Our First Night in Ozark National Forest - Dispersed Camping

Our last video ended just as we crossed the state line into Arkansas. Today we continue on our way to Ozark National Forest hoping to find a dispersed campsite for the night. We have a couple minor scares along the way, but it all works out in the end. We ed the day in one of the most beautiful campsites we have stayed in yet.
Trip Mileage so far:
Day 1 - Home to Lawrence KS: 569 Miles
Day 2 - KS to Campinawe to Roaring River: 243 Miles
Day 3 - Roaring River to Ozark NF: 100 Miles

Пікірлер: 49

  • @larryclark6786
    @larryclark67863 күн бұрын

    The music was awesome and I couldn't stop looking at the color of the water.

  • @HEKNBAK

    @HEKNBAK

    3 күн бұрын

    Thank you! Tim still teases me about the water, lol! Of all the places we have ever camped, this is one of our top three campsites.

  • @survivalseamstress8980
    @survivalseamstress89806 ай бұрын

    I'm from Northern Indiana and I love it down there so much I'm moving down there this year.

  • @HEKNBAK

    @HEKNBAK

    6 ай бұрын

    That is awesome! We were truly surprised by how beautiful it is and how many places there are to explore there!

  • @tonyalewis9053
    @tonyalewis9053 Жыл бұрын

    Ponk-ah; like you first stated. I live in SW Missouri and hike & camp in NW Arkansas frequently.

  • @HEKNBAK

    @HEKNBAK

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks! Great to know - I always second guess myself, lol! Such a beautiful area!

  • @stephanierobison7528
    @stephanierobison7528 Жыл бұрын

    I know this area, and i cannot believe y'all were able to get that little camper thru....let alone the truck. 😅We go off-roading around here. My parents grew up in Limestone.....the little community at the bottom of that well-maintained dirt road that turns into a logging trail 😂

  • @HEKNBAK

    @HEKNBAK

    Жыл бұрын

    I think this is probably our favorite place we have taken it so far! Such a beautiful area. We had so much fun down there and met some great people while we were there!

  • @campinawe
    @campinawe Жыл бұрын

    Wow! Looks like a great adventure with amazing views. Love the drone footage, thanks for sharing.

  • @HEKNBAK

    @HEKNBAK

    Жыл бұрын

    Our pleasure! We heard some "knocks" in the woods across the river - Tim says it was a Sasquatch, so we were glad we had our Campinawe instead of the tent, lol!

  • @frankbrowning4160
    @frankbrowning4160 Жыл бұрын

    thanks for sharing. would love to find some places like that. y'all inspire me to search some out.

  • @HEKNBAK

    @HEKNBAK

    Жыл бұрын

    We are always a little bit nervous when we disperse camp in areas we are unfamiliar with, but you can't beat places like this - it is worth it!

  • @kevinaubuchon5979
    @kevinaubuchon5979 Жыл бұрын

    Looks like a good adventure. Nice video. I was surprised you could move the Campinawe so easily.

  • @HEKNBAK

    @HEKNBAK

    Жыл бұрын

    I know, right? It takes a little bit of muscle but was definitely doable. This is definitely right up there as one of our favorite places so far. Thanks for watching!

  • @TerryX2Explore
    @TerryX2Explore Жыл бұрын

    We are really looking forward to exploring Arkansas! That's how winter should look! LOL Or at least that's how I want it to look... Wow, that mountain drive looks beautiful! We love stopping at overlooks... Sure is a gorgeous area! Yes, that water is sooo pretty! ;-) Beautiful campsite! Great exploring, guys!! 💙Terry and Terri

  • @HEKNBAK

    @HEKNBAK

    Жыл бұрын

    When we were younger we always joked about how we would never move south, we're northerners, we can handle the snow, lol! Now that we are getting older we are laughing at our younger selves!

  • @TerryX2Explore

    @TerryX2Explore

    Жыл бұрын

    @@HEKNBAK We did the same thing! LOL

  • @papatravels61
    @papatravels61 Жыл бұрын

    Nice, thanks for sharing. Getty up and go to colorado this summer with us...

  • @HEKNBAK

    @HEKNBAK

    Жыл бұрын

    Thanks for watching! Colorado is on our list!

  • @lauraberry8679
    @lauraberry8679 Жыл бұрын

    Welcome to Arkansas! Isn't it beautiful 😍

  • @HEKNBAK

    @HEKNBAK

    Жыл бұрын

    I have to say that we were very surprised how beautiful it is. We didn't know what to expect - we loved it!

  • @jwalker-bondfire
    @jwalker-bondfire Жыл бұрын

    The Campinawe handled those roads great! Thanks for sharing your adventures with us.

  • @HEKNBAK

    @HEKNBAK

    Жыл бұрын

    It did and in tomorrow's video we take it down some even more rugged roads - it is getting a workout, lol! Thanks for watching!

  • @JoseGarcia-cb5dz
    @JoseGarcia-cb5dz4 ай бұрын

    It is ponka

  • @FrankGreenway
    @FrankGreenway10 ай бұрын

    That blue water was beautiful. My truck camper would be perfect for that road in and campsite.

  • @HEKNBAK

    @HEKNBAK

    10 ай бұрын

    Yes, lol! We debated getting a truck camper before we bought the Campinawe. We couldn't believe how beautiful it was here!

  • @c-historia
    @c-historia Жыл бұрын

    wonderful video! 🔝 Ozark 😍

  • @HEKNBAK

    @HEKNBAK

    Жыл бұрын

    Thank you so much!! 😄

  • @c-historia

    @c-historia

    Жыл бұрын

    @@HEKNBAK have a great week😁

  • @JoseGarcia-cb5dz
    @JoseGarcia-cb5dz4 ай бұрын

    Just found yalls page I love the content ❤️❤️🇺🇸🇺🇸

  • @HEKNBAK

    @HEKNBAK

    4 ай бұрын

    Thanks so much! We appreciate it!

  • @travisbanks9552
    @travisbanks95524 ай бұрын

    Awesome vid! Thanks for sharing. What resources did you use to learn about the forest roads? It sounded like you were reading some great info about the technical grade and clearance.

  • @HEKNBAK

    @HEKNBAK

    4 ай бұрын

    Thanks so much! We were looking at the descriptions on OnX Offroad. We were using Gaia too, but the trail descriptions were OnX.

  • @adventureoverland1960
    @adventureoverland19603 ай бұрын

    Great video, lots of good spots around there. Thanks for sharing.

  • @HEKNBAK

    @HEKNBAK

    3 ай бұрын

    Such a beautiful area! We'd love to get back there to explore more. Thanks for watching!

  • @irenemeno3585
    @irenemeno3585 Жыл бұрын

    Would love to do something like that in that area too. All but 1 of our kids is in the mainland. I think if we told them we're on our way and we would love if we had a family camping adventure they would agree. We're from Guam. So different here for camping. It's doable but you really have to figure out so many factors. High heat, humidity, and tropic critters for starters.

  • @HEKNBAK

    @HEKNBAK

    Жыл бұрын

    You should! What a great idea to get your family together! This was our first time in Arkansas and it was so beautiful even in December. We have never been off the mainland - at least not yet, lol!

  • @adventureswithfrodo2721

    @adventureswithfrodo2721

    Ай бұрын

    Your figure it out is no different.

  • @daisymae3511
    @daisymae3511 Жыл бұрын

    We are always looking for dispersed camping spots in the Ouachitas, and the Ozark Mtns. But, the road y'all ended up on was beyond where I would go. We have gone down some pretty bad roads here in state, but I applaud y'all!! 👋👋 whew! We do have some steep and windy roads. Took one some years back that was nearly strait down and almost met itself going back up the other side from one ridge to the next. Today is Wednesday the 25th: are you still in Arkansas?

  • @HEKNBAK

    @HEKNBAK

    Жыл бұрын

    We loved driving these roads! We did some driving in the Ouachitas this trip too - that will be coming up. We drove up to some radio antennae's there. We are back home now working our "real" jobs, lol! Looking forward to the days we can travel full time. Thanks so much for watching and the kind comments!

  • @forevertexas76008
    @forevertexas7600810 ай бұрын

    Great vid guys. Thank you. Would you happen to have the coordinates?

  • @HEKNBAK

    @HEKNBAK

    10 ай бұрын

    Unfortunately we didn't mark it. It was right on carwash falls road though. From the south you would turn off Hwy 123 near Haw Creek Falls Campground onto CR 5881 and follow that north for several miles. It will become 311. From the north you would take 311 south off Hwy 29. There were several campsites along this stretch of road - all with great views of the Big Piney.

  • @shawnwood6473
    @shawnwood647311 ай бұрын

    Was this Steelcreek or someplace else

  • @HEKNBAK

    @HEKNBAK

    11 ай бұрын

    Where we ended up camping was Big Piney Creek - not too far from Carwash Falls, but the campground we drove into was Steel Creek. We weren't planning to camp at Steel Creek, but had a moment of panic when we saw the sign, lol! We aren't from the area, so we didn't know what we were getting into.

  • @ibsoonerfan
    @ibsoonerfan Жыл бұрын

    Do you have the coordinates of where you stayed

  • @HEKNBAK

    @HEKNBAK

    Жыл бұрын

    Unfortunately we hadn't started recording our tracks and locations at that point . It was right on carwash falls road though. From the south you would turn off Hwy 123 near Haw Creek Falls Campground onto CR 5881 and follow that north for several miles. It will become 311. From the north you would take 311 south off Hwy 29. There were several campsites along this stretch of road - all with great views of the Big Piney. There is some private property interspersed with public land, so it is good to use something like Gaia or OnX Offroad to make sure you know what is what.

  • @jordanyang3066
    @jordanyang3066 Жыл бұрын

    See any bears?

  • @HEKNBAK

    @HEKNBAK

    Жыл бұрын

    No bears, lol, but sometimes Tim is mistaken for one!