Take In the Arkansas Fall Foliage at Beaver Lake

Arkansas Fall Foliage at Beaver Lake
The view from Sugar Ridge Resort

Spring has sprung, summer has come and gone. Now it’s time for fall – and what a glorious fall it will be! This year’s autumn colors are going to be especially vibrant and Beaver Lake is the perfect Arkansas fall foliage destination!

It’s always beautiful at Beaver Lake but it’s also true that some seasons are more striking than others. While it’s hard to beat the greening in spring and sunny summer, autumn’s colors have it, hands down.

Here in Northern Arkansas, notable color change begins working its way down the mountains in late September or early October. Peak color typically appears late October. That means now is the perfect time start planning your Arkansas fall foliage getaway at Sugar Ridge Resort!

Our location, perched high above Beaver Lake, means non-stop leaf-peeping, with 180 degree views of the Ozarks and Beaver Lake. Plus we’re surrounded by endless opportunities for scenic drives, hikes, and other fall activities.

Arkansas Fall Foliage Drives

One of the easiest and most pleasant ways to take in as much Arkansas fall foliage as possible is with a relaxing, scenic drive.  The winding mountain roads of the Ozarks are always entrancing but, come fall, they verge on the fantastic. Head out and take in all those amazing fall colors, stopping whenever you like to really take in all that majestic beauty.

Autumn road trip possibilities in and around Eureka Springs are nearly endless. Many of the area’s scenic byways are absolutely stunning in fall. We suggest checking out the drive between highways 23 and 16 and highways 7 and 62, for starters.

Ozark National Forest in autumn
Ozark National Forest

Another good option is Scenic 7 Byway, one of the area’s – and the country’s – most popular fall drives. The 290 mile route, located in Ozark National Forest, just south of Eureka Springs, offers varied geography and scenic views.

Pig Trail Scenic Byway is also particularly brilliant in both spring and fall. Pig Trail is a 19 mile long tunnel of foliage that crosses the Mulberry River and the 165-mile Ozark Highlands Trail.

Pea Ridge National Military Park is another fine, fall destination. Visit the park and drive the self-guided tour to experience both the historic battlefield and the area’s amazing fall foliage.

Fall Foliage Hikes and Biking Trails

Scenic drives are great but there may be no better way to enjoy the Arkansas fall foliage than to simply get out in it. Luckily, both Beaver Lake and Eureka Springs are loaded with excellent hiking and mountain biking opportunities.

Whitaker Point, aka Hawksbill Crag, is considered the most romantic spot in the Arkansas. Come autumn, it’s also an incredible vantage point for viewing an absolute sea of fall colors. The moderately challenging, 2.7-mile round-trip hike on Whitaker Point Trail takes around 2 hours but pays off in fantastic, panoramic views.

Dogwood Canyon Nature Park is another worthy fall foliage destination. The park offers 10,000 acres hiking, biking, fishing, and exceptional views of the Ozark Mountains.

Hawksbill Crag in Autumn
Whitaker Point, aka Hawksbill Crag

Nearby Hobbs State Park is Arkansas largest state park with over 12,000 acres of dense Ozarks forest, Beaver Lake shoreline, bike trails, and walking paths. Be sure to check out the Visitor Center and Van Winkle Hollow, too.

Eureka Springs’ Lake Leatherwood City Park is another fun leaf-peeping destination. The popular park has picnic spots and lovely paths and trails for hiking and biking.

And More …

We’ve only touched on a few of the fall drives and hikes near our Beaver Lake AR cabins and suites. We didn’t even mention all the nearby shopping, dining and museums.

Nor did we talk about all the fun, fall season festivals. Things like the Bikes Blues and BBQ Weekend, Eureka Springs Oktoberfest, Corvette Weekend, War Eagle Craft Fair, the Original Ozark Folk Festival, and did I mention Halloween?

Is it any wonder that Eureka Springs is one of the best fall foliage getaways in the country. Come share it with us, on Beaver Lake, at Sugar Ridge Resort.

Attend Hillberry Music Festival 2023!

Hillberry Music Festival audience members

Hillberry Music Festival 2023 is just weeks away. The popular, multi-day festival features over 30 groups playing Americana, Bluegrass, and Funk on two stages for five nights. October 4th through the 8th, 2023.

If you like good music, good food,  and a good time, you’ll love the Ozarks, you’ll love Hillberry Music Festival. The event, which sprang to life spontaneously in 2015, celebrates the arrival of the harvest moon. Thus it’s less well known full name: Hillberry the Harvest Moon Festival.

The festival seems to get a little bigger each year and is considered one of the Midwest’s top Bluegrass Festivals. The event draws thousands of people each year and who can blame them? More than 30 bands for 5 nights plus food, drink, craft vendors, workshops, and more.

The event takes place on The Farm, a 160-acre campground and events center north of Eureka Springs. The location is a stunning camping area featuring 360-degree panoramic views of the Ozarks. Mark Twain National Forest, Table Rock Lake, the White River, and Beaver Lake are all nearby.

In fact, The Farm is less than a 15 minute scenic drive from Sugar Ridge Resort.

While many who attend the festival simply camp on site, others prefer to retire to a separate location. Somewhere like the Beaver Lake cabins and suites at Sugar Ridge Resort!

Spend as much time as you like soaking up the fun of the festival, then return to the peace and quiet of your accommodations on Beaver Lake. Perfect!

2023 Hillberry Music Festival Lineup

This year’s Harvest Moon Festival runs from October 4th through October 8th, 2023. The Farm is located at 1 Blue Heron Lane in Eureka Springs, AR

Hillberry Music Festival 2023

Wednesday, October 4 –
5:40pm – 7:10pm: Front Porch (Shrine Stage)
7:55pm – 9:25pm: Eureka Strings (Shrine Stage)
10:10pm – 11:40pm: Friends of the Phamily (Shrine Stage)

Thursday, October 5 –
11:30am – 12:30pm: Danny Spain Gang (Shrine Stage)
1pm – 2pm: Magnolia Brown (Shrine Stage)
2:30pm – 3:30pm: Red Oak Ruse (Shrine Stage)
3:40pm – 5pm: Country Jesus (Main Stage)
5:40pm – 7:10pm: Rumpke Mountain Boys (Main Stage)
7:55pm – 9:25pm: Kellergrass with the Hillbenders (Main Stage)
10:10pm – 11:40pm: Kitchen Dwellers (Main Stage)
12:55am – 1:55am: Arkansauce (Main Stage)

Friday, October 6 –
1pm – 2:30pm: Skye Pollard & Fanmily Holler (Shrine Stage)
3pm – 4:30pm: Chucky Waggs & the Company of Raggs (Main Stage)
5:10pm – 6:40pm: Sierra Hull (Main Stage)
7:20pm – 8:50pm: The Wood Brothers (Main Stage)
9:30pm – 11pm: Leftover Salmon (Main Stage)
11:40pm – 1:10am: moe. (Main Stage)
1:30am – 3am: Fireside Collective (Shrine Stage)

Hillberry Music Festival Performer

Saturday, October 7 –
9am – 10:30am: Hillberry All-Stars / Chompdown! (Activities Tent)
12:45pm – 2:15pm: The Vine Brothers (Shrine Stage)
2:30pm – 4pm: Catfish Seminar (Main Stage)
4:30pm – 6pm: Opal Agafia (Main Stage)
6:45pm – 8:15pm: Neal Francis (Main Stage)
9pm – 12am: Railroad Earth (Main Stage)
12:40am – 2:10am: Here Come the Mummies (Main Stage)
2:10am – 3:40am: Sicard Hollow (Shrine Stage)

Sunday, October 8 –
10:15am – 12:30pm: John Henry Band Competition
12:30pm – 2pm: The Gary Lawrence Show (Shrine Stage)
2:30pm – 4pm: Rochelle Bradshaw (Main Stage)
4:40pm – 6:10pm: Sad Daddy (Main Stage)
6:50pm – 8:20pm: Elephant Revival (Main Stage)
9pm – 12am: Railroad Earth (Main Stage)
12:40am – 2:10am: The Sensational Barnes Brothers (Main Stage)
2:15am – 3:30am: Blurrred Name (Shrine Stage)

Festival tickets are limited and sell out every year. Get yours while you still can on the Hillberry Music Festival website. You can also find this event on Facebook

Eureka Springs Corvette Weekend 2023

Eureka Springs Corvette Weekend 2023

Corvette fans and classic car enthusiasts will want to mark their calendars for the 32nd annual Eureka Springs Corvette Weekend! This popular event sees four glorious days of Corvette shows, parades, drives, and more. October 5th through the 8th, 2023 in Eureka Springs, AR.

Early fall is a lovely time of year, here on Beaver Lake. The sun is still out and the leaves are still green but the temps are cooler, the crowds lesser, and there’s still plenty to do and see.

Nearby Eureka Springs always has something up its sleeve to entertain and, in early fall, that’s the annual Corvette Weekend.

The event began quietly in 1991, with just 33 Corvettes and a picnic. It has since grown to include nearly 1,000 Corvettes and a whole host of events.

In fact, Eureka Springs Corvette Weekend is now one of the three largest, non-commercial, annual Corvette events in the country! Enthusiasts come from all over to show off their own Corvettes, meet fellow fans, and ogle all the gorgeous cars.

Eureka Springs Corvette Weekend 2023

Corvette Weekend almost always occurs the first weekend of every October and 2023 is no exception. This year’s event is scheduled for October 5-8, 2023.

You don’t have to own a Corvette to attend but, if you do, you should consider bringing it along and entering it in the show! All vintages of original, modified, restored, or even daily driver Corvettes are eligible.

The event is decidedly friendly. There is no real competition to engage in, no stressful prep or points to win or lose. Just a fun 4 days of driving and admiring Corvettes with fellow fans.

Events take place at various locations in and around Eureka Springs, AR. Past year’s highlights include an Owner’s Choice Car Show, a Poker Run, and a Fuel Economy Run. This latter is very popular, attracting a hundred or more Corvettes for a drive on some of the area’s most scenic roads.

Corvette Weekend 2023 in Eureka Springs

There are also a variety of fun challenges to compete in. A Fan Belt Toss, a Bull’s-Eye Rod & Piston Throw, and everyone’s favorite, the Blind Man’s Short Course Autocross. This latter event teams blindfolded golf car drivers with sighted co-pilots for a run through a short course of safety cones. Always a lot of fun.

Wishing you had a Corvette of your own to show off? Hit the event’s For Sale Corral and, who knows? Maybe you’ll find one to buy!

Corvette Weekend also includes an Awards Ceremony and The Parade of Champions through downtown Eureka Springs.

Best of all, it’s all happening less than a half hour’s drive from Sugar Ridge Resort. Spend the day attending events and admiring the wide variety of Corvettes, then it’s an easy and scenic drive back to your cabin or suite on Beaver Lake. The makings of a perfect weekend!

Visit www.eurekaspringscorvette.org to register and for more information. You can also find this event on Facebook.

Visit Pea Ridge National Military Park

Pea Ridge National Military Park

The Civil War Battle of Pea Ridge took place in early March of 1862 and involved nearly 26,000 Union, Confederate, and even Cherokee soldiers. Pea Ridge National Military Park preserves this important Civil War battlefield, located just 20 minutes west of our Beaver Lake cabins and suites.

Civil War history buffs will find a lot to explore in Arkansas.  There’s the Lakeport Plantation in Lake Village, Chidester’s Poison Springs Battleground, Headquarters House in Fayetteville, and many others. Of all the major Civil War sites in the state, Pea Ridge is the closest to Beaver Lake, and notable as one of the most intact Civil War battlefields around.

The Battle of Pea Ridge saw the two armies wrestling for control of Missouri, a crucial border state. The Confederates, led by Major General Earl Van Dorn, brought 16,000 soldiers to the fight, including almost 800 Cherokee. They faced off against 10,250 Union soldiers, led by Brigadier General Samuel R. Curtis , who were in control of the state at the time.

The conflict, a bloody battle by all accounts, took place over two days and on two separate battlefields. Though they were outnumbered, the Union was victorious, holding their position and driving the Confederates from the battlefield.

Pea Ridge National Military Park

scenic overlook

Pea Ridge Military Park is located at 15930 East, US-62, in Garfield, AR, just north of Rogers. The park preserves the battlefield in honor of the nearly 3,500 soldiers who died here on March 7th and 8th, 1862.

Visitors to the park will find 4,300-acres to explore and several ways to enjoy them. Highlights include two Civil War battlefields, historic Elkhorn Tavern, a visitor’s center, hiking trails, and more.

Be sure to stop by the Pea Ridge Visitor Center and Museum to take in the interactive exhibits. Then you’ll want to embark on the 7-mile, self-guided road tour with 28 points of interest. You can also explore the park with a Guided Cell Phone Tour. 7 miles of hiking and biking trails leading to various points of interest.

A 2.5 mile section of The Trail Of Tears also runs through the park. For those unaware, the Trail of Tears is the path thousands of Native Americans walked and died along during a forced relocation in the 1820s.

Pea Ridge Military Park is open 365 days a year, 6am to dusk. Learn more at the park website.

Spend a few hours at the park learning about our great nation’s storied heritage, then it’s an easy and scenic drive back to the comfort of your Sugar Ridge Resort suite or cabin on Beaver Lake. The perfect day!

Tour Cosmic Cavern

Cosmic Cavern

Spelunkers staying at Sugar Ridge Resort will be excited to learn that one of the country’s top ten show caves, Cosmic Cavern, is less than an 45 minutes away. The “Must See” attraction is located in Berryville, AR, half-way between Eureka Springs and Branson, Missouri.

Arkansas is home to a lot of fascinating caves and many are within easy distance of our Beaver Lake cabins and suites.  None are quite as famous as Cosmic Cavern, however. This historic attraction is the largest, and considered one of the prettiest, privately owned show caves in the state.

The cave, while known to ancient Native Americans, was not discovered in the modern era until 1845, when it was mined for its onyx and other minerals. Cave ownership changed hands repeatedly until 1980, when it was purchased by the Langhover family, who still operate it today.

Inside, you’ll find a variety of unusual features,  such as a 9-foot soda straw formation, the longest in the Ozarks. In fact, Cosmic Cavern has many unique and beautiful rock formations, or speleothems, to admire. Stalactites and stalagmites, flowstone, helictites, cave bacon, draperies, and more.

The cave is also home to two “bottomless” lakes.  One, South Lake, has a long-term population of trout, some of which have lost their sight and pigmentation from being underground for so many generations.  The other lake in the cavern was only discovered in 1993. Consequently, it is incredibly pristine and clear.

Cosmic Cavern flowstone

Cosmic Cavern is also unique for its temperature, which stays a relatively balmy 64°F with 96% humidity throughout the year. Most other caverns are lucky to hover around the mid to upper 50’s.

Touring Cosmic Cavern

Visitors to Cosmic Cavern can enjoy both Guided Walking Cave Tours and Wild Cave Tours.

Guided Walking Cave Tours take around an hour and 15 minutes and cover a distance of approximately 1/3 mile. Your path is well lit and, while there are some stairs, most of the tour is level. This tour will take you past many unique stone formations, as well as the two subterranean lakes. You may even see blind cave trout and blind cave salamanders. Fascinating!

Wild Cave Tours, on the other hand, are offered after normal hours and take you to deeper, undeveloped parts of the cave. You’ll definitely get a little wet and muddy but gloves, hard hats, and lights are supplied. Fun and exciting!

Cosmic Cavern also offers a gift shop, lunch pavilion, museum, and gemstone panning station. Here, youngsters (or the young at heart) can amuse pan for various crystals and keep what they find. Rubies, emeralds, sapphires, quartz, and more.

Cosmic Cavern is located at 6386 Hwy. 21 North, in Berryville, AR 72616. – just 45 minutes drive from our Beaver Lake Cabins and Suites.

Cosmic Cavern bottomless lake

Cavern hours are 9am to 5pm daily, March through December. Visit the cavern website for more information. You can also find the cavern on Facebook.

More Local Caves

You say you like caves? Well, you certainly came to the right place! As we say above, Arkansas is home to many caves, some of the best of which are right here in the local area.

For more underground fun near Sugar Ridge Resort, consider visiting War Eagle Cavern on Beaver Lake and Onyx Cave Park in Eureka Springs.

What things do you hope to do during your Beaver Lake getaway? Let us know and we’ll help get you on your way! Sugar Ridge Resort loves sharing beautiful Arkansas with our guests!

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