12/05/15 Featured Arkansas Landscape Photography–Breakout

A wonderful sunrise taken from Flatside Pinnacle

Taken with a Canon 5D MKII, and 24-70MKI lens, iso 400 Single exposure

Flatside Pinnacle, really is the gateway to the Ouachita mountains and the view to the west from the summit is well worth the drive out from Little Rock.  Don’t confuse this with Pinnacle Mountain, which is much closer to Little Rock.  Flatside pinnacle is around 1,500 feet tall, which puts it higher than Petit Jean, and Mt. Nebo.  On a clear day you can can see Forked Mountain way off in the distance and also Mt. Magazine, the highest spot in Arkansas.  Looking behind you can make out the eastern end of Petit Jean mountain and the Mt. Nebo and Spring Mountain.  Flatside was recently heavily defaced with paint which just goes to show there are SOME REALLY FRIGGIN STUPID PEOPLE out there.  Not sure why they bother to come out.  I have worked on the graffiti now about 3 times over the past year and it’s finally starting to wear off, but it’s a damn shame that some folks just don’t get it and want to ruin it for everyone.

This was a morning that really did not turn out to be a very good day, but there was a brief period where the sun managed to break through the heavy clouds and really the effect was wonderful.  Fall was in full bloom and so the colors down in the valley from the summit of Flatside Pinnacle were excellent.  I worked this image up in Lightroom and then used Topaz clarity to help bring out more of the rays of the sun in the fog.  This light only lasted about 10 minutes and then the clouds settled back down over the entire valley.  Just another example of just how much photography is luck and being able to be at the right spot at the right time.

Flatside is worth a hike anytime of the year.  It offers some of the best sunsets in the Ouachitas.  Sadly the wilderness boundary continues to become more and more defined by recent clear cuts, which leave huge swatches of solid green pine trees in their place.  If you go after a big storm or in winter you might want to bring a chainsaw or handsaw as it’s quite possible to find a recent fallen tree blocking the road.