Backpacking in the Mid West – Locations?

[Kyle Berkompas]

Hey,
Me and a few buddies of mine are looking to go backpacking during Spring Break (March 8 – 16). We go to Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan and we need to find a good warm place somewhere south. We are willing to drive pretty far south, ie Tennesee, Arkansas. Does anyone have any suggestions of places that have warm weather and good hiking???

Thanks
Kyle

[Glenn Roberts]

The Red River Gorge, east of Lexington, KY, is nice. So is Big South Fork (near I75, along the Kentucky-Tennessee border), and – believe it or not – Mammoth Cave National Park all have good hiking. Not the Smokies, but still nice. An often-overlooked place is Cumberland Gap National Park, where Kentucky, Virginia, and Tennessee touch.

[Adam Rothermich]

We have the Ozark Trail here in Missouri. I don't know how warm of weather you will get in early March though. Just today it was almost 70*F in the morning and by 3:00 PM there was pretty good snow accumulation and it was 20*F. Its currently 16* with a -1*F windchill and its supposed to drop to 8*F tonight. Talk about crazy weather!

Adam

[Kyle Berkompas]

My friends have mentioned the Ozarks in Northern Arkansas. Would this be a good spot for this time of year as well??

[Adam Rothermich]

I've never been hiking in the Arkansas Ozarks, but I've heard good things about the area. The Ozark Highland Trail and Ouachita Trail are two of the trails I've heard most about. They could also be worth looking into.

Adam

[Sara C]

I've been to Arkansas in late March the last two years and had good weather. The 60+ miles of the OHT that I've done are really great, and the Buffalo River Trail and other trails around the Buffalo River are also highly recommended.

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