This is a scenic 6.5-mile loop which begins at the Big Brushy Recreation Area (Montgomery County), about 30 miles east of Mena, Arkansas.

The trail begins at the back of the recreation area and makes a counterclockwise loop. The last 3.1 miles of the loop are on Section 4 of the Ouachita Trail.

There are 3 main parts to the hike. This first is the 2.5 mile hike on the low part of the Brushy Creek Trail. (The crossing of Forest Road E15 is in the middle of this part.)

The second is the uphill climb on the rest of the Brushy Creek Trail up to the Ouachita Trail. There is a half-mile walk up Forest Road 813A. Then there is a steep half-mile climb up the last part of Brushy Creek Trail.

To complete the loop, the last part of the hike is a 4.1-mile hike to the east on the Ouachita Trail back to the recreation area.

Getting to Big Brushy Recreation Area

To get to Big Brushy from the northwest or southwest, turn off of Highway 71 at Y City and head east on Highway 270. After about 16 miles, you will see Big Brushy Recreation Area on your right.

If coming from the east, the recreation area will be on your left, about 30 miles past Hot Springs.

Shortly after entering the recreation area, there is a fork. Take a right, and then head to the back area near the pit toilets.

The Hike – Brushy Creek Trail: Start to FR813A

This hike starts with the Brushy Creek Trail which begins at the back of the recreation area loop by the pit toilets. There may not be any signage here. Look for a well-worn path.

Watch for white blazes. Most of the trail is well-marked with white blazes.

The first 2 miles of the trail go along a pretty level area following Big Brushy Creek. The creek and its branches were very scenic.

Unless you hike during a dry time, be prepared for wet crossings. When I last did this hike on June 11, 2022, we had 7 or 8 wet crossings. There had been significant rain earlier that week.

The streams are beautiful though. The crossings are on Big Brushy Creek and various tributaries and branches.

A note of caution. Fording a stream can be dangerous. Don’t cross a stream where it is more than waist deep or if you can’t see the bottom.

This part of the hike is largely in a fairly flat low-lying area. A lot of it is rocky. (I think rocky trails are pretty cool.)

Although quite a few people do this trail, on our June hike, there were a number of areas of moderate overgrowth. Most of it was not too bad though. With few exceptions, the trail was pretty easy to follow with plenty of white blazes.

There are 2 road intersections to be prepared for. The first is at around 1.3 miles when the trail crosses Forest Road E15 (dirt road). Depending on the overgrowth, it can be easy to get confused here and not realize the trail continues straight across the road. (This was tricky for our hike in June. We thought this was the place to turn left on the forest road. It took awhile to realize the mistake.)

Here on E15, Highway 270 is only about 700 feet over to your right. Again, do not not turn left here. Just look for where the trail continues on the other side of the road.

After the E15 crossing, the trail continues on very gradually heading uphill until around the 2 mile area when it starts noticeably climbing into some higher elevation areas.

But if you are hiking it during wet times, the stream crossings are not over until you get to Forest Road 813A.

FR813A to Ouachita Trail

At about 2.5 miles, you arrive at Forest Road 813A (dirt road). Make a left turn here. There is probably no signage here, but you should see some white blazes.

The next half-mile is a mostly uphill walk on 813A. It is pretty, but not as interesting as what follows.

The steepest part of this hike starts at around 3 miles. This is a very scenic and interesting part of the hike. When I hiked it in June, there were some moderate overgrowth but it was not in terrible shape. It was not difficult to follow with the blazes. (On the contour map, I have this labelled as the start of the Mountain Top Trail, but actually I think this is just a continuation of the Brushy Creek Trail.)

The elevation range is about 500 feet for this trail. The majority of that climb is during this steep climb.

I love the physical exertion involved in climbing hills, the changing views, and the varied topography of hill trails as they go up, down, and along hillsides.

Ouachita Trail Junction to End

At around 3.5 miles, the white blazes end as the trail intersects with the Ouachita Trail. (Look for the blue blazes.) From here, turn left to complete the loop and head toward the recreation area. (The Ouachita Trail segment from here back to the beginning includes mile points 92, 93, and 94. They may not all be labelled.)

For the next 1.5 miles or so, the trail has some up-and-downhill climbing. Then there is one of the highlights of the hike. At around OT Mile Point 93 is a vista area with a great south-facing view of the Ouachita Mountains and the Ouachita River Valley.

After the vista, the hike heads mostly downhill. The last half mile or so is just a walk along Forest Road 6 back to the campground. This walk is quite close to Big Brushy Creek which is very pretty when the water is flowing.

Of course, there are a lot more open views during leaf-off than during leaf-on. There are a lot of really nice views on the Ouachita Trail part during leaf-off.

Final Notes

There is quite a bit of climbing once you get past the low-lying creek and stream area. The elevation range on the loop is about 550 feet.

There was a fair amount of overgrowth in a number of places when we did our June 11, 2022 hike which is not unusual for he time of year. Most of then time when I have done the Ouachita Trail part of this hike, it has been in pretty good condition.

Big Brushy Recreation Area is a day-use area. It used to feature camping, but it no longer does due to the significant flooding risk.

I would estimate that I had AT&T cell signal about 60% of the time. (Signal tends to be better in the higher elevations.)

Most of these photos are from our June 11, 2022 hike with a few from June 27 and September 5, 2015.

Photo Gallery

Click below for full-screen photo gallery of these and other photos from the hikes.

Prev 1of32 Next

Map

The post Brushy Creek Trail Loop (Ouachita Forest) – 7 mi appeared first on Arklahoma Hiker.

This is a cool 2.1-mile segment of the Ouachita Trail Section 4 that is pretty accessible, not difficult climbing, and a good length for a day hike (4.2 miles as out-and-back). It is in both Scott and Montgomery Counties, a little bit east of Y City.

And the rocks and boulders along the way are a treat.

Getting to the Forest Road 48 Trailhead.

There is a trailhead with a small parking area right next to where the trail crosses Forest Road 48.

To get there from the northwest or southwest, turn off of Highway 71 at Y City and head east on Highway 270.

From there you go about 11.7 miles and then turn off the highway on the right onto a gravel road. (Don’t expect any signage here.) This is Scott County Road 375 aka Coachlite Road aka Buck Knob Road.

After about 1.8 miles, there is a split where the Coachlite/Buck Knob Road continuing straight and Forest Road 48 goes to the left. It is just before this split that you should see the FR 48 trailhead on your left. That is the place to park for this day hike.

The Hike

The Ouachita Trail crosses Forest Road 48 near this trailhead (probably within 50 yards). It was pretty well marked when I last walked it.

This segment goes up and then along the north side of most of Rockhouse Mountain. It starts (on the west end) in Scott County, but most of it is in Montgomery County.

There is definitely some climbing on this segment but not a huge amount. The west end of this segment is a little over 1,400 feet above sea level. The east end is just under 1,400 feet. The high point is about 1,630 feet.

All the times I have done this segment it has been nearly or completely leaf-off. There are some pretty views to the north and northeast between the trees during leaf off.

Once you are in the higher elevation area, at times you can see a large west-east ridge to the north which is Mill Creek Mountain. Further on, to the northeast, you can see part of Brushy Creek Mountain fairly close. (The trail heads to that mountain as it goes further to the east.)

I am a big fan of hills and rocks on trails. This segment is not that rocky, but there are a number of nice parts of it with rocks lining the trail and also with medium and large boulders near the trail. These are very enjoyable.

At about 1.7 miles into this segment, the trail makes a left turn and heads downhill (northward) off of Rockhouse Mountain. For the last quarter-mile or so, the trail is on a road trace.

This stretch ends when you get to the junction with Forest Road 813. Watch for the signage. (There is also a sign indicating a Rockhouse Trail. Sometime I would like to check that one out.)

So if you are they hiking it like I did, this is your turnaround spot.

Final Notes

As always on the Ouachita Trail, follow the blue blazes.

The trail was in good condition (thanks to the FoOT volunteer trail maintainers) when we did our hikes in November 2021 and January 2022. I’m not sure the mile markers were all in place, but it was well blazed and pretty easy to follow.

I had AT&T cell signal about 80% of the time.

These photos are mostly from my November 22, 2018 hike. A few are from my more recent hike on January 29, 2022.

Photo Gallery

Click below for full-screen photo gallery of these images from my hikes on November 22, 2018 and January 29, 2022.

Map

Last revised: 2-21-2022.

The post Ouachita Trail: 88.2-90.3 – FR 48 to FR 813 on Rockhouse Mtn. (Section 4) appeared first on Arklahoma Hiker.

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

The post Ouachita Trail: 47.8-51.6 – FR 514 to Queen Wilhelmina (Pioneer Cemetery) (Section 2) appeared first on Arklahoma Hiker.

Back in the spring of 2016, I did a 10 mile hike on Section 3 (Polk County) of the Ouachita Trail starting at the Foran Gap Trailhead then going west on western Fourche Mountain to MM 63 and back.

My full profile of that stretch of the Ouachita Trail is here.

These are some additional photos from my April 23, 2016 hike.

Photos

Click below for full screen gallery of these and other pics from my April 23, 2016 hike.

The post Ouachita Trail 03: Pics of MM63 to Foran Gap (63.0 to 68.1) appeared first on Arklahoma Hiker.