Three years in the making, the new “Arkansas Nature Lover’s Guidebook” by Tim Ernst details 101 scenic locations throughout the Natural State. But, this book takes a slightly different path than his previous works. 

   Ernst is a premiere Arkansas wilderness photographer and the author of more than a dozen hiking trail guidebooks. The books provide detailed information on how to get to hundreds of trails and what can be found on them - from scenery and flora and fauna to geological formations and remnants of historic homesteads. Ernst has lead hikers and backpackers on numerous adventures through his words and images.  

   His newest book is different in that not all of the locales require hiking or are located in remote areas. A few can be viewed from the car or are found inside city limits. Some require bushwhacking through the wilderness while others can be accessed by those who are not extremely fit. There are scenic drives, nature centers, swamps, prairies, bluffs, caves, mountain vistas, wildlife viewing areas, wilderness areas, waterfalls and hiking and canoe trails.  

   Ernst sees it as a guide to get people out of town, or traveling at least, since some of the locales are actually in towns. “Each of the 101 places has a map of how to get to them and at least one color photograph with a little bit of text of what you see and why it’s interesting,” he said. 

   “It’s for anyone that wants to enjoy nature. There are several scenic drives in there,” Ernst said. “One of them is through a swamp right outside of Little Rock.” 

   “There are also a number of places that are in there that are trail-less for the extreme adventurers,” Ernst added. “Some of these places are virtually unknown in Arkansas. Those are not for everybody. Some people have been to all the trails and the state parks; so, I threw those in for people who really want to get out and use their feet and muscles.” 

   The guidebook is filled with stunning color photographs, maps, descriptions, difficulty ratings and some GPS coordinates. Ernst said that when he finally held the first copy in his hands he realized, “It’s a miniature picture book. It’s fine art photography.” 

   As with all of Ernst’s guidebooks, it is especially useful for photo buffs looking to find the best places to photograph. But, Ernst said bird lovers and nature lovers will find it handy as well. 

   The book includes Ernst’s favorite places in the Ozarks and Ouachitas to watch the sun set.  

   “Several (of the entries) are commercial areas, which is actually new for me,” Ernst said. Blue Spring Heritage Center in Eureka Springs and Garvan Woodland Gardens in Hot Springs are featured, as are Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Eureka Springs and Riddles Elephant Sanctuary near Greenbrier. Caves such as Mystic Caverns and Cosmic Caverns are also highlighted. He said many people have heard of these places, but perhaps not visited.  

   “A lot of people feel like they’re just another tourist trap,” Ernst added. He included the commercial areas because of the beauty and preservation of Arkansas each provides, or, as in the case of Turpentine Creek and Riddles, because each is an example of a good animal rescue facility.  

   He also introduced new places with educational components – all four of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Nature Centers and Audubon Arkansas’s Little Rock Audubon Center; although two of them have yet to be built. 

   “I tried to pick out some of my favorite places and some places relatively easy for the public to find,” Ernst explained. “Some of these places I knew nothing about and they were a total surprise to me.” 

   The book contains wildlife viewing areas, such as Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge near Dardanelle. “As a photographer, I’ve always been shy about going into some wildlife areas,” Ernst said. “But, they’re great for photographers. They’re not just a hunter’s paradise.” 

   Swamps were another of his areas of interest for the book, and he spent much time researching them. “Swamps have always intrigued me, but I didn’t really know where to go.” He said he was surprised at the number of swamps Arkansas has to offer and the accessibility of many of them.  

   Audubon Arkansas manages the Fourche Creek Wetlands in the middle of Little Rock. People can put in canoes and paddle around giant cypress trees at this urban swamp. Grampus Lake swamp, south of Dermott and west of Lake Chicot, can be viewed from a car window. 

   There is a swamp in the foothills of the Ozarks right off of Interstate 40 at Goose Pond Natural Area. “It’s within a larger wildlife management area, so there’s lots of birding,” Ernst said. “But the swamp itself is gorgeous. You can literally walk around it.” 

   “Very few people have ever heard of these places,” he added. 

   Ernst gave special emphasis to the Big Woods, where the Ivory-billed woodpecker was rediscovered. “It’s very daunting to figure out where to go,” he said. The Big Woods is made up of several wildlife refuge and management areas. Just one section of the White River National Wildlife Refuge is hundreds of acres, Ernst explained. 

   One of his selections from the Big Woods is of a gigantic cypress, the largest living thing in the state. The tree is 43 feet in circumference at chest high and 120 feet tall. “When I saw this thing I was just dumbfounded,” Ernst stated. 

   The working title for the book was “Secret Places.” Some of these locales Ernst visited 10 or more years ago and had marked to go in a book at some point. “Fourche Mountain I saw 30 years ago, and it is just a stunningly beautiful place,” he explained. “People see it from Highway 7, but they don’t know how to get to it.” Others, such as the swamps and prairies, had been less explored by Ernst. 

   He said he had always known about some prairies, such as Baker Prairie in Harrison, but was surprised to find others such as Rick Evans Grandview Prairie in southwest Arkansas. “The road winds right through the middle of it for miles,” Ernst explained. He added it is phenomenal as a bird, land and wildflower area. 

   Ernst tried to include a Web page for each entry so people could find additional information. For example, he said a lot of the swamps in the book are closed in the winter because they are flooded and the fowl there are protected. People can use the Web sites to find current information on the habitats. 

   Ernst said he also designed the book to be user-friendly with a map and legend on the last page containing quick reference information. A new element for the guidebook is the inclusion of a satin bookmark. “It’s unique in a guidebook like this,” Ernst said. 

   The “Arkansas Nature Lover’s Guidebook” is available online at www.cloudland.net, and is currently arriving in bookstores and outdoor stores. 

   As for Ernst’s next project, he is currently working on a photography book. He isn’t sure what the next guidebook for Arkansas might be. “This one quite honestly has exhausted me,” he said.