Arkansas in the Fall is a wondrous place with the forests radiant with reds, yellows, and oranges. Fall begins mid-October and runs through early November in this flyover southern state, which is appropriately named the Natural State. Arkansas has its own mountain range, numerous lakes and rivers—including the famous Buffalo National River, and multiple National Forests.
Ozark National Forest contains a plethora of trails and water crossings.
The largest Arkansas National Forest, Ozark NF, consists of 1.2 million acres, dozens of waterfalls, the Boston Mountain Range, and an extensive network of 4x4 trails and water crossings. Born and raised in Springfield, MO, I was only an hour away from the northern part of Ozark NF. Now I reside in a suburb of Dallas, TX and am 4 hours from the southwest section. Over the decades, I’ve done numerous off-road trips through this area. Many times, I ran into other caravans of Toyota 4x4 rigs enjoying what the National Forest has to offer. I’ve also encountered interesting wildlife: a black bear, elk, and the largest rattlesnake I have ever seen.
Five years ago, Randy Putt of Natural State Overland decided to hold an event for like-minded overlanding enthusiasts. Ozark National Forest was the perfect location. The first year was held at a facility frequented by SxS off-roaders. The following years, Randy held the event at Byrds Adventure Center, which is located in the southern part of Ozark NF. The facility has plenty of room for primitive camping, a restaurant, small grocery store, showers, and a grassy landing strip for trail dragger airplanes—popular for pilots who want to fly in and camp.
Plenty of space places to set up camp at Byrd’s Adventure Center.
I contacted Randy and inquired on how the event has grown over the 5 years. Looking at this table Randy sent me, the growth numbers are impressive.
|
Year |
Vendors |
Rigs |
People |
States |
Giveaways |
|
2017 |
11 |
163 |
300 |
11 |
$5,000 |
|
2018 |
18 |
306 |
700 |
16 |
$23,000 |
|
2019 |
36 |
444 |
950 |
17 |
$38,000 |
|
2020 |
34 |
606 |
1090 |
25 |
$39,000 |
|
2021 |
37 |
681 |
1430 |
27 |
$31,000 |
What about rig manufacturer representation? Randy had those stats as well. “It was very close this year as always. The breakdown was 41% Toyota, 40% Jeep, and 19% other brands.”
The giveaway treasure trove is spectacular, and the chances to win are fair: each driver gets a single change. “We gave away over $30,000 of product and gift certificates this year,” said Randy. “Our vendors have always been very supportive of our door prize drawing. Each driver gets one door prize ticket, and we do not sell additional tickets, so each driver has the same chance of winning something.”
I asked Randy if the event has grown faster than he anticipated. “Wow! Yes, our growth has been much faster than I ever imagined! This is getting to be a year around effort, and one that requires more volunteers every year. We have a full-time volunteer staff of six people, consisting of Brad Brazell, Tod Dudley, Rick and Nickie England, Joe Ison, and myself.”
Many classic Toyota rigs were in attendance.
Running the event requires even more volunteers for guided trail runs, leading classes and presentations, or any other necessary tasks. “After each event I meet with my staff to review what worked and what we can improve on. Since year one, they have asked me how big I want to get this event. Every year, my response has been the same; I think I'll know it when we get there! I don't think we're there yet.”
One of Randy’s goals it to make it a family-friendly environment so that it feels more like a family reunion than just an overland event. “If we can provide a great experience that keeps people returning year after year, we'll find the room we need to make it happen! We do very little advertising as word-of-mouth has been more than sufficient so far. We are the largest outdoor event of its kind in the central US. We had just 11 states represented at our first event, this year that number was 27 states!”
With strong storms hitting the first part of the week, a few of the dirt roads at Byrd’s became rutted mud trails, making it challenging for some campers to get to their campsites. A flash flood watch was issued (a river runs through Byrd’s), resulting in guided runs being canceled. With forest trails muddy and rains coming and going, the numerous vendor booths were crowded with shoppers. I found myself pulling out my credit card far more times than anticipated.
Some of the classes offered:
- Emergency Communications
- Trail Repairs
- Dutch Oven Cooking
- Wilderness Medicine
- Overlanding 101 (Women Only)
- Newbie Trail Pointers
- Advanced Winching
Despite the weather, the event was clearly a success. New friendships were formed. New vendors gained customers and old vendors gained new customers. By Saturday, 4x4 trails were mostly dry and ideal for exploring.
Event dates for 2022 are already posted on the website: October 13-15. Check out their event video and details at https://www.naturalstateoverland.org.
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