After two nights in Oklahoma City, we departed for Lake Catherine State Park at around 8:30 AM. I think I got spoiled on back roads in New Mexico and Texas (two lane highways so straight they have 75 MPH speed limits) and decided to take US-71 out of Fort Smith to US-270 on into Hot Springs which resulted in a lot of two lane driving through the hills with plenty of twists and turns. I pulled over a couple of times to let the poor folks stuck behind me pass. In the future, we’d rather stay on I-40 all the way to Little Rock and then take I-30 back to Hot Springs.
Lake Catherine State Park – Site #52 – Driver Side 
Lake Catherine State Park – Site #52 – Passenger Side
We had reservations for two nights at Lake Catherine State Park and since our time was limited we decided not to leave the park (although Beth did sneak into town the first morning, while I slept in, for groceries). When Beth got back from the grocery store, we hiked one of the trails. We chose the Falls Branch Trail (marked “intermediate”) which was close to 2.5 miles (starting from our campsite). We must be getting old, because “intermediate” seemed a bit difficult (just shy of requiring rappelling gear), but it was worth it. There was a lot of great scenery that eventually lead to a creek and waterfall. Along the way, Beth found an excellent walking stick which she had named “Wally”.
Lake Catherine Hike 
Falls Branch Trail – Suspension Bridge 
Falls Branch Trail – Creek to Lake 
Falls Branch Trail – Waterfall
That night we thawed some vacuum sealed Sams Club filets and cooked them over the fire. They were served with Bob Evans Mashed Potatoes and a hint of Cabernet wine. All was delicious.
Phoebe Helping with Dinner and Enjoying Her Freedom 
Lake Catherine – Steaks on the Fire