Pea Ridge National Military Park: East Overlook to Williams Hollow (Blog Hike #846)

Trails: (unnamed)

Hike Location: Pea Ridge National Military Park
Geographic Location: northeast of Rogers, AR (36.45503, -94.02168)
Length: 3.1 miles
Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: May 2021
Overview: An out-and-back to the site of a Confederate field hospital.
Park Information: https://www.nps.gov/peri/index.htm
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=872465
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: In northwest Arkansas, take I-49 to US 62 (exit 86).  Exit and go east on US 62.  Drive US 62 east 12.4 miles to Old Liberty Road and turn left on Old Liberty Rd.  Drive Old Liberty Rd. 0.9 miles to the park entrance on the right.  Turn right to enter the park, pass the Visitor Center, and drive the park's auto tour road to East Overlook (tour road stop #9), where this hike begins.

The hike: During the first year of the American Civil War, the Union devoted most of its energy and resources in the Trans-Mississippi theater (i.e. the region west of the Mississippi River) to keeping Missouri in the Union.  To this end, on December 25, 1861 Union Brigadier General Samuel R. Curtis began a campaign to drive Confederate forces out of southwest Missouri, and by mid-February 1862 he had successfully driven the pro-Confederate Missouri State Guard into northwest Arkansas.  The Confederates' counterattack began on March 2, when Confederate Major General Earl Van Dorn took command of a 16,000 man army south of Fayetteville, AR and marched them north with the objective of re-entering Missouri and capturing St. Louis.

            Blocking Van Dorn's path into Missouri was Curtis' 10,500 man Federal army, which held fortified positions on northwest Arkansas' Pea Ridge plateau.  Knowing that a frontal assault on Curtis' position would end in certain failure, Van Dorn chose to outflank Curtis and attack his fortifications from behind.  However, the extra maneuvers took longer to execute than Van Dorn expected, and the extra time gave Curtis an opportunity to reposition and prepare for the attack.

            Van Dorn's attack came on March 7, with the fiercest fighting occurring at Elkhorn Tavern, an important crossroads and telegraph line.  At the end of the first day, Van Dorn controlled Elkhorn Tavern, and he thought he had won.  Yet resupplies Van Dorn expected never arrived, and the next day Curtis counterattacked at Elkhorn Tavern.  Running low on ammunition, Van Dorn was forced to withdraw, and the Battle of Pea Ridge was over.  Although Missouri provided men and supplies to both sides of the war, Missouri stayed in the union while facing no serious future threats, and most Pea Ridge veterans saw action in later campaigns further east.

            Today the site of Elkhorn Tavern and the nearby battlefields are preserved as sprawling Pea Ridge National Military Park.  A Visitor Center contains exhibits about the battle, and a 7-mile auto tour road links together the points of interest.  The park features several hiking trails, and the hike described here takes you past a reconstructed Elkhorn Tavern while exploring points of interest throughout the eastern part of the park.

Path to East Overlook

            From the parking lot for East Overlook, head out the paved path that leads 464 feet to the shelter that is the East Overlook.  True to its name, East Overlook offers a panoramic view across the western part of the Pea Ridge battlefields, and interpretive signs describe the action that occurred here on March 7 and 8, 1862.  Rarely do you get such a birds-eye view of an historic battlefield, so take some time to read the signs and see what you can see.

View from East Overlook

Start of hiking trail

            The dirt hiking trail heads east from the overlook with the vertical cliff dropping off to your right; only a small metal sign with the universal hiker symbol marks the trailhead.  Round aluminum markers mark the trail, which is somewhat faint and primitive.  Oak trees dominate the ridge, and I saw a wide variety of birds here that included a scarlet tanager, an indigo bunting, and a woodpecker.

Descending through a crack in the cliffs

            At 0.25 miles, the level walking ends as the trail descends some steep stone steps built into a crack in the cliffs.  After some more descending and crossing a horse path, you reach the recreated Elkhorn Tavern at 0.5 miles.  A simple structure with a stone chimney, the tavern was the Battle of Pea Ridge's focal point, and numerous interpretive signs describe the tavern and the fighting that took place here.  Elkhorn Tavern is also stop #8 on the auto tour road, and it was a popular spot on the warm Sunday afternoon that I came here.

Recreated Elkhorn Tavern

            To continue the hike, angle left at the tavern and begin hiking northeast on the old telegraph road.  The old dirt road is unsigned and unmarked, but the two-track route is wide and obvious.  A line of cannons stands just north of the tavern.

Descending on the old road

            The trail descends into Williams Hollow on first a gradual and then a moderate grade.  Trail maintenance is not the best, and some tall grass along the trail means you should check yourself for ticks after this hike.  At 1.3 miles, you reach an old tannery site along the creek at the bottom of Williams Hollow.  A few hundred feet later, you rock-hop a small side stream and reach the old Confederate field hospital site.  Interpretive signs describe the activity at these sites during the Civil War era.

Tannery site

Confederate field hospital site

            A second trail leading out of Williams Hollow can normally be used to form a loop, but it was closed due to erosion problems on my visit.  Thus, I had to retrace my steps first to Elkhorn Tavern and then to East Overlook to complete my hike.  While you are here, be sure to check out all of the stops on the auto tour road to get a good feel for the battle, and maybe try some of the park's many other shorter trails to round out your visit to Pea Ridge.