>>2655954honestly it kind of does suck, just the entire area has a slightly unnerving vibe where you aren't in actual danger but you're certain someone is going to stab you for your toothpaste. it's not quite as bad as some of the small towns in WV but overall you're in a pretty depressing and isolated area.
saying that i've done a few week long trips in the arkansas parts of the ozarks and the trails and views are pretty nice. definitely recommend avoiding summer as that turns into a humidity bug filled hell but for the other 8 months of the year it's real nice. buffalo river is a good place to start for planning and is very accessible either from a hiking or paddling perspective. also if you mountain bike even casually bentonville is something of a destination for that with a very unique feel of having 100s of miles of trails directly accessible from town.
