Hawksbill Crag Trail (Whitaker Point), Arkansas

If you’ve ever looked up hiking trails in Arkansas, Hawksbill Crag Trail (often referred to as Whitaker Point Trail) is sure to pop up at the top of the list. This trial is often seen as the most iconic of the Natural State, and for spectacular reason. The hawksbill shaped rock that juts out over the bluff line is one of those sites that stops you in your tracks and you’ll want to return again and again.

Need to Know About Hawksbill Crag Trail (Whitaker Point)

TRAIL LENGTH: Hawksbill Crag is a 3 mile total round trip trail, out and back.
TRAIL DIFFICULTY: It’s typically rated as a moderate trail. I’d say depending on your fitness level it’s moderately easy or easily moderate. Basically, don’t be intimidated by this trail. Just take your time if you’re nervous about it.
PARKING IS LIMITED: There is a designated parking area, be sure to park there because they’ve started ticketing if you park along the dirt road.
BE MINDFUL OF THE BLUFF: When hiking this trail, be mindful that it is a sheer drop 100+ feet down to the forest below. Hawksbill Crag itself is 150 feet above and many people have fallen and some haven’t lived to tell the tale and the ones who did have had some serious injuries.
BE PREPARED FOR A DIRT ROAD TO THE TRAILHEAD: The first time I ever attempted to hike this trail, I was in my little Hyundai hatchback and there had been a decent amount of rain. Well, my car was stuck and I had to rely on 4 really nice men to push me out and go back down the road without hiking. So, learn from my mistakes, if you don’t have n AWD or 4WD, check the weather surrounding your visit. And be prepared for a fairly rugged and bumpy ride up.
NEAREST TOWN: Ponca, Arkansas. Full disclosure, town is a pretty liberal term for Ponca. Jasper, an hour away has a few of restaurants, couple shops and a Dollar General.
DOWNLOAD OFFLINE MAPS: The trailhead for Hawksbill Crag Trail is on Google Maps, but cell service is quite spotty. So, definitely download that offline map.

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Hawksbill Crag Trail Details

The trail to Hawksbill Crag starts off just off the dirt road you arrive on; it’s on the east side of the road, and there is a sign marking the trailhead. Basically, you can’t miss it. First good thing to note is that the blazes for this trail are red and easy to follow. The start of the trail goes downhill. It’s not super steep, but if you’re doing this hike for sunrise, there are lots of roots and stones to trip on, so be sure to watch your step.

Once you reach the bottom you hit a small stream. Then, the trail goes to the right. You continue on this path, which is well-traveled and typically quite busy, until you turn left just before hitting the edge of the bluff line. From here, it’s simple to just follow the bluff. As I’ve mentioned, the path is very easy to follow. Eventually there is a spot that opens up and you get the perfect vantage point of Hawksbill Crag. If you’re traveling with others, it’s common to have someone stay behind to take a picture of the other person on the crag.

From here, you venture on to Hawksbill Crag. It’s a much larger rock than it seems, but still exercise caution getting near the edge or out on the narrower sections of Hawksbill Crag. The views from the top of Hawksbill Crag are unreal. You can see all kinds of rolling ridges of green. At sunrise, the colors glow and illuminate the skies behind Hawksbill Crag. (You can get a pic of the Crag with the sunrise behind it.) For sunset you can just see the beautiful colors from atop the crag.

You can walk a bit beyond Hawksbill Crag, many people camp here to wake up for sunrise. You’ll see the backside of Hawksbill Crag, showing off just how big of a rock that is, and there’s a really cool little natural bridge there.

Slight trail extension option. When you get to the left turn on the way up or right turn on the way back at the bluff line, you can actually go straight to the edge of the bluff line where the creek flows and in times of wet weather there is a small waterfall. Just know it is a wet weather fall and that many people have either fallen here or gotten lost. Be sure to be smart on the bluff and to feel confident in your ability to get back on the Hawksbill Crag Trail.

Our Experiences Hiking the Hawksbill Crag Trail

Because we live relatively close to this hiking region, we’ve had the pleasure of doing this hike in every season but spring. (Upon realizing that, suddenly I want to experience the Hawksbill Crag trail this spring!)

Summer at Hawksbill Crag

The first time I ever hiked the Hawksbill Crag Trail was in the summer with my dad. We did a few days of hiking in NW Arkansas for our father daughter hiking trip in 2014. We’d never really done a lot of hiking in this area, even though I was born and raised in the Ozarks. My dad and I loved this trail because it wasn’t very hard, but has a big, beautiful payoff at the end! We took turns taking photos of each out on the rock and marveled in the beauty that is the Ozarks. It was on this trip that I really gained a new love for the Ozarks, ironically just before moving to North Carolina, but I’m so glad that we did this trip because it gave me a different perspective because eventually, it made me more at peace about moving back and settling in the Ozarks.

Late summer the next year, my dad and I brought Matt here. It was a lot of fun getting to take Matt to this iconic trail for the first time. It was the first time the three of us hiked together for the first time and it warmed my heart that my two favorite guys got along so well and that we all share this love for the outdoors!

In 2016, Stacey and Abby came to town and we hit this trail with them! After all, it is the most iconic in the region! It was a really beautiful day and worth all the sweat that summer means you get to experience.
PRO: It’s a beautiful time of year to hike, visually.
CON: It is also typically super hot and humid and a pretty crowded time of year to hit the trails.

Hawksbill Crag in the Fall

Hawksbill Crag in the fall is magic. We’ve done this hike in the fall so many times! In fact, this was Matt’s first hike in the Ozarks. We have celebrated his birthday on this trail numerous times, I think we’re at three or four now! The weather in the fall is still quite warm and eventually when the leaves do change – it’s fairly late in the spring – they can be some of the prettiest fall foliage you’ve ever seen! Don’t hesitate to get here when the leaves change, though, because storms can blow them off very quickly. This is the first Arkansas hike we took Charleigh on too! Fall is also a decently popular time to hike in the Ozarks. The weekends are super busy, but the weekdays are less crowded and crazy.
PRO: The weather is perfect, the nature is stunning!
CON: It can be super, duper crowded. Especially on weekends!

Wintertime at Hawksbill Crag

The beauty of hiking to Hawksbill Crag in the winter is that it’s so much less crowded. We’ve yet to do it in the snow, but it’s on the list to do sometime, but we’ve done it in late winter a few times and enjoyed that we could see the sunrise with just one or two more people. The crag stands out a bit more because the trees are bare and it feels like more of a personal experience out there.

Gear I’d Recommend for This Hike

I like to share gear we use and would recommend for specific hikes as part of each trail guide.

The hike to Hawksbill Crag is iconic for a reason. It’s such a beautiful natural rock formation that is unforgettable and will stop you in your tracks, even if you do have to share the trail with a good amount of people. This trail is the epitome of Ozarks beauty and I look forward to hiking it again & again.

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