North of the little town of Fifty-Six, tucked along the crossroads of Gunner Creek and North Sylamore Creek, in the Ozark National Forest lies an quiet little spot likely known only to locals.
There is nothing particularly significant about Gunner Pool Recreation Area, on first glance. Leaving the blacktop and traversing 5 kilometres of well-maintained gravel road, leads to a typical northern Arkansas creek, bluffs stoically guarding a wide bed of smooth, round pebbles generally larger than an inch in diameter. Clear and cold water streaming through provides home to various forms of wildlife.
The site was originally a munitions manufacturing and storage depot for the Confederacy, feeding the rebel cause throughout north central Arkansas with much needed gunpowder . Also known as Camp Hedges, from 1933 to 1942 it hosted base camp for approximately 2,200 Civilian Conservation Corps. They worked on several projects throughout the Sylamore National Forest, including the stone dam that holds back Gunner Pool, similar to that for Mirror Lake.
The bluff line is a bit more interesting than most, and is an excellent example of the crossroads of geology this little area straddles. East of a WPA-era Baltimore deck truss bridge spanning North Sylamore Creek, a massive bulge of rock tops off what is a decidedly different formation. This is a beautifully exposed contact between St Peter Sandstone and Everton Formation, both dominant throughout northern Arkansas and Southern Missouri. The top most layer bulges appears to bulge out since the each of the two formations weather at quite different rates. In one spot the St Peter Sandstone has collapsed from lack of support from the underlying layer, but it is generally stable and not likely to suddenly and unexpectedly collapse; that is, at least not today.
The area to the west of the bridge hosts the “pool.” I am not quite sure how deep it is, but it is probably not advisable to go swimming around in it. There are signs indicating as much too. The sides are steep and there is no means of escape, except to swim down to the dam; then, there is the risk of slipping over the top and falling 20 feet to the shallow and rocky pool below. It is probably better to spend your time splashing around and wading through the little pools below the dam in North Sylamore Creek as most folks seem content to do on a hot summer day. I did not get involved in that on this particular visit. While it was a beautifully sunny day, temperatures were in the 20s C, and not very conducive that sort of activity.
The area hosts a couple of picnic areas and nicely shaded but somewhat primitive campground. There are also a couple of hike-in sites available, but for the entire place the only available facilities appeared to be outhouses. I had no need, so did not inspect. The North Sylamore Creek Hiking Trail passes through the area, and there is immediate hunting access to the Sylamore Wildlife Management Area; whitetail deer, wild turkey, black bear, squirrel and whatever happens to be in season are readily accessible.
Gunner Pool Recreation Area is an awesome little spot, off the beaten path. There is a little spot in Fifty-Six to get a few supplies. Blanchard Springs Caverns is only 11 km down the road, if you need an afternoon diversion in the coolness of the caves. The White River is only 18 km down the road, or if you prefer, about 16 km to paddle there by way of North Sylamore Creek, which meets up with the White River.
