Alum Cove Natural Bridge Recreation Area

Useful Information

Location:	Deer, AR 72628. From Jasper Arkansas 7 south 24 km, turn right Arkansas 16 1.6 km, turn right Newton County Road 28 5 km. (35.8603572, -93.2332329)
Open:	no restrictions. [2024]
Fee:	free. [2024]
Classification:	Natural Bridge
Light:	n/a
Dimension:	L=6 m, W=40 m.
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Alum Cove Natural Bridge Recreation Area, Big Piney Ranger District, Tel: +1-479-284-3150, Tel: +1-870-446-5122.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Description

Alum Cove Natural Bridge Recreation Area is a short road off NC8766, which ends at a car park. There is a trail named Alum Cove Trail, which leads through the forest uphill to the natural bridge and back. The trail is less than 2 km long, nevertheless they say it's an 1-hour walk. We guess it depends on you physical fitness and how much time you spend at the bridge. Unlike the other sites it is not private, and thus it is freely accessible and there is no fee. So if you intend to visit one natural bridge in the area, we suggest this one.

The natural bridge is a huge arch formed by sandstone, as a result of differential erosion. It is said to be the remains of what was a quartz sandstone cave. This is probably the largest natural bridge in this area, although there are numerous arches. It is 40 m long, and the bridge is 6 m wide, so that's the size if you walk over the bridge. Actually, natural bridges are measured when standing in front of the opening, so the hole is 6 m long and 40 m wide, it is up to 25 m high.

The bridge is massive enough to walk across safely. Actually, there is a railing on both sides, and so it looks like a bridge on a country road, the sandstone even forms a sort of pavement. Local lore tells that early settlers carried wood across the bridge to avoid the river below. More interesting is actually to walk through the bridge, which is quite impressive. The bridge is separated from the rocks behind by a wide gap, but the cave actually continues into the sandstone.

The site has a small waterfall which falls down in front of the cave, then the brook flows through the bridge. This shows quite impressive how the cave and the natural bridge formed. A harder layer of sandstone on the top formed the step for the waterfall, when the water fell into the plunge pool, the lower rock layer was eroded. This is a typical cave behind the waterfall. The cave grew into the rock layer and finally reached a vertical crack. Not the water started slowly to flow through this crack and widened it. And that's the state of today, the crack was widened, the first 6 m of the waterfall cave was separated, and the water flows through the bridge. The new waterfall cave formed on the other side of the crack.

Today the brook is quite harmless, and it is hard to understand how this little water produced such an enormous bridge. Fact is: it did not! The bridge was formed by a much bigger river, it is a result of the end of the last ice age, when the melting water of the retreating glaciers formed mighty rivers. So its most likely the bridge is actually about 12,000 years old, the time when the last cold age ended. Erosion continued not only by the force of the water movement but also by frost weathering. Here the brook is quite essential, as it provides the water, which then freezes in cracks loosening the rocks.

There are several small caves in the sandstone, which are easy to visit. Locally they are called rooms, some call them shelters. Local lore says they were used by native American hunting parties, but as far as we know, there was never an archaeological excavation. Though, its likely they stayed here during extended hunts, but only for a few nights. We suggest taking a lamp with you, but actually the caves are not long enough to require one. At one time, free-roaming goats inhabited the caves, and so the locals called the rock formation goat houses.

The site has no official open hours, but obviously it's not very safe to walk on trails through the forest during the night. Also, camping is not allowed. So we recommend visiting during daylight hours.