Category: Southwest Arkansas

Posts in Southwest Arkansas including including Queen Wilhelmina State Park and western Ouachita National Forest trails. Also see Southwest Arkansas Trails Page.

Buckeye Trail – Caney Creek Trail Loop (Ouachita Forest) – 9 mi

Buckeye Trail/Caney Creek Trail Loop, Ouachita National Forest

The mountains in southwest Arkansas between Glenwood and Mena are my favorite on the entire planet. They are so rugged, remote, and beautiful, you simply cannot look at them without awe. The Caney Creek/Buckeye Trail loop (Ouachita National Forest in Polk County, near Shady Lake) is my new favorite hike in Arkansas. It has it […]

Queen Wilhelmina: Spring Trail – 1 mi (o&b)

Spring Trail, Queen Wilhelmina State Park

The Spring Trail at Queen Wilhelmina State Park on Rich Mountain (Polk County, near Mena) is a short but enjoyable wooded walk. It’s about .4 miles each way and about .8 miles as an out-and-back walk. This is an easy walk with little elevation change. It’s a great trail for beginners or anyone just wanting […]

Tall Peak Trail (Ouachita Forest) – 6 mi (o&b)

Tall Peak Trail, Caney Creek Wilderness Area, Ouachita National Forest

The Caney Creek Wilderness in the Ouachita National Forest in southwest Arkansas (Polk County, southeast of Mena, near Shady Lake) is one of the most beautiful and rugged areas in the state. It is 14,460 acres and is a backpacker’s paradise. Because it is a designated wilderness area, it is a great place for solitude […]

Ouachita Trail 03: Pics – Talimena Scenic Dr. to Hwy 270 (Black Fork Mtn) TH (54.1 to 56.7)

Ouachita Trail 03: Talimena Scenic Drive to 270 TH (54.1 to 56.7)

The 2.6 mile stretch of Section 3 of the Ouachita Trail from the Highway 270 (Black Fork Mountain Wilderness) Trailhead (Polk County, Arkansas) to the Talimena Scenic Drive (Highway 88) crossing is a pretty but strenuous hike with some very nice views. (My full profile of this stretch of trail is here.) This part of […]

Ouachita Trail: 63.0-68.1 – MM63 on W. Fourche Mtn. to Foran Gap (Section 3)

Ouachita Trail, Section 03 between MM 63.0 and 68.1

This stretch of Section 3 of the Ouachita Trail (Ouachita National Forest) goes from Mile Marker 63 to the Foran Gap Trailhead (68.1) on Highway 71, just north of Mena (Polk County). The section of the Ouachita Trail between Eagle Gap (around Mile Marker 58) and Foran Gap is about 10 miles long and has no access […]

Ouachita Trail: 58.5-63.0 – Eagle Gap to MM63 on W. Fourche Mtn. (Section 3)

Ouachita Trail, Section 3, between MM 58.3 and 63.0

This part of Section 3 (as Tim Ernst designates) of the Ouachita Trail (OT) is from 58.5 to 63.0 in Polk County, Arkansas, near Mena. It starts about 7 miles east of Queen Wilhelmina State Park at the Eagle Gap juncture and heads up the western part of Fourche Mountain. It’s a pretty vigorous hike. […]