Fall Guide · Ozark Foothills, Oklahoma
Ozark Foothills Fall Guide: Things to Do Near Ferncrest Flint Creek
Fall in Eastern Oklahoma is filled with autumnal magic. Driving through the Ozark foothills, the hollows go red and copper, the creek runs clear and cold, and every small town between here and Fayetteville seems to be holding a festival. The creek runs the length of our property, so most days start and end on the water and the sounds of nature.
FallFun
Everything worth doing nearby between the first cool night and the last leaf.
Leaf Peeping
Foliage drives along Grand Lake and Highway 21
Grand Lake has 46,500 acres of shoreline blooming in Ozark autumnal color — good for a slow scenic drive, a fishing afternoon, or a short hike wherever you feel like pulling over.
For a full day of it, the Ozark Highlands Scenic Byway runs Highway 21 through Newton County and the Buffalo National River area. Total day is about 5 hours of driving time, but a Fall memory you'll never forget.
- Grand Lake, Oklahoma · 1 hr drive
- Ozark Highlands Scenic Byway · 1 hr 45 min drive to scenic byway
Waterfalls
Natural Falls State Park, right down the road
Four minutes from the property. The seventy-seven-foot falls are the ones from Where the Red Fern Grows, and in October the canyon walls behind them turn vivid red and orange. It is a short, well-maintained walk in and can be done before your big adventure in great Ozark Foothill Region.
- Natural Falls State Park · 4 min drive
On the Water
Float the Illinois River without the summer crowd
Cooler days, less crowds, and foliage running the banks the whole way down toward Tahlequah. Kayak and tube rentals are easy to arrange, and September through October is the best float window of the year.
- Illinois River Outfitters · 34 min drive
Pumpkin Patches
Pumpkin patches and corn mazes
Farmland Adventures in Springdale cuts a nine-acre maze every fall and is a full-day adventure. McCorkle Family Farm is forty-one minutes away from Ferncrest and is more about the atmosphere and pumpkin patches. Rivercrest Orchard in Fayetteville does pick-your-own apples alongside the pumpkins, and the Arkansas Apple Festival is worth timing a trip around.
- Farmland Adventures · 57 min drive | 9-acre maze, Springdale
- Rivercrest Orchard · 1 hr drive | pick-your-own apples
- McCorkle Family Farm · 41 min drive
- Arkansas Apple Festival · 40 min drive
Fall Festivals
Small-town fairs, every fall weekend
Just over the border in Arkansas, the festival calendar never slows down: the Benton County Fair in late September, the Wishing Springs Arts & Crafts Festival mid-October, and It's Fall Y'all right behind it.
Downtown Siloam Springs is fifteen minutes away and worth an afternoon on its own; historic storefronts, local shops, a kayak park on the Illinois River, and mountain biking at City Lake Park.
- Benton County Fair · 56 min drive | Sept 25 - Oct 3
- Wishing Springs October Arts & Crafts Festival · 1 hr 7 min drive | Oct 15 - 17
- It's Fall Y'all Craft Fair · 45 min drive | Oct 15 - Oct 18
- Fairmount Farm Market, Gentry AR · 28 min drive | Mon–Fri 9–5, Sat 9–4
Back at Camp
Creek days and trail miles, then a sauna and cold plunge
The wellness center has two saunas, a large hot tub, and a cold plunge, and all of it is open to anyone staying on property. There is a camp store for anything you forgot and two bathhouses with hot showers.
Five of our twelve sites sit directly on the creek with private wood-fired hot tubs. Every site has private creek beach access, which in October is perfect for sitting creekside with something warm.