Buffalo National River · Arkansas

Indian Rockhouse Trail

2.8 mi of trail, end to end · Hike the Indian Rockhouse Trail: 3.5 mi round trip in the Service's write-up · about 450 ft of climbing · 509 ft–911 ft

889 ft 555 ft · 1.4 mi high 889 ft

Hike the Indian Rockhouse Trail 3.5 mi round trip · the Park Service's write-up

3-5 Hours · no dogs

Start Indian Rockhouse Trailhead

A fifty foot bluff shelter frames the green forest as rays of sunlight shine into the bluff shelter.
Sunlight streams into the Indian Rockhouse Photo: NPS/A. Smith

At 3.5 miles, round-trip, the Indian Rockhouse Trail meanders past a sinkhole, waterfall, mine prospect, Panther Creek, sculpted bedrock and a quarry. Many of these geologic features are typical of a karst landscape.

People have been visiting this bluff shelter as far back as 7,000 BC. Coming to the attention of the Carnegie Institute, excavations were carried out in the 1930s, revealing an array of stone tools, basketry, and food remains. The site has been protected from all excavation and collection since becoming part of Buffalo National River in 1972 so that the remains of this unique site can be preserved for future generations.

The Indian Rockhouse is a moderate to strenuous trail with steep inclines/declines. Pets are not permitted on this trail.

Accessibility This is a narrow trail that traverses steep, uneven, and rocky terrain. Documented service animals are permitted.

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.