A few weeks ago, I got to walk the Lake Wister Hiking Trail at Lake Wister State Park, near Poteau, Oklahoma. The 3-mile trail runs on the north side of the lake, parallel to (and south of) County Road 138. It goes from a paved walking path at the Wards Landing area to the east end near the swimming pool and miniature golf course.

The most scenic part of the trail is the mile or so on the east end that runs nearest to the shoreline. The best time to walk the trail is during leaf-off when the lake is much more visible in this part of the trail.

From the air, Lake Wister is about 15 miles north of Winding Stair Mountain (Ouachita National Forest). The mountain can be seen to the south from much of the lake.

I would recommend staying clear of the western half-mile of the trail between Wards Landing and Area 2 (Ridge Road) campground. The overgrowth on that part of the trail is pretty significant. Generally, the overgrowth is not too bad on the rest of the trail.

These are some of the photos I took from my hike on May 10. (Click for larger view.)

In this earlier Lake Wister Hiking Trail post, you read more about the trail, and see my gpx-based trail map.

At this link, you can download the official Lake Wister Hiking Trail map pdf.

Photo Gallery

Click below for full-screen photo gallery.

Last revised: 12-21-2020.

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I had the day off Monday so I went hiking at Lake Wister State Park. The 3-mile Lake Wister Hiking Trail in many respects is a great hike. (Six miles to the end and back.) It is at a beautiful location along Lake Wister. Elevation-wise, it is not a difficult hike either.

Unfortunately, the trail currently seems somewhat neglected. It is difficult to traverse a number of the areas because of overgrown brush. Also quite a few stretches of the trail are very low-lying and become impassible when there has been a lot of rain (or snow-melt as on Monday). And there is quite a bit of trash along the trail.

Fortunately, there are only a few of these difficult-to-get-through spots. By and large, it is a very enjoyable trail to hike.

Click here for GPX file download.

You can download the official trail map pdf here.

Note: In most Oklahoma state parks, you will probably need to pay a day use fee of $8 to $10.

Last revised: 7-13-2020.

The post Lake Wister Hiking Trail – 6 mi (O&B) appeared first on Arklahoma Hiker.