When we first started paddling Greer’s Ferry Lake I was thrilled with the Old Hwy 25 recreation area. Yet for some reason, I had it in my head that I needed to check out other parts of the 40,000 plus acre lake. One of the areas I was fascinated with was the area near Higden, Arkansas where Sugar Loaf Mountain extends about 550 feet above the surface of the water.
For months, I have been trying to convince Richie that we needed to drive the additional 30 minutes to Peter’s Sugar Loaf Marina so we could paddle the 1.5 miles out to Sugar Loaf Mountain and then climb the 1.6-mile “moderate to difficult” trail before paddling back.
The last time I had been to Sugar Loaf was in 2001. That was a lot of years and sadly, a lot of pounds ago.
October has been quite warm this year. It was October 15th and the temperatures were still in the 80’s the day we decided to knock this trip off our (well really MY) bucket list.
The paddling was easy compared to the climb which is listed as moderate to difficult on the map at the bottom of the trail. A Boy Scout troop from Batesville worked on the trail in 2014, updating the pathways and adding wooden steps to the steepest areas at the top of the trail.
For me, the climb registered closer to the difficult end of the moderate to difficult scale and there were moments when it wasn’t very fun. But in the end, I managed all but the very steepest part at the end of the trail and was rewarded with the beautiful views.
I’m not as young as I once was and I am working hard to get my body back in some semblance of a shape other than round. I was proud to do what I did, and maybe, this time next year, I’ll find myself back at Sugar Loaf Mountain and the climbing will be a little bit easier.
Check out our video with highlights from our day below. Please be sure to subscribe to our youtube channel as well!
Looks beautiful. Thanks for the recommendation! Maybe we’ll check it out next time we’re in town.