Originally Posted by
Captain Bluebird
My two sons, myself and my brother-in-law hiked from Standing Bear Hostel / I-40 to Hot Springs last weekend. About 35 miles, 2 nights on the trail and three days of hiking. You cross Match Pad, Bluff Men, which also has a bald. Standing Bear and Hot Springs are easy to find. Hot Springs had a Bluegrass Festival, craft show last weekend. That may keep the parents occupied while waiting! A word of caution: we had a bear at our tent site each night during the middle of the night. The second night a girl passed our site and she said she had to resupply as a result of a bear getting her bag and retuning for her cook set! Our two sites were approximately 9 and 25 miles south of Hot Springs. I never had an issue with bears at night until now. Looking to buying a bear spray canister . ($45at REI)