I feel like I’ve been fairly honest with you guys…Mountain View, AR is one of my favorite places! I would say it’s my favorite in the world, but I haven’t seen the whole world yet, so I’ll say it’s my favorite place in Arkansas! About 14 miles north of Mountain View, you’ll find Blanchard Springs Caverns and Mirror Lake. You can check out their websites here for the caverns, and here for the lake. If you’re looking for a great travel destination (RV or otherwise), Blanchard Springs is it!
We recently went to Mountain View for a long weekend. Spring in Arkansas is a fickle beast. You might have temps in the 80s one day and in the 40s the next. This was the case on our weekend trip. Friday and Saturday were LOVELY days. Temps were in the upper 60s with blue skies and puffy white clouds. Saturday night though, storms blew in and turned the temps cold and the weather rainy.
Since we had 3 other couples with us, chillin’ in the camper for a rainy day was not an option, but finding indoor activities for a group of 8 people in a town of less than 3,000 is tricky business! Since we were staying in the Ozark RV Park, they have an activity room that we considered using for dominos or cards. Someone suggested Blanchard Springs instead since it doesn’t matter if it’s raining or not in the caverns, so we packed up in a couple of cars and headed up the hill!
BLANCHARD SPRINGS CAVERNS
The caverns are an amazing ecological wonder. They are a testament to nature’s beauty and this incredible floating rock upon which we live!
There are three different tours you can take into the caverns. The Dripstone Trail, the Discover Trail, and the Wild Cave Tour. I have only done the Dripstone Trail, so I’ll tell you about that.
It is wheelchair accessible, but I’d recommend bringing someone fit enough to push you through the caverns if you’re wheelchair bound. There are some steep hills to navigate.
You should also know that it’s a constant 58 degrees and almost 100% humidity, so bring a hoodie (year round) and wear sneakers. It is also dark in the cavern, so be aware of that. Sometimes the tour guides will turn the lights off to demonstrate exactly how dark the cave is. We had two claustrophobic people with us and they did fine after the first few minutes.
Ok, but what will I see, Becky?! Great, I’m glad you asked!
During our 1 hour tour, we saw a baby salamander that is native to the caves, an adult salamander, and one single bat in the cave. There were no other bugs or animals that we were aware of. It’s incredibly quiet, dark, and grandiose.
I was super impressed with our little guide named Alex this past weekend. She was super knowledgeable and fun (cute, too!). The guide will inform you that the cavern started out as an underground reservoir that eventually eroded away an opening for the water to escape. Once that happened, water continued to seep through the limestone rocks forming stalactites and stalagmites. The cave is LITERALLY COVERED in them. They range in color from a beautifully oxidized pinkish-orange color to pure, sparkling white calcite towers. Words fall short! This is a MUST SEE!
Dripstone costs $10 per person as of Spring 2018.
Discover Trail is a bit more physically demanding from what I understand. It’s a little over a mile and has about 700 steps. You’re provided with headlamps and helmets and is not recommended if you can’t handle climbing the steps. This tour costs $10 per person as of Spring 2018.
The Wild Cave Tour is extreme! It’s my understanding that they provide you with needed equipment, but you have to bring your own lunch. The tour lasts approximately 4.5 hours. This is NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART! 🙂 It costs $75 per person as of Spring 2018. You are required to have good tread shoes (such as lace-up boots), and bring an extra pair of shoes for when you finish (you must disinfect your shoes to prevent the spread of white-nose disease in bats).
MIRROR LAKE
When you’re in the Blanchard Springs Recreation Area, be sure to take a walk around Mirror Lake which is down the hill from the caverns. This lake is fed from the 58-degree waters exiting the caverns. It is regularly stocked with Rainbow Trout (Arkansas Fishing Laws apply…be sure to get a license). The lake has a beautifully-scenic walking trail. Bring your camera and a bottle of water! There’s an overlook that is selfie heaven near the lake and waterfall.
You used to be able to get in the water below the waterfall, but I’m not sure you still can. Even if you can’t get in the water, you can get GREAT pics on the various overlooks throughout the walking trails.
SYLAMORE CREEK
This pic is upstream, near the wading area.
Another great thing about the park is that you can wade/swim in Sylamore Creek which goes right through the park at the bottom of the mountain. The water is COLD…no joke!
Arkansas summers a brutal, this is true, but this pristine creek makes for a refreshing respite. Glynn and I have gone there before to just piddle around in the creek. We like to wade around in the rocky creek bed and take pics of curious things.
In the summertime, you can find kids swimming in the stream and picnicking with their families. Guys, if you’re looking for an unforgettable place to propose to your love, you’ve got to check out the creek and the bluff which is right around the corner.
THE BLUFF AND CAVE
Want an awe-inspiring place to camp under the stars? Don’t forget to visit Sandfield Bluff at Blanchard Springs Park while you’re down by the creek. Our kids’ youth group did a group campout just under the bluff one weekend YEARS ago. It was breath-taking to sleep under this bluff! I left our tent fly open and watched the stars in amazement! The bluff is a towering force of nature reminding you of how small and insignificant you truly are.
There is a cave perched beneath the bluff. It’s a fun place to take a picture and explore. When we were there, it appeared as though someone had camped under the bluff. It was COMPLETELY DRY in the cave under the bluff when everything else was SATURATED from the rain.
There is also an outdoor amphitheater near the bluff. I had the privilege of leading worship for our youth group the weekend we were there long ago. The acoustics will make you cry they are so perfect! It would be a neat place to just go sit alone with your guitar (or other instruments) and play for hours!
HIKE AND BIKE
As mentioned, there are hiking and biking trails at Blanchard Springs Recreation Area. They are pet-friendly. I found a great map of the trails on Greg Disch’s blog (which looks interesting, btw…I’ll have to revisit when I’m done writing!). I know the trail by Mirror Lake was skillfully built decking. It made for some great pictures, but we didn’t do the whole trail with rain threatening.
CAMPING
Seeing as how this is a blog mostly about RV camping, let’s talk about that for a sec. As you can see from their recreation.gov website, all camping is dry camping. There is potable water available, so you don’t have to haul water from home. There is no electricity. If you are a diva and can’t live without AC (GUILTY!), this might not be the place for you unless your rig has a generator. There is a dump station, but not on each site. As I said, YOU’RE BOONDOCKING! It may be fancy boondocking since they supply the water and dump station, but not on each site.
However, campsites are $10 per night. I’d have to say it’s worth it if you have a generator! I mean 10 BUCKS?! C’mon…that’s CHEAP!!! If you don’t have an RV, of course, tents are welcome and group campsites are available. They have decent bathhouses with toilets and warm showers. As I said before, our youth group camped under the bluff. It was a sight to see…probably a couple dozen tents or more, all in an open field with this towering bluff above us.
OTHER NEARBY THINGS TO DO
When our youth group stayed there, we went on a Buffalo River Float trip the next day. If you’ve never done a float trip on the Buffalo, you haven’t lived yet! Just kidding, but it is an unforgettable day trip. The river is crystal clear with bluffs soaring high above you and a peaceful, lazy river beneath you (depending on the time of year). It’s perfect for a hot summer day in Arkansas!
Check out the Mountain View post for things to do in town. If you like nature and music, there’s no reason to be bored in or near Blanchard Springs Caverns! On our rainy day trip last week, we drove through Sylamore Creek Camp for a peek at the river, and also stopped by the Swinging Bridge for some romantic hand holding and maybe a smooch or two! 🙂
If you happen to find yourself in Mountain View, Arkansas for a few days, Blanchard Springs Recreation Area is an ABSOLUTE MUST!
How about you, have you ever visited Blanchard Springs? Feel free to comment below!
Check out our Facebook and Instagram for more pics of the trip.
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