the cabins and to check their availability. There are different sizes of cabin, and some of them are pet friendly. The rates start from $100 for a studio cabin to $200 for a two-bedroom cabin. As expected, Friday and Saturday nights are filled up quickly, while weekdays’ availability is easier to find. Besides the lodging fee, there is no fee to enter any of the Arkansas State Parks; they are free for everyone. Two restaurants that are often mentioned in the travel guides to Hot Springs are McClard's BBQ, famous for its fiery hot tamales, and Steinhaus Keller, an authentic German restaurant. Unfortunately, neither "tamales" nor "German food" was appealing to Lili, so we didn't try them. The restaurants we tried were OK, but nothing to write home about. Lastly, if we had more time, we would have liked to visit Garvan Woodland Gardens, located between Lake Catherine State Park and downtown Hot Springs. It is a beautiful botanical garden maintained by the University of Arkansas. It contains several interesting features, including the majestic Anthony Chapel, one of most popular wedding venues in Arkansas.
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