Ouachita Trail

**Ewker** · 12-02-2009, 11:16

I was in Little Rock, Ar last weekend and saw that this trail starts at Pinnacle Mountain State Park. The trails is 222 miles long and goes west to Oklahoma.

There is a chance I may be doing the first 35 miles of this trail going west from the Pinnacle Mountain State Park to Lake Sylvia over the Christmas to New Yrs holidays. No set time yet

Has anyone ever hiked that section or even the trail?

**The Solemates** · 12-02-2009, 11:23

Originally Posted by Ewker

I was in Little Rock, Ar last weekend and saw that this trail starts at Pinnacle Mountain State Park. The trails is 222 miles long and goes west to Oklahoma.

There is a chance I may be doing the first 35 miles of this trail going west from the Pinnacle Mountain State Park to Lake Sylvia over the Christmas to New Yrs holidays. No set time yet

Has anyone ever hiked that section or even the trail?

i've hiked minimal parts of the trail, but not that section. conversely, i've done all of the Ozark Highlands Trail. in case you havent heard of it, its a nice trail as well - and i have always assumed a little more scenic than the ouachita.

**Cookerhiker** · 12-02-2009, 15:04

I had wondered about this trail also and recalled some earlier threads. Here's one: http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...Ouachita+Trail

If you go to the "Other Trails" category and do a search for Ouachita Trail, you'll come to this and other threads.

**Charlie D** · 12-02-2009, 15:17

Pinnacle Mountain state park is the Western Terminus and is actually the end of the trail at 222.5 miles. It is very popular because of it's proximity to Little Rock and is very well maintained by "Friends of the Ouachita trail" (foOt). I have never hiked this particular section but have run on most of it with the local Hash House Harriers. It circles the north shore of Lake Maumelle, which is Little Rock's water source, and does not rise above 500 ft elevation until mile 189.5 where it climbs to 1000 ft at Nancy Mountain shelter and where you will be close to the end of your hike. Let me know if you need more information or would like help with a shuttle.

**taildragger** · 12-03-2009, 10:56

I've hiked other sections, and have done the pinnacle before (it was nice in March).

From what I've seen and other friends that have hiked it, the sections in OK are the challenging ones that will have more breathtaking views. Word of advice though, when traveling in SE Oklahoma, if you're considered a liberal, it would be best to avoid conversations about politics with the locals, some of them haven't recognized the South's surrender.

**Ewker** · 12-03-2009, 11:12

thanks for all the info about the trail. I am still thinking about.

**coldspring** · 12-03-2009, 12:04

Originally Posted by taildragger

Word of advice though, when traveling in SE Oklahoma, if you're considered a liberal, it would be best to avoid conversations about politics with the locals, some of them haven't recognized the South's surrender.

LOL, I live in the Ozarks. Seems like the older I get the less people I associate with, and I'm a moderate. You might even want to wear normal clothes (and carry a bible) while you're traveling to the TH and not those fancy little hiking clothes.

**taildragger** · 12-03-2009, 12:18

I'd consider the Ozarks vastly more modernized than the Potato hills area.

**Oklahoma 98** · 12-03-2009, 22:23

I have section hiked all of the Ouachita trail.Finshed at Pinnacle Mt. state park a couple of years ago. I remember the last 30 miles or so as a very easy hike on well maintained trail and plenty of water. (I hiked West to East)Most of the trail runs along the North side of Lake Maumelle.Two designated campsites along the lake that aren't very big but ok for a couple of tents. If you like solitude the OT is a great trail to hike. You can get the "Ouachita Trail Guide" by Tim Earnst at Cloudland.net Have a good time.

**Cookerhiker** · 12-03-2009, 22:32

What would be the best time of year weatherwise to thruhike the Ouachita Trail? I'm guessing April, maybe March?

Are there sufficient resupply points for thruhiking?

**Oklahoma 98** · 12-03-2009, 22:35

March and April would be the time to do it without the bugs and heat.

**Oklahoma 98** · 12-03-2009, 22:56

There are not many stores near the trail. There are a lot of access points along the trail for food caches. I haven't thru hiked it yet so I really don't know how tricky it would be to resupply.

**The Will** · 12-04-2009, 02:05

I didn't realize there were so many Okies on this forum. Three of us!

Just to re-emphasize what Okie 98 said, Tim Ernst is the guru on hiking trails in the MO, OK, AR area. I have his guide book for the Ozark Highlands trail. I have also called him to glean some information that was not included in the book and he was happy to take the time to answer my questions and chat about trails, hiking and photography. He would be my first source of information on things like resupply and shuttle services.

My first choice would be Autumn, but Spring would also be a good time to go. If I were to hike the trail in Spring I would want to begin roughly three weeks following the new growth on the hardwoods. The greens are vibrant.

Something to definitely keep in mind is that ice-storm season extends into March. These can be severe. You will no doubt see the results of one that occurred 3-4 years back.

**Cookerhiker** · 12-04-2009, 08:53

Much thanks guys.

**The Solemates** · 12-04-2009, 10:39

Here's another vote for autumn.

I would advise AGAINST hiking in April. April in the Ozarks is iffy as to the amount of growth (which can virtually cover the trail, making it miserable to walk through) and whether or not the bugs (and esp. ticks) have come out. The Ozarks can be the worst place to hike in the US for bugs if you hit it at the wrong time in my opinion, and I've hiked in 46 states.

**Cookerhiker** · 12-04-2009, 23:35

Originally Posted by The Solemates

Here's another vote for autumn.

I would advise AGAINST hiking in April. April in the Ozarks is iffy as to the amount of growth (which can virtually cover the trail, making it miserable to walk through) and whether or not the bugs (and esp. ticks) have come out. The Ozarks can be the worst place to hike in the US for bugs if you hit it at the wrong time in my opinion, and I've hiked in 46 states.

When you refer to autumn, are you talking November? Seems to me any foliage would be later than October given the latitude.

**Okie Dokie** · 12-06-2009, 19:05

I've sectioned and thru'ed this trail several times...rugged in the Oklahoma portion and pretty easy in the Arkansas section...food and water caches near trail/road intersections are the best bet for a thru...during a wet month water caches are not necessary, as long as you don't mind scavenging water off the trail a bit...very scenic little trail and the experience of a thru on this trail is probably like the experience of an AT thru 40-50 years ago...very few hikers away from the popular trail heads like Pinnacle....most people I ever ran into on a thru was three, and one of those was into re-enacting primitive lifestyles (muzzleloader, home-made leather clothing, flint-n-steel, etc)...I would highly recommend November for section hiking or a thru...winter won't have set in, ticks, mosquitoes, and snakes will be gone and poison ivy dormant...some views and terrain that will remind you of Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia...only reliable restaurant directly on the trail (to my knowledge) is at the Queen Wilhelmina State Park Lodge, which is a little east of the OK/AR state line...a car can be left there for a day hike or a couple of nights out on a weekend to see what the trail's like....plan for cool temps, hoar frost and rime ice on the Oklahoma section in November...I'd highly recommend this trail...grew up just a little over an hour from the Oklahoma sections...give it a shot...

**The Solemates** · 12-06-2009, 19:20

Originally Posted by Cookerhiker

When you refer to autumn, are you talking November? Seems to me any foliage would be later than October given the latitude.

my vote for autumn is strictly to escape the bugs and heat, not so much to view foliage. with that said, i prefer to hike in AR late Sept until mid March. if i were going to thru-hike the Oauchita, and if schedule was no issue, i'd hike it in october.

**Oklahoma 98** · 12-07-2009, 09:20

October is a great month to hike the OT.Weather is mild for the most part but ticks can still be a problem and a lot of hunters are out this time of year.
April is another great time to hike the trail. Often rainy but usually mid days and cool nights.
I would never advise anyone to skip April because of the growth. The new growth is best reason to be in the woods in April.

**holyphenol** · 12-07-2009, 09:41

I've personally always gone in the area in the early year(wasn't in the ouachitas much this year, mostly ozark/st. francis) because you can never tell with the bugs...
in the ozark nat. forest this year, there were still ticks out in mid November. Also, Okie Dokie was right about the water situation - not a ton right on the trail, but it's around...
Hell, did last year's ice storm affect the trail that much(I know it knocked out a couple good portions of the OHT...)

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