America's First National River 🌲

Day two of camping meant heading out to do some trail hiking and adventuring.  We packed the Marmot with a few hiking essentials and took out.  Since we were going to be there around lunchtime, we couldn't go without the Jet-Boil, food, and of course, plenty of water.  We had heard there were some serious views of the Buffalo River on the Overlook Trail so that's where we started.

It's a shorter trail, only about a 1.5 mile loop but well worth the hike.  I would rate the trail as easy, there were some gradual inclines, but nothing too difficult or that would require hiking experience. I hike in Danner Boots and they are bomb!

We made it to the top of Overlook Point in about 20 minutes and stopped to take in the view.  It was as good as we were told.  You could see for miles.  This is when I wish I was a bird.  There was another couple that got to the point right after we arrived and they were nice enough to snap a few photos of us and the pooch. Add it to your bucket list.

We continued on, stopping on the way back to take a quick water break while taking in the view and sounds of the forest.  The trees and grass were just starting to turn green; the first sign of spring!  At the end of the trail, we parked it on a picnic table and enjoyed lunch. The weather was perfect, sunny and about 65 degrees. 

After lunch we decided to check out the Historical Rush District.  In the 1880's farmers discovered zinc ore and soon the mining began.  By the 1890's, miners, investors, and service industries arrived.  Morning Star Mine was known for it's quarry of ore.  Home and businesses developed and endured along Rush Creek until 1960's. Take the driving route to see many of the historical sites that still stand today. There are hiking trails but dogs aren't allowed so we explored the best we could off the trail. Because of several hazards found after inspection in 1984, caps were placed on 3 of the mines; while this keeps people out, bats are allowed unrestricted access to breed and roost.

Always keep exploring and you will always keep learning. I loved this hike and learning about the history of Rush. You could close your eyes and almost imagine what it was like when the town was booming. 

Day three meant a more serious hike, I'll share more on the blog soon!
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Shona