6th Anniversary Weekend Getaway

This year, for our anniversary, we spent the weekend in a cabin at Petit Jean State Park. Last October, when we made our reservation, I was told we'd gotten the last cabin available for the weekend, the "Honeymoon" cabin. When we checked in, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was their "secluded" cabin, the Creek Cabin, number 13. This cabin isn't on the park map. It's not visible from the main road, but really isn't off the beaten track. It's close the several trails, overlooks, and Mather Lodge. We were advised that,due to it's seclusion, housekeeping would not be coming by, so we'd need to get any extra towels, et al, from the lodge ourselves.
We'd had a lot of rain the week before, so the Cedar Creek was running pretty fast. Standing outside the cabin, you could hear little else but the sound of rushing water. The white noise helped drown(no pun intended) out what little road noise made it's way to the cabin. Behind the cabin were the typical state-park fire pit and grill. There was also a porch swing in an A-frame. A narrow deck lead from the back door to the screen-enclosed building for the hot tub.
Inside were most of the modern conveniences: refrigerator, electric stove, microwave, coffee maker, central heat & air, tv w/ Dish network. Nearly anything you need is provided: plates, silverware, pots, pans (I even found an electric mixer). The layout is more rustic, as many of the cabins have been there for decades. It was similar to a 'shotgun' style house, there isn't a hallway per se and no doors between the rooms. The double bed was in a kind of alcove opposite the bathroom with the kitchen on one end and the living area on the other.
We were lucky, considering all the rain the previous couple of weeks, that the weather while we were there was perfect. It was impossible not to want to get out on the trails and enjoy it. Cedar Creek was rushing, but not overflowing. In some places it looked like it may have still been a little low. The rushing water made for some idyllic scenery and many hobbyist photographers were on the Cedar Creek Trail taking full advantage. After lunch, we decided to tackle the Seven Hollows Trail, purported to be the inspiration for establishing Petit Jean as Arkansas' first state park. It is a longer trail and a little more difficult, so it was considerably less busy. The views from the tops of the bluffs, the natural bridge and The Grotto make this 4.5 miles well worth the effort.
After all that hiking we decided to have dinner at the restaurant at the Mather Lodge. The food is standard family restaurant fare: burgers, sandwiches, wraps, plate dinners. It's pretty good and reasonably priced. All the staff at the lodge are friendly. Good service and food are pretty good way to relax after a long day.
A soak in a hot tub is even better.

Petit Jean