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.

Previously, I profiled this scenic and accessible stretch of Section 3 of the Ouachita Trail on Rich Mountain (Polk County, near Mena). It goes approximately from mile 51.6 to 54.1.

There are some great south-facing views on this stretch.

But be prepared for possible overgrowth, once you are out of the Queen Wilhelmina State Park boundary.

These are some additional photos from that October 23, 2017 autumn hike.

Photo Gallery

Click below for full-screen photo gallery of these and more pics from my October 23, 2017 hike.

Last revised: 5-14-2021

The post Ouachita Trail 03: Queen Wilhelmina to Hwy 88 (51.6 to 54.1) Pics appeared first on Arklahoma Hiker.

This is a 2.5-mile stretch of the Ouachita Trail that goes from Queen Wilhelmina State Park heading east to Highway 88 (Talimena Scenic Highway). It is the first part of Section 3 (following Tim Ernst), and is all on Rich Mountain in Polk County, near Mena.

It is a pretty enjoyable stretch mostly running along hillside with some nice south-facing views, cool rocky areas, and interesting terrain. But be prepared for the possibility of overgrowth on the trail, once you get out of the state park area.

This is a very accessible segment because you can start right at the state park lodge and then head east. After about 2.5 miles you will be at the Highway 88 crossing. At this point, you can continue on the trail, turn and hike the trail back to your start, or make a loop by walking Highway 88 back to the state park lodge.

Getting to Lovers Leap Trailhead at QWSP

To get to Queen Wilhelmina State Park 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 Queen Wilhelmina 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.

Park at the lodge. This segment starts on the north side of the lodge at the Lovers Leap Trailhead.

The Hike – 1st Mile (51.6 to 52.6)

The first part of this segment starts at the park’s Lovers Leap Trailhead on the north side of the lodge. There is parking and the trail is well marked.

The vast majority of the Ouachita Trail is maintained by volunteers with Friends of the Ouachita Trail (FoOT). The condition of the trail (particularly the amount of overgrowth) will usually depend on how long it has been since anyone has been able to work on that part and how quickly vegetation grows back. Unfortunately, some of the parts of the trail on Rich Mountain are some of the areas where plant life grows back the quickest.

But you probably won’t have to worry about that for the first .4 miles. This part overlaps with the state park’s Lovers Leap Trail (a 1-mile loop trail). The state park usually does a good job with keeping the trails maintained. But on the rest of this segment, be prepared (depending on time of year and how recently it has been maintained) for overgrowth.

The first quarter mile of the trail heads downhill eastward . Then the trail levels out for the next .2 miles leading up to the overlook.

The Lovers Leap Overlook is definitely the visual highlight of this hike. There is a wooden platform making it easy to get a great view of this south-facing expanse. It is a very beautiful spot.

After the overlook, the trail mostly heads downhill until you get to the (marked) junction where the Ouachita Trail splits off. Take a left (north) to stay on the Ouachita Trail. Ouachita Trail has blue blazes. Yellow blazes mark the Lovers Leap Trail.

As far as the elevation, the starting elevation on this hike was about 2,550 feet. At this split, the elevation is about 200 feet lower than that.

Over the next .6 miles, the trail makes some curves and switchbacks in a fairly steep downhill area for another 150-foot descent until reaching the elevation low point of this segment at about 2,173 feet.

There are a few large areas of rocks and a boulder field which are really cool in this area.

Even during leaf-on, you can see limited views through the trees quite a bit, but there also are a few more wide open vistas. Of course, during leaf-off, the vista views are more plentiful.

The Next 1.5 Miles (52.6 to 54.1)

The next .3 miles is a real uphill climb with an elevation change of about 250 feet. Then most of the next .7 miles is a more gradual climb until reaching around 2,550 in elevation.

For the next .3 miles, the trail heads downhill about 200 feet in elevation before making a left (north) turn heading uphill toward the Highway 88 crossing.

When I did this segment a few years ago, I had a little trouble following the trail in parts in this area.

As the trail goes uphill toward the highway, there are some very nice views to the south, even during leaf-on. Before you hit the highway in this part, you should come by Mile Marker 54.

Final Notes

Most of this hike is hillside, but I think that makes it an interesting and pretty trail. The only real negatives on this part that I recall are dealing with some overgrowth and an area close to the highway turn that was a little hard to follow where the trail went.

Rich Mountain is the second tallest mountain in Arkansas.

I would estimate I had AT&T cell signal 70% of the time.

I have done this segment twice in the past 5 years–once in 2015 and then in October 23, 2017. These photos are from that hike.

Photo Gallery

Click below for full-screen photo gallery of these and more pics from my October 23, 2017 hike.

Maps

The post Ouachita Trail: 51.6-54.1 – Queen Wilhelmina to Hwy 88 (Section 3) appeared first on Arklahoma Hiker.

The Spring Trail at Queen Wilhelmina State Park on Rich Mountain (Polk County, near Mena) is a short but enjoyable wooded walk.

It’s about .4 miles each way and about .8 miles as an out-and-back walk.

This is an easy walk with little elevation change. It’s a great trail for beginners or anyone just wanting a nature walk.

Getting to Spring Trailhead at Queen Wilhelmina

To get to Queen Wilhelmina State Park 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 Queen Wilhelmina State Park.) This takes you up Rich Mountain to Highway 88 (Talimena Scenic Drive).

Take a right on Highway 88. After about 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.  Stay on 88 for about 12 miles.

The easiest parking for the Spring Trail is at The Wonder House, on the other side (the north side) of the highway from the park’s main entrance,

The Wonder House is a historic 9-level vacation home built in the 1930s. This is also where the park amphitheater is.

The trailhead is between the house and the amphitheater.

The Trail

The Spring Trail heads west (northwest, then southwest), running parallel to Highway 88 (Talimena Scenic Drive).

After about 200 feet, you will come upon Crystal Spring on the left. It served as a gathering place for early settlers.

The trail continues west making a slight downhill slope. At about .2, the trail curves slightly along with the ridge and heads more in a southwesterly direction.

In August of this year, I noticed that there was a slight reroute in the latter part of the trail making it slightly hillier. It appeared that the stream crossing with footbridge had probably been damaged from flooding necessitating the reroute.

The trail ends directly across the highway from the west end of the park campground.

There are only limited views to the north between the trees during leaf-on, but you can enjoy the beautiful, lush greenery then. During leaf-off, expect much better views.

Final Notes

When I last visited the trail, I had AT&T cell signal most of the way. Usually, the trail is in good condition and easy to follow with orange blazes.

While at Queen Wilhelmina, you may want to check out the Lovers Leap Trail or the Reservoir Trail.

These photos are from my September 27, 2014 visit to the trail.

Photo Gallery

Click below for full-screen photo gallery.

Map

Queen Wilhelmina: Spring Trail
Location	Queen Wilhelmina State Park, Polk County, Arkansas
Length/Type	Out and back; .3 miles each way (.6 miles total).
Difficulty	Easy (1 of 5).
Other permitted usage.	Pets on a leash.
Gpx file (by Mike)	Link
Date Hiked	September 27, 2014 and August 2018.
Directions	Google Maps Directions to Spring Trailhead at Queen Wilhelmina
Official Info	(479) 394-2863 Website Official Trails Brochure (pdf)

Last revised: 8-15-2021.

The post Queen Wilhelmina: Spring Trail – 1 mi (o&b) appeared first on Arklahoma Hiker.