Gary Lantz

Let the masses shop till they drop: On Arkansas's Ouachita River the pace is slow and easy.

Once a bumpy stagecoache route, Arkansas's Butterfield Trail now jostles hikers.

Texas' Big Slough is as wet as the Big Bend is dry.

An Ozark oasis loaded with wildlife and fall colors.

The bare rocks of Oklahoma's Charons Gardens will haunt and delight hikers.

Oklahoma's own Tennessee awaits intrepid hikers.

History and landscape meet at Caprock Canyos State Park.

The colorful walls of Palo Duro Canyon will delight hikers with masterpiece washes of color.

Visit Arkansas' Buffalo National River Trail, where the huckleberries are plentiful and the views are wondrous.

High, cool peaks rise over 7,000 feet above the desert flats in New Mexico's White Mountain Wilderness.

Boy Scouts paved an excellent trail in this Ozark gem.

The Ouachita Mountains sheltered outlaws and gave John Wayne something to crow about. But it's not until you hike the 223-mile Ouachita Trail that you realize this country is the stuff of legend.