We’re going to be reviewing the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Boy Scout Trail (BSA Trail) located on Petit Jean Mountain. If you’d like more information about the “How’s & Why’s” of my reviews check out the Hiking Review page. Now let’s get into this thing!
Location Information
Park Superintendent
1285 Petit Jean Mountain Road
Morrilton, AR. 72110
GPS: -92.925183, 35.128833
Note: This trail requires checking in & out at the State Park Visitor Center.
Just for reference, the BSA interconnects with every other trail on Petit Jean. While it’s possible to make this a massive hike, the Boy Scout Trail is primarily hiked in two forms. You’ve got the option of either an 8-mile or 12-mile experience. The section you have to decide on is the 7 Hollows Trail loop and it’s as simple as making a right versus a left. I’ve hiked 7 Hollows Loop separately, so I opted to take a left and make the BSA Trail an 8-mile trip. Well, I sort of opted for a left, but you can read about my mistake here and here.
The BSA is marked with white blazes and assuming that you start this trail at the marked trailhead you’re going to start off with a very welcoming stretch of trail. The start of the BSA is at the beginning of what will become the canyon that feeds Cedar Falls. You are winding along the canon so the ups and downs at this stage are going to be narrow and the steps can seem pretty steep. The good news is that this workout rewards you with several excellent views along the way.
Start of Boy Scout Trail on Petit Jean Mountain
If you do a little reading about the BSA, the overall opinion is that you should take a right at the first fork. This will position you to hike the trail counter-clockwise. The reason you take the right is so that you can enjoy a downhill walk on the far west side of the trail. Overall the trail presents all the typical ups and downs of a mountainside trail, but I have to agree that walking the western side of the BSA trail on a downhill is an easier way to go.
One of the first big features you reach is Turtle Rocks. The name matches the expected viewpoint and the area is really nice to explore. Depending on how you are hiking the trail this would be a great place to take an extended break with kids or family and have a picnic if you’ve hiked that in. Just do me a favor and for the love all that is holy and/or sacred leave no trace and take all your trash out with you. Sorry, back to the hike.
From Turtle Rocks, you are going to be in the woods for a couple of miles. There are a lot of nice views and the trail is a pretty straightforward woods hike. There are a few switchbacks along the way and a couple of breaks in the woods that allow for a view across the canyone. While I planned to take a break every 2 miles, I had an energetic start to the day and I took my first break at the 4-mile mark. I found a nice and quiet rock to put my Therm-A-Rest Z Seat on and enjoy a break.
From the 4-mile mark you will start to cross the road out to Red Bluff a couple of times. You are going to eventually get to the far west side of the trail and things get pretty easy, assuming you are walking the downhill direction.
West side of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Boy Scout Trail on Petit Jean Mountain
At this point in the hike, a nice wide road is a welcome sight! From a distance standpoint, this section of the trail is about the same distance regardless of the direction you choose to hike, but I still think that the trail overall is easier making this a downhill hike. Regardless which direction you decide to hike you will find several wonderful viewpoints as you go. There are a couple of surprises along this road section too.
Winthrop P. Rockefeller Boy Scout Trail on Petit Jean Mountain
Remember when I said that the BSA intersects with every other trail on Petit Jean? I meant that part.
Blue Hole, BSA Trail, & Canyon Trail Intersect
We’re taking the section where the Blue Hole overlaps the BSA and moving on toward the 7 Hollows section of the mountain.You will eventually get to the end of this service road section or whatever it’s actually called when you cross Petit Jean Mountain Road (Hwy 154). You will cross Hwy 154 and pick up the BSA trail again. For this stretch back to expected size trail. The next road crossing will be Hwy 155 and this puts you right on the edge of the 7 Hollows Trail.
BSA Trail Crossing at Hwy 155
When you hit the BSA & 7 Hollows trail interconnect you are presented with going left, to the top of the 7 Hollows trail, or going right, into the 7 Hollows loop. To the right, you will see a blue & white blaze and a blue blaze, but to the left, you will see only blue blazes. This is what threw me off even though my internal compass wanted to go left. Either way 7 Hollows is a great stretch of trail and there are a lot of places to stop, take a rest, and take in a great view. Assuming you are going the short way you will reach the parking lot for 7 Hollows pretty quickly and be on your way to the next intersection, which is Bear Cave.
Like so many spots on Petit Jean Mountain, Bear Cave is a great place to explore on its own. No there are no bears here, but it’s a wonderful place to take younger kids, or young kids at heart, to explore. This is a great section to hike to from Mather Lodge, which will be the next section you hit. Well, I call it a section but it’s really just a checkpoint along the BSA Trail. You will arrive at Mather Lodge along the top of the Cedar Falls trail, walk through the Lodge’s main entrance area, across the parking lot toward Cabin #1, and meet back up with the BSA Trail and its white blazes. There is a disconnect with the trail across the parking lot, but if you just go from Mather Lodge toward Cabin #1 I promise you will meet back up with the trail.
BSA Trail at Mather Lodge
From The Mather Lodge section, you will hike along the edge of the mountain and make your way to the Cedar Falls overlook section. This is a really good place to take a break and get your energy up to finish the Boy Scout Trail. There will be several spots along the last sections where you will see the trail loop that you started on.
Cedar Falls Overlook on the BSA Trail
The falls weren’t running the day I was on the BSA trail, but it’s pretty easy to tell if they are going to be running. Sorry to point out the obvious, but if there is a lot of water upstream then the falls will be running. When the water is really high you can hear the falls roaring from all over the canyon! After the overlook section, you pass through the “self-guided trail” section which will take you out near the old rustic cabin. Yet another side venture you can easily reach from the BSA, but I digress. Once you see the bridge to cross the creek you are getting close to finishing the BSA loop and closing out the trail.
Bridge to finish out the loop section of the Boy Scout Trail
Obviously, when you get back to the trailhead you’ve knocked the Winthrop P. Rockefeller trail off your list! It’s a great trail that offers a lot of variety and a tone of scenic beauty. Aside from the trailhead, there are also a lot of places you can start the BSA trail that would add a lot of variety to your second or third hike. Oh yeah, and don’t forget to check out at the Visitor Center!
I can say that the 8-mile version was a good enough hike to leave me pretty tired, but the additional mile really did me in. I plan to hike this trail again, but I will include the 7 Hollows part to make it the full 12-mile adventure. I also plan to try for an overnight camping adventure and do the BSA two days in a row to really get a taste for how well I can fare for an overnight. There are a lot of great trails to hike here in Arkansas and the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Boy Scount Trail really has my mind going for what the next adventure should be!