At Blackburn's we understand your need for suggestions and information on what you can do in our area. Come to the front office and look through our Area Activity Guide, pick a few activities, and we'll help with directions and how to best enjoy what you chose.
Horseback Riding
This is the easy fun way to see the true Ozarks. Riding through thick forests, fields, and rivers, you'll see limestone bluffs, waterfalls, wildflowers, birds, animals, and karst rock formations. With numerous trails totaling many miles it will take several rides before you've seen it all. Trail ride difficulties vary from easy beginner rides to rides requiring advanced horse riding skill. Commercial Horseback riding is available in Mountain View.
Canoeing and Kayaking
The upper North Fork river, the White river, and the Buffalo river all offer scenic Ozark waterway canoe and kayak trips. None of these rivers are difficult to navigate. The White is recommended for experienced boaters when it is running higher water levels as the current gets very strong. The Buffalo and the North Fork are not as wide as the White and offer a slower, closer look at wildlife and scenery. The White is a fast ride, especially on high water.
Mountain Biking & Hiking Trails
Well groomed and well marked, Pigeon Creek National Trail System on Norfork Lake has 18 miles of stacked loop trails running through several micro ecosystems. You can mountain bike or hike through pine stands, oak-hickory hardwood stands, shoreline transition zones, and combinations of these systems. Trails are beginner and intermediate level. Bird watchers find these trails productive, especially during fall and spring migrations. You'll see a combination of song birds and water birds. Wildflowers and the rare dwarf chinkapin oak are common trailside sites. David's Trail is close.
Wilderness Day Hikes
If your idea of hiking is to slowly walk a trail without a backpack for 3 to 8 hours, then return to your lodging for a hot meal and a shower, you'll like what you find around Norfork! You'll find trails from as little as 1/2 mile long up to 13 miles long. There are also hundreds of rarely used back roads and old jeep trails that make excellent hikes or mountain bike rides. The Sylamore District of the Ozark National Forest has several streams that adventurers enjoy walking because of the bizarre karst rock formations and unusual plant life in the canyon bottoms. In all there are several very good places to hike, watch wildlife, and enjoy the scenery. The Leatherwood Wilderness area has day hikes for those seeking a truly primitive hike. Only humans and horses are allowed in the Leatherwood.
