Pinnacle Mountain

I remember making the drive out to Pinnacle Mountain way back when I was a kid. Back then, it seemed like it took forever to get there. Of course in the years since then, the suburban sprawl of west Little Rock has steadily crept up towards the park. But thankfully the park still feels like a refuge, despite the close proximity of a Wal-Mart supercenter, fast food restaurants and gas stations.

I headed out there on a cool and cloudy day to try to get a few pictures. The Little Maumelle River, which flows near the base of Pinnacle Mountain, was running high after all the recent rains.





I did the Kingfisher Trail, which is a short and pleasant little hike along the Little Maumelle River.



The trail runs beneath several massive bald cypress trees. The trees are over 500 years old, and it's amazing that they somehow escaped being chopped down for lumber. The park sign along the trail says that they would have been saplings when Hernando de Soto was exploring this part of the country.









Across the parking lot from the trail was a picnic area, which sat by this small creek.



From there I headed over to the old location of the park visitor center (which has since moved to a larger and fancier new building). There is a small lake, which was once a rock quarry. There was a little bit of fog drifting along the trees.



This was taken from the little boat dock that sits atop the water.



I stood out there for a few pictures, careful to not drop the camera or fall in. I got one last shot with the infrared camera and then headed back home.

Pinnacle

Made a quick little visit to Pinnacle Mountain State Park the other day on my lunch break, since I hadn't taken any pictures lately and was starting to get jittery. It wasn't the best timing, it was still hot and sunny (which isn't usually the best conditions for pictures). Plus I had a meeting to attend that meant I needed to rush back fairly soon.

I stopped by the old bridge over the Little Maumelle River, which is now used by hikers on the Ouachita Trail and people fishing. I got a few pictures before hurrying back to the car.



By the visitor's center, there is a small lake that sits beneath tall bluffs. There is a wooden boat dock that stretches out into the water, which could possibly make for a neat picture. I walked in some funky smelling mud and managed to get a few pictures before heading back to work just in time for the meeting...