Sand Cave, Blue Hole Special Interest Area, Arkansas Ozarks

3/14/2015 - Sand Cave

GPS Coordinates:  (Latitude,  Longitude,  Elevation)
  Parking Location:  35.54491,  -92.90199,  1100 ft
  Sand Cave:  35.54430,  -92.90148,  1059 ft

Pet Friendly: Yes.  No problem for dogs on or off leash. 

Motorcycle Friendly: No.  It is about 15 miles on a gravel road, no place for a heavy cruiser or touring bike.

Sand Cave - Entrance

Do we ever go on hikes at locations without waterfalls?  Well, sure.  Not many, granted, but there are a lot of pretty cool non-waterfall spots in the Ozarks.  There is just something about waterfalls that I find relaxing and uplifting.  Sand Cave is just like the name implies; it is a cave, in a cliff of solid sandstone.  While there are lots of caves in the Ozarks, this one is remote enough that few people know of it or go there.  It is also near where we parked for Fiddlehead Falls, so after visiting that waterfall, Dan Frew and I headed over to see the cave as well.

Parking for the cave is right on Lindsey Mountain Motorway, just 3.2 miles further west from where we parked for Fiddlehead Falls.

Inside Sand Cave

To get there, drive north from Hector on Highway 27.  Less than a mile from the Big Piney Ranger station in Hector, you cross over Dare Creek.  Immediately after crossing Dare Creek, turn right onto White Oak Mountain Road (aka FR-1301).  This is a gravel road, but is a well traveled and fairly well maintained road.  Go 11.4 miles on White Oak Mountain Road.  Be careful 7.2 miles from Highway 27 and bear left where the road branches at the 'Y' in the road.  After following White Oak Mountain Road for 11.4 miles, turn left onto Lindsey Mountain Motorway.  Go 4.0 miles and park on the left.  Sand Cave is right below, only about 50 yards off the road on the south side.

This is a very short, very easy hike.  Maybe not worth a 15 mile drive by itself, but if you are hiking some of the waterfalls in the area anyway it is an interesting and fun short hike.

3-D GPS Track - Sand Cave