PHOTOS: This Arkansas wildlife refuge has 160,000 acres and 365 lakes. Here's how to explore it.

Gayle Nealis (left) and Nancy Raney enjoy one of Arkansas’ natural treasures, a canoe trail in the Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette/BOB ROBINSON)
Gayle Nealis (left) and Nancy Raney enjoy one of Arkansas’ natural treasures, a canoe trail in the Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge. (Special to the Democrat-Gazette/BOB ROBINSON)

The Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge has been on my list of places to explore in The Natural State for some time. I planned an outing last spring — until I contacted the visitors center and learned that most of the refuge was underwater and would remain so until late May.

Buffalo gnats begin to swarm in late May. I decided to wait until fall.

When Hernando de Soto in 1541 became the first European to set foot in what is now Arkansas, there were about 24 million forest-covered acres in the Mississippi Delta. After centuries of timber harvest and agriculture, today fewer than 8 million remain. One million lie within Arkansas.

The refuge encompasses more than 160,000 of those acres, far from big cities.

The nearest dam or other structures engineered to control the White River are some 200 miles upstream at Bull Shoals Lake. In the refuge, streams overflow their banks and inundate the woods as they have since time immemorial.

The unique ecosystem resulting from this natural flood cycle supports more than 70 species of trees and an abundance of flowering plants, birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians.

It also provides a great setting for hikers, bird watchers, canoers and kayakers to enjoy an unusual wildlife experience.

WE GO

With the first signs of colorful fall foliage in the treetops, I and eight other like-minded adventurers planned our Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge Adventure for Nov. 2-4.

Four of us traveled a day early to investigate camping and other logistics ahead of the main group. I had collected information before the trip, but after reading about all that flooding, we decided to stop at the visitors center in St. Charles, to check for road and campground closures.

This 10,000-square-foot visitors center includes an auditorium, environmental education classroom and an interpretive exhibit hall filled with displays about the refuge and the plants and wildlife protected there.

The foyer has a 28-foot-tall replica of a bald cypress tree, complete with a bear den within its hollow cavity to illustrate the unique denning habits of black bears on the refuge. The base surrounding the tree is an underwater diorama providing an enlightening view of the flora and fauna typical of oxbow lakes.

The refuge has 365 natural or man-made lakes. Many pools of water along the gravel roads are oxbow lakes that were bypassed and left behind as the White River freely followed the course of least resistance for hundreds of years before man's intervention.

We hiked two short trails near the center that offered a glimpse of what was in store for our weekend.

■ The Bottomland Hardwood Trail routed us through a forest of tall oaks and hickories, several more than 200 years old. A boardwalk led us across a beautifully green-coated swamp.

■ The Upland Trail was a definite contrast. On a Grand Prairie terrace that never floods, we walked through grassland and past tree species not normally found in the surrounding wetlands.

Next on our agenda was to find a home base for the weekend.

Camping in the refuge is only allowed in designated areas, but with almost 40 campgrounds, finding a site usually is not a problem. But the campgrounds are primitive, lacking any facilities.

We checked out Moon Lake Campground just a mile from the visitors center. As with many of the camping areas, this was on a lake shore lined by large bald cypress trees.

After nesting in at our new home, we went exploring.

Grabbing Tim Ernst's Arkansas Nature Lover's Guidebook, we set off through the refuge on an extensive network of well-maintained gravel roads. I felt pangs of regret for not taking my mountain bike. It would be great to crank out a gravel-grinder while exploring the wetlands.

DAY TWO

The remainder of the group of nine joined us at Moon Lake just past lunchtime. After they settled in and stowed their gear, we set out for our first adventure, finding the Champion Cypress Tree.

Meandering along the scenic maze of the wetlands' gravel roads can be an enjoyable outing on its own. But to reach the tree, follow the directions in Ernst's guidebook or pick up a brochure at the visitors center. Signs direct the way to many of the points of interest within the refuge, but I don't think you'll regret having printed directions.

Once you reach the trailhead it is only a 1.2-mile hike to reach the tree. You may have to ford a small drainage feeding Lower White Lake. We found a downed tree to walk across so our feet didn't get wet. Whatever it takes, it is well worth the effort. To appreciate the magnitude of this majestic tree you must stand at the base of its massive trunk.

At more than 120 feet tall and with a 43-foot circumference, not only is this the largest cypress in Arkansas, it is also the largest tree in the state.

The trunk is hollow, so scientists are unable to collect a core to pinpoint its age. Samples taken from nearby cypress trees suggest the champion is more than 1,000 years old. Locals believe being hollow was how it escaped the sawyer's blade.

After stopping to enjoy a couple of the other lakes, we eventually returned to camp. We collected wood for a bonfire that we would gather around later, under a star-filled sky, and we enjoyed an evening of conversation, brats, adult beverages and a delicious assortment of homemade side dishes.

DAY THREE

On a fine, sunny Saturday morning, following a restful night in which I heard only the occasional hoot of an owl and distant calls of coyotes, our hardy group piled into vehicles topped with our kayaks and canoes for an adventure that would be new to everyone.

Following the directions of a brochure from the visitors center, our caravan drove gravel roads past even more oxbow lakes and hardwood forests to reach the put-in at H Lake. After unloading our boats, we set out to discover the H Lake Canoe Trail.

The entire refuge experience is well worth the drive, but for me the main attraction was this water trail. You can be a veteran hiker of mountains and valleys, familiar with all the famous and hidden woodland jewels of this state and still not be prepared for the awesome, immersive experience of floating in a bottomland forest.

With everyone's boat safely launched, we paddled across a 50-foot wide body of water to drift past a row of tall bald cypress trees that bordered the shore. Most of the cypress needles wore their fall red, and bright yellow hardwood leaves provided a magnificent backdrop.

With everyone busily capturing the scene on camera, it took more than 30 minutes to cover the half mile to the place where the lake began to narrow. We then ducked into a canopy-covered, narrow channel to snake through a heavily forested section before popping out onto the open water of Little H Lake.

These two lakes — H and Little H — were the only open bodies on the loop trail. Upon exiting the second lake, the trail meanders lazily through flooded bottom wetland.

An annual Public Use Permit is required to hunt, fish, launch boats and use campgrounds in Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge. The permit costs $20 for those 16 years of age and over, and must be obtained online.

For more information, go to fws.gov/refuge/white_river.

There were no signs for the trail, but the water stood at a level that made it obvious where we were supposed to go. In water a foot or two higher, navigation skills might be tested.

The entire water trail is only 3.3 miles, so there was no hurry. On the contrary, everyone seemed ready to pause and examine anything of the slightest interest, intent on extending the float as long as possible.

Although the majority of the forest in the refuge has been harvested on one occasion or another, our boats were dwarfed by many tall cypress feeding off the fertile, nutrient-rich bottomland.

I was mesmerized by the families of cypress knees. It was interesting how their shapes and expressions changed from different viewpoints as I drifted past. I felt certain they were growing impatient with our slow progress — and with having to pose motionless during our presence. They seemed eager to resume frolicking in the forest, as wood nymphs do once they are beyond human eyesight.

While I was busily snapping pictures of these wood nymph statues I lost sight of the group. But I soon caught up and found them congregated in front of a dense wall of trees, which also turned out to be the end of the water pool.

Nancy Rainey maneuvers in a tight channel along the H Lake water trail in the Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge on Nov. 3, 2018.

Special to the Democrat-Gazette/BOB ROBINSON
Nancy Rainey maneuvers in a tight channel along the H Lake water trail in the Dale Bumpers White River National Wildlife Refuge on Nov. 3, 2018. Special to the Democrat-Gazette/BOB ROBINSON

UH-OH

Everyone had been aware the route involved a potential portage; but it was obvious the stretch of dry land in front of us would involve more than a portage.

Not to be deterred, the group turned to backtrack in search of the missing channel. We soon discovered where the waterway continued through what appeared to be an impenetrably dense thicket. After 20 feet it opened up once again, into what we assumed was the water trail.

Luckily, it did prove to be penetrable, at least for our determined bunch, and we resumed our exploration through the enchanted wetland, onward to the takeout.

Loading our watercraft we returned to camp, where those of us who had not had enough float time unloaded our boats to explore the shores of Moon Lake.

Then came another evening of socializing around an even grander bonfire, followed by a night of cozy slumber. Everyone exchanged goodbyes in the morning. We also bid goodbye, but not farewell, to this special new world we had discovered.

The White River wildlife refuge belongs on everyone's list of places to visit. It is an Arkansas natural treasure.

Bob Robinson is the author of Bicycling Guide to the Mississippi River Trail, Bicycling Guide to Route 66 and Bicycling Guide to the Lake Michigan Trail (spiritscreek.com).

Style on 11/19/2018

Upcoming Events