Arklahoma HikerMara Kuhn is a communications professional from Hot Springs, Arkansas who loves to spend time hiking, camping, and kayaking in the Natural State. Mara is also the author of the blog Right Kind of Lost.
One of my favorite hikes around the Hot Springs area is the Caddo Bend Trail at Lake Ouachita State Park (Garland County). This 4-mile moderately challenging loop showcases the beauty of the forest that blankets the Ouachita Mountains. It also has beautiful views of Lake Ouachita.
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 […]
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 […]
The Charlton Trail (Garland County near Hot Springs in the Ouachita National Forest) is a great mid-length trail with gorgeous wooded views. It is 4.1 miles long (or 8.2 miles for out-and-back hike). The trail starts at the Charlton Recreation Area on Highway 270 and heads to the northeast to Crystal Springs Recreation Area on […]
The Dam Mountain Trail at Lake Catherine State Park (Hot Spring County, near Hot Springs) is my favorite trail at the park. It offers a little bit of every kind of scenery at the park. Lake Catherine State Park has thick forest, mountain top glades, deep valleys, beautiful streams–including a waterfall–and of course the lake. […]
This 2.6-mile loop at Pinnacle Mountain State Park (Pulaski County near west Little Rock) takes you to the summit of Pinnacle Mountain. It includes the West Summit Trail, East Summit Trail, and the north half of the Base Trail (connecting the two summit trails).