The Petit Jean State Park Bear Cave Trail is a short, easy trail, though there are rocky sections of the path. There are no caves, but there are rock shelters that are said to have been used by bears.
There were a lot of rock stairs, carved into the rock by the Civilian Conservation Corps. You can see some in the photo below:
I was impressed by the size of the rock features.
This part of the trail made me think of bears:
I was alone on this trail, which was unusual. Most of the other trails had steady traffic while I was walking -not crowds of people, but several passing me as I took my photos. This one was experiencing a quiet time while I was walking on it.
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What a dramatic landscape! Were those rocks shaped by water or wind erosion, do you know? I hope you didn´t encounter any bears, that would be terribly scary!
ReplyDeleteThere's information on the geology here: http://www.geology.ar.gov/pdf/Geology%20of%20Petit%20Jean%20State%20Park.pdf
DeleteI didn't see bears, and I didn't see warnings for them. There are bears in Arkansas, but I don't know if they are ever sighted in Petit Jean park. That'd be scary!
That's an excellent pdf, thanks! The carpet rocks are really special. That park looks like a real gem, you are so lucky to have been there.
DeleteThere was another Arkansas park that we had chosen, but they were booked up. We were able to find an open week at this one. We think we landed on our feet :) We'll go to the other one some other year.
DeleteWhat dramatic scenery those rocks make. It does look like bears would like the area. I would be a little nervous walking there alone - but then I'm a ninny. I enjoy looking at Nature but usually from a deck somewhere, LOL!
ReplyDeleteDarla
It's well-patrolled, and the park was booked-up that week. I don't know how I managed to catch one of the trails without other people on it. It felt safe, and I think the bears are over at Mount Magazine State Park ;) http://www.mountmagazinestatepark.com/camping/bear-safety.aspx
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