Buffalo National River · Arkansas

Buffalo River/Ozark Highland Trail

7.8 mi of trail, end to end · about 1,600 ft of climbing · 589 ft–1,170 ft

History

817 ft 983 ft · 7.4 mi high 1,159 ft

Along the way Slay Cemetery

Hike Shine Eye to Gilbert the Park Service's write-up

4 Hours · no dogs · season Hiking is most popular in fall, winter and spring when ticks are less abundant.The climate of the Buffalo River basin is characterized by long, hot summers and relatively short, mild winters. Temperature records in the area have a low of -13<sup>0</sup> F to a high of 107<sup>0</sup> F. Rainfall averages 46 inches annually. The greatest amounts of precipitation occur in winter and spring, with average winter snowfall of 12 inches. Dryer months are July through October. Both moderately intense local storms and storms with heavier rainfall can last several days. Larger storms are more likely to occur in spring; however, they can occur any time during the year.

Start First parking lot for Shine Eye to Gilbert trail

path through forest
Hiking the Shine Eye to Gilbert Trail is mostly moderate, but has some steep elevation gains. Photo: NPS

The Shine Eye to Gilbert Trail follows the north side of the river between the Highway 65 bridge and the small town of Gilbert. This is a hiker and horse trail marked with yellow blazes. It follows Long Bottom Bluff around Lane Bend into Gilbert.

Accessibility Trail is narrow, rocky and steep in places. Trail is not ADA compliant.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map

All 48 trails in Buffalo National RiverFind a trailOn the parks mapPark on nps.gov

About this trail's facts

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-16 and simplified for the map; the length is the line's, end to end. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do" text, unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.