As the name suggests, this area on the White River southeast of Fayetteville is known for its large, flat rocks that get very hot in the summer sun. The rocks are great for sunning, and there is a large swimming hole in the river. Flat Rock was once popular with college students from Fayetteville (a liberal town by Arkansas standards), although its heyday as a hangout for naked college kids was in the 70's. Nude use is well established, but crowds these days are sparse. You may encounter a dozen or fewer nude bathers here on sunny weekends, and you may be by yourself on sunny weekdays.

Surprisingly, we have not come across any reports of anti-nudity enforcement or harassment. Nonetheless, we recommend discretion since this is conservative rural Arkansas. Although you may encounter "no trespassing" signs along your hike, regular users say the property owner puts up the signs to discourage partiers who trash the area. Apparently, the nude area is either on or accessed through private land, but the owner seems tolerant. Be sure to pack out any trash.

Getting here requires getting to the east bank of the White River. If you take the shorter driving route, you'll have to either drive through the shallow river if your vehicle has high enough clearance, or you could park on the west bank and wade across. Either option is risky if the water level is high. You can avoid fording the river altogether by taking the long route, which leaves from Elkins.

GPS: 35.9172, -93.9346

city, county, state, country  (remote), Madison, Arkansas, U.S.A.

classification  3 (discretion recommended)

There are 8 placemarks related to this site.