Tag: Counties: Montgomery+Polk(Ark)

Trails in Montgomery and Polk Counties in Arkansas, including Queen Wilhelmina State Park and the Shady Lake Recreation Area of the Ouachita National Forest.

For a list of all trails in this group, visit this link.

Ouachita Trail: 63.0-68.1 – MM63 on W. Fourche Mtn. to Foran Gap (Section 3)

Ouachita Trail, Section 03 between MM 63.0 and 68.1

This stretch of Section 3 of the Ouachita Trail (Ouachita National Forest) goes from Mile Marker 63 to the Foran Gap Trailhead (68.1) on Highway 71, just north of Mena (Polk County). The section of the Ouachita Trail between Eagle Gap (around Mile Marker 58) and Foran Gap is about 10 miles long and has no access […]

Ouachita Trail: 58.5-63.0 – Eagle Gap to MM63 on W. Fourche Mtn. (Section 3)

Ouachita Trail, Section 3, between MM 58.3 and 63.0

This part of Section 3 (as Tim Ernst designates) of the Ouachita Trail (OT) is from 58.5 to 63.0 in Polk County, Arkansas, near Mena. It starts about 7 miles east of Queen Wilhelmina State Park at the Eagle Gap juncture and heads up the western part of Fourche Mountain. It’s a pretty vigorous hike. […]

Earthquake Ridge Trail Pics (Ouachita Forest)

Earthquake Ridge Trail, Ouachita National Forest

The Earthquake Ridge Trail, including the adjacent Southern Loop, is an enjoyable 3-mile hike at the east end of the Talimena Scenic Drive (Highway 88) near Mena, Arkansas. This Ouachita National Forest hike is easy to locate, starting at the Visitor Information Center. My profile of this trail with pics from my June 6, 2015 hike is in […]

Earthquake Ridge Trail + Southern Loop (Ouachita Forest) – 3 mi

Earthquake Ridge Trail, Ouachita National Forest

The Earthquake Ridge Trail is a short moderately challenging loop trail in the Ouachita National Forest, just north of Mena, Arkansas. It has one main loop and several additional loops, all at the southeast end of Rich Mountain. On this hike, we are doing the main loop plus the Southern Loop. By my measurements, the […]

Ouachita Trail: 54.1-56.7 – Talimena Scenic Drive to Hwy 270/Black Fork Mtn. TH (Section 3)

Ouachita Trail on Rich Mountain between Talimena Scenic Drive and Highway 270 Trailhead

This 2.6-mile Ouachita Trail Section 3 segment is a pretty vigorous hike if you do it as an out-and-back as I did starting (east to west) at the Highway 270 (Black Fork Mountain Wilderness) Trailhead (Polk County, Arkansas). There is an elevation increase of about 1,000 feet, almost all of it in the first 1.5 […]

Queen Wilhelmina: Reservoir Trail – 1 mi (o&b)

The Reservoir Trail at Queen Wilhelmina State Park is a short but vigorous hillside walk that starts right behind the lodge. It makes a .4-mile (each way) downhill zigzag on the south side of Rich Mountain leading to a historic reservoir.