This is an enjoyable 3.8-mile east-west stretch of the Ouachita Trail in Polk County (near Mena) with Forest Road 514 (Polk County Road 100) on the west end and the Queen Wilhelmina State Park (QWSP) Lodge on the east end.
It is easily accessible for an enjoyable 7 or 8 mile out-and-back day hike.
This is the east end of Section 2 of the Ouachita Trail.
(My descriptions here are generally going to be going from east to west starting at the Lodge.)
Getting to the Lodge at QWSP
To get to Queen Wilhelmina State Park Lodge coming from the north on Highway 71, at Acorn take a right (heading east) on Highway 59/270. After 9 miles, take a left onto Highway 272. Follow the signs to the state park.
This takes you up Rich Mountain to Highway 88 (the Talimena Scenic Drive). Take a right on Highway 88. After a half-mile, you will be at the park.
If you are coming from the south on Highway 71, turn left onto Highway 88 in Mena. Then stay on 88 for about 12 miles.
The Hike – Lodge to QWSP West Trailhead
Our hike starts at the Lodge.
As a side note, you may not really want to start at the Lodge even though this is officially part of the Ouachita Trail. That’s because the .7-mile walk from the lodge to the western trailhead (just past the campground) is just walking on or alongside pavement across the developed part of the state park. Instead, you may want to park closer to the campground and head west from there. (I believe you are not supposed to actually park in the campground unless you are a registered camper.)
But Queen Wilhelmina is a very nice state park with wonderful south-facing vista next to the lodge.
And on the walk to the campground, there are some really nice views (especially during leaf off such as when I did my March 2016 hike) of Black Fork Mountain to the north.
You should check out the photo of mile marker 51 which is on a tree in the campground.
After you exit the campground, walk a little bit toward the highway and continue west. The trailhead is about 50 feet from there.
A Word About Overgrowth
The vast majority of the Ouachita Trail is dependent on volunteers to keep it maintained (so hikers are not ensnarled by thorn vines). Part of this stretch is in the Queen Wilhelmina State Park property and that part is usually well maintained by state park staff.
The rest is maintained by volunteers from Friends of the Ouachita Trail. Plant growth in this part (particularly since it is up on an exposed ridge) tends to regrow quickly each year.
Thankfully, in the fall in the past few years, there have been maintenance events in which this part of the trail has been maintained. But then in the spring the plants grow back. So just be prepared (long pants are recommended) in case you hit the trail during one of the high growth times.
QWSP West Trailhead to Pioneer Cemetery
Even though you are on a ridge on top of Rich Mountain, the second highest mountain in Arkansas, there are not a lot of clear views in this area during leaf-on. But during leaf-off, there is a lot more nice viewing of the valleys in the distance through the trees.
This stretch of trail is all a little lower than the Talimena Scenic Highway on the south side.
Most of the walking on this stretch of trail is not hard to walk, but there are quite a few parts which are rocky. I think the rock gardens are cool and interesting although you do want to watch your step in those areas.
There is a nice (south facing) vista area about a quarter mile from the trailhead. There is a sign here indicating the short spur to this fairly open area.
There are a number of old rock walls along the trail, likely built during the pioneer days.
At about .4 miles from the vista , there is a footbridge and a sign indicating it is the western boundary of the state park property. (See the note above note about potential overgrowth.)
About another .6 miles further to the west is the pioneer cemetery.
Pioneer Cemetery to FR 514/CR 100
The Rich Mountain Pioneer Cemetery is an interesting historic site. When I first hiked this area about 10 years ago it was in a state of decay, but thankfully when I last did it in 2016 it had been recently fixed up and was being maintained.
You can also access this historic cemetery via a stop on the Talimena Scenic Highway.
It is about another 1.5 miles from here to Forest Road 514 (Polk County Road 100). In this area, quite a bit of the hillside trail is steeper with more interesting terrain.
Final Notes
There is some elevation change on this stretch but not a large amount. The elevation difference between the low and high points is about 200 feet.
Overall I had AT&T cell signal about 75% of the time when I hiked this in 2016.
These photos are from my hike on March 25, 2016 and from a partial hike of this area on August 1, 2020.
Photo Gallery
Click below for full-screen photo gallery.
Map
Ouachita Trail 02: FR 514 to Queen Wilhelmina (Pioneer Cemetery) (47.8 to 51.6) |
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|---|---|
| Location | Polk County, Arkansas |
| Hike Length/Type | 3.7 miles each way. (7.4 miles out and back.) Blue blazes. |
| Difficulty | Mildly challenging. (2 of 5). |
| Other Permitted Usage | Mountain bikes. |
| Gpx file by Mike | Link |
| Date Hiked | March 25, 2016 and earlier. |
| Directions | Google Maps Directions to Queen Wilhelmina Lodge |
| Official Info | (479) 394-2382 (Mena/Oden Ranger Dist.) USFS Website FoOT Website |