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. The Dam Mountain Trail takes you through all of these for a diverse and beautiful hike with great views of the lake, streams, and Falls Creek Falls.

The trail is a semi-loop with an initial .6-mile spur and a 2.4-mile loop. The entire hike is 3.6 miles.

It has an elevation change of about 350 feet.

Getting to Dam Mountain Trail

Lake Catherine State Park is between Hot Springs and Malvern on Highway 171, also known as Catherine Park Road. You can take Exit 97 from I-30 at Malvern and follow that road until it ends at the park. It is about 12 miles from the interstate.

The trailhead is at the south end of the Camp Area C bathhouse loop.

This is the same trailhead for the 2-mile Falls Branch Trail and the 3-mile Horseshoe Mountain Trail.

Trailhead to the Waterfall

The Dam Mountain Trail takes you deep into the park. It takes you so deep that it is closed during deer season because it runs near land used for deer hunting.

The Dam Mountain Trail is marked with white blazes. All three trails begin on the same path but quickly split. When you come to the fork you have the option to go left, straight, or right. For the Dam Mountain Trail, follow the path to the left.

There is an excellent sign that tells you which way to go and whether the trail is rugged and steep. The Dam Mountain Trail is labeled as rugged and steep.

As you go to the left, you head toward the campground and the lake. The woods are beautiful on this part of the trail. They are flat and open, but be mindful to stay on the trail. There are signs directing you to do so because they are trying to reforest the area.

The trail soon makes a turn to the right and crosses a small stream. You will parallel the lake for a little ways after the turn. You will cross another small stream but this time you get to cross it on a swinging bridge. The bridge is fun.

The trail follows the lake a little more and then turns to the right and takes you into a cove created by Falls Creek. At the turn there is a nice bench and steps leading you to the lake. This is a great place to take in the fall foliage in autumn or cool off in the deep water of the cove in the summer.

The trail follows the shore of the cove until you reach Falls Creek Falls. I love this narrow valley.

Side note: kayaking to the waterfall is also something I love to do at Lake Catherine State Park.

Once you get to the waterfall, you can follow a spur trail to the bottom for viewing or swimming.

Waterfall to the Overlook

The Dam Mountain Trail crosses Falls Creek Falls above the falls. Once you cross the creek, you are at the loop and you have the option to go right or left.

I like to go right because the trail follows the creek, and I like to look upstream toward the creek’s small cascades.

The Dam Mountain Trail soon turns to the left, and you begin following a small tributary of Falls Creek. After a good rain the trail from the waterfall to where it leaves the small tributary is a really nice section of the trail.

Then the trail makes its first ascent toward the top of Dam Mountain with a few switchbacks. They are not too bad, but the climb is enough to make me breathe a little heavy.

Soon the trail levels out again.

You can tell the trail is not used as much as the popular Falls Branch Trail because the forest seems to be wanting to reclaim it. I had to push a few vines out of my way on my hike during September 2017. But there was one area where the vines make a tunnel around the trail, and that was really cool.

When the dirt path becomes novaculite rocks, you begin your second and final ascent to the top of Dam Mountain.

After you get to the top, the trail snakes around mountain glades. Some parts are open woods with grassy understory. This is my favorite scenery.

At other times, the trail is walled by thickets, but it isn’t too bad. Just be careful of some of the briers reaching out to grab at you.

Keep you eyes out for the views of the surrounding mountains and valleys to the left. They peek out at you through the trees.

Overlook to the Trailhead

As the trail turns to parallel the lake, there is an overlook to your right. From here you can see Remmel Dam, Lake Catherine, and miles of the Ouachita Mountains.

On a clear day, you can see the buildings from downtown Hot Springs rising out of the valley. It is really a unique view.

There is also a bench for taking in the view. The trail follows the lake a little ways, but you soon come to a fork in the path. Here you will want to stay to the left.

A little further down the trail, there is another vista and bench. The trail then snakes around the top of the mountain through the mountain meadow vegetation.

The trail then begins to descend steeply back toward the waterfall.

Just before you get to the waterfall, you have to hike down a few large rocks. Be careful here. I slipped on them and fell once. And then a man hiking behind me did the same thing. It can get slick.

There are beautiful views of the water from this point, and it would be a great place to take another break if you need one.

You will cross back over Falls Creek in the same spot above the waterfall. Take a right here to return back to the trailhead on the initial spur.

Or you could take a left to make a double loop hike and return to the trailhead via the other part of Falls Branch Trail.

Alternate Routes

If you hike back via the Falls Branch Trail, it will add to your mileage a little. That trail is nice and well worth the extra effort.

If you are really wanting to add some miles, you can hike the Falls Branch Trail to where it intersects the Horseshoe Mountain Trail and go back to the trailhead via the Horseshoe Mountain Trail.

That is a great thing about all three trails beginning at the same trailhead. You have multiple options on how to do your hike.

Final Notes

There is so much to love about this trail. I love the mountain glades on the tops of the ridges, the waterfall, the views of the lake from the shore and above, and the views of the streams as you hike into the woods.

The park rates the trail as steep and rugged, but the steep and rugged parts are short and once you get to the top, it levels out.

I rate the difficulty as moderate (3 of 5).

The photos are all from my September 6, 2017 hike, except for the Falls Branch Falls one. I took that shot on February 10, 2013.

Photo Gallery

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Map

[A version of this post was originally published on September 7, 2017 in the blog “Right Kind of Lost.”]
Last revised: 9-19-2019.

The post Lake Catherine: Dam Mountain Trail + Falls Branch Falls- 4 mi appeared first on Arklahoma Hiker.

The Horseshoe Mountain Trail at Lake Catherine State Park (near Hot Springs) is an enjoyable and vigorous 2.7-mile hike.

Although the longest stretch of the trail is on the U-shaped ridge on Horseshoe Mountain, my favorite parts are the wooded hillside areas where the trail approaches the ridge from the north and from the south.

There are also a few vistas that are very nice, and a stretch along the Lake Catherine shoreline which is a treat.

Check Mara’s full profile of the trail here.

These photos are all from my August 16, 2015 hike.

Photo Gallery

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Last revised: 3-9-2020

The post Lake Catherine: Horseshoe Mountain Trail Pics appeared first on Arklahoma Hiker.

The 2.7-mile Horseshoe Mountain Trail at Lake Catherine State Park (Hot Spring County, near Hot Springs) is a gorgeous and unique trail to the Ouachitas.

Most of this vigorous trail is on a horseshoe-shaped ridge line through glade vegetation, which makes the trail beautiful and unique. I love the shorter trees and taller grasses on this part of the trail.

Getting to Horseshoe Mountain Trail

Lake Catherine State Park is between Hot Springs and Malvern on Highway 171, also known as Catherine Park Road. You can take Exit 97 from I-30 at Malvern and follow that road until it dead ends at the park, about 12 miles from the interstate.

The trailhead is at the south end of the Camp Area C bathhouse loop, near the amphitheater. This is the same trailhead for the Falls Branch Trail (with the waterfall) and the Dam Mountain Trail.

Hiking the Trail

The Horseshoe Mountain Trail is well-marked with yellow blazes and pretty easy to follow. It is a semi-loop with a short initial spur.

At about .1, you reach the loop. The trail splits into three directions. The trail to you right is where the Horseshoe Mountain Trail splits from all three trails. There is a large sign here with directions.

I recommend following the sign and turning right to take the loop counterclockwise. (The climb is a little less strenuous than going the other way.)

The trail quickly heads uphill from here. It’s not terribly steep, but I soon noticed I was well above the trailhead.

The first half-mile or so winds, mostly uphill, through a scenic forested area.

During the climb, you come to a rock outcropping. From there you can see the ridge to your left, which is the other side of the “horseshoe.” I love looking across the valley and seeing where I am going.

Horseshoe Mountain loops a fairly narrow valley. This is the valley that the Falls Branch Trail leads hikers through.

Once you get on the ridge around .6 (and you may have to wade through a sea of grass), keep an eye out to your right through the trees for views of Hot Springs.

At about .7, there is a short spur trail to the right that goes to a pretty north-facing vista. It may be easy to miss this spur due to lack of a functioning directional sign. (On my visit, there was just a post there, and I walked past it not realizing what it was.)

The Horseshoe Mountain Trail intersects the Falls Branch Trail twice. A great place to take a long break is at the first intersection. There is a bench here so you don’t have sit on a rock or on the ground.

The trail will head west-ish for a while before rounding the bend of the horseshoe (around 1.1) and heading back east-ish. As you make the bend, you pass through a stand of larger trees that is typical of hiking in the Ouachitas.

But the trail shortly returns to the glade setting. I was there in early May, and the wildflowers were beautiful. So if you can put up with the sticky grass (assuming it is not cleared when you are there), I suggest hiking it in the spring.

Finishing Up the Loop

From here, the trail heads back down into the valley. It heads back into the shaded forest during the descent. You can really feel and see the trail drop in elevation. But it’s not too hard of climb if you are hiking from the other direction.

From there you have a short climb back up to the ridge, where there is more grass, shorter trees, and flowers. You are on the ridge for a little while before the trail enters back under the forest canopy.

There is a very nice south-facing vista at around 1.8 miles. From here you can see the lake and the ridge on the other side of the valley from the waterfall. When hiking in the fall, it would be a great spot to take in the foliage.

At this point, the trail steeply drops down into the valley through a pretty wooded hillside area.

At the bottom of the hill, about 2.2 miles, the trail meets back up with the Falls Branch Trail near the lake and follows it back to the trailhead. (This is the place where you would have split to the right after crossing the swinging bridge if you had hiked the trail in reverse.) Turn left here to continue the trail and the loop.

There are some very pretty views of the lake in this stretch.

Shortly, the trail crosses a swinging bridge. Caddie, my dog, is not a fan of that bridge. But it is really fun.

Back to the Trailhead

After crossing the swinging bridge, the trail goes briefly near the park’s wastewater treatment facility. (You may have a brief unpleasant smell in this area.)

Once you can see the campgrounds, be sure to stay to the left. The trail goes back through a reforest area. Even though you can see the trailhead parking lot, it is important to stay on the trail in this area  so you don’t harm the fragile ecosystem.

At around 2.6, you are back to the initial spur. Take a right to get back to the trailhead.

Final Notes

There is about 500 feet of elevation change on the trail (i.e., between the highest and lower points).

When hiking during warm months in Arkansas, bug spray is recommended, especially when you may be wading through some grass in the higher elevation area of this trail. Also be prepared for extra sun exposure in that area as well.

If you want to see Falls Branch Falls on the hike, and finish the other side of the Falls Branch Trail loop, turn right here where the trail meets the Falls Branch Trail. This option adds about 1.5 miles to the hike.

The first time I hiked the trail, we went clockwise, and I had to take many breaks. There are switchbacks, but even the switchbacks are steep.

The photos in this post (except for Mike’s photo of the north vista) were all taken on my May 8, 2017 hike. Check out some video of my hike here.

Photos

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Map

[A version of this post was originally published on May 11, 2017 in the blog “Right Kind of Lost.”]

[Last revised: 8-22-2021.]

The post Lake Catherine: Horseshoe Mountain Trail – 3 mi appeared first on Arklahoma Hiker.

Back on June 14, I had a nice hike on the Falls Branch Trail at Lake Catherine State Park (near Hot Springs). This is a wonderfully scenic 1.6-mile semi-loop trail.

The highlight is the 10-foot waterfall, Falls Creek Falls.

Alternate video link.

These are some cell videos I took when from my June 14 hike. As you can see, the falls is also a popular swimming hole. 

Alternate video link.

Read the full trail review at this link.

Alternate video link.

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