Ouachita National Forest (Ark)

Arklahoma Hiker > Arkansas > Ouachita National Forest (Ark)

Brushy Creek Loop Trail

By Mike Newman, on January 2, 2012

View from vista near Ouachita Trail MM 93 on Big Brushy Loop Trail.

In late October, I hiked the Brushy Creek Loop Trail in the Ouachita National Forest. It was a great hike.

This is a 6.5-mile loop which begins at the Big Brushy Campground, about 30 miles east of Mena, Arkansas. The trail begins at the back of the campground and makes a counterclockwise loop. The last 3 miles of the loop are on Section 4 of the Ouachita Trail.

Big Brushy Creek, Ouachita National Forest

This was a great fall day for a hike. The temperatures in the upper 60′s and low 70′s were pleasant, it had just rained the previous evening, and it was overcast most of the day. There was also some cool fall foliage.

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Ouachita Trail 04-F – MM81 – East Fourche Mtn. – FR76A

By Mike Newman, on August 14, 2011

Last Saturday I had an eventful hike on the Ouachita Trail. I was on Section 4, just east of Highway 71 on East Fourche Mountain.

Some hot hiking, lots of thunder and lightning, and an hour-long thunder shower.

And I saw a bear.

Ouachita Trail 04-F on East Fourche Mountain (Facing West)

Making a Plan One of my goals is to day hike the entire Ouachita Trail in pieces. So far (including Saturday’s hike), I’ve done about 30 percent of the 223-mile trail.

I was looking the other day at what to hike next in Section 4. There is a stretch that runs about 16 miles from Highway 71 on the west side (mile 68.1), across East Fourche Mountain, to an intersection with Forest Road 76 (MM 85).

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Ouachita Trail 03-FG – Eagle Gap – Fourche Mtn. – MM63

By Mike Newman, on June 25, 2011

I hiked the Ouachita Trail on the eastern half of west Fourche Mountain about a month ago. (West Fourche Mountain is the part on the west side of highway 71. I don’t know why it’s not considered a separate mountain.) Last Saturday, I hiked the western part.

I had thought the trail on the western part would be like the other side. It was an enjoyable hike, but it seemed that there were not as many nice views as there had been on the eastern half.

Of course, it was noticeably warmer on this hike than on the earlier one.

View of Rich Mountain from Fourche Mountain on Ouachita Trail, Near MM62 (OT-03FG)

It did seem like there were not as many nice views of nearby mountains as there were on the eastern part.

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Ouachita Trail 03-HI – Fourche Mtn. – Foran Gap – MM63

By Mike Newman, on May 9, 2011

Saturday, I hiked another 5 miles of the Ouachita Trail; this time in Section 3.

This was a pretty cool hike because it was the first time I have come across a waterfall on the Ouachita Trail (or in any national forest for that matter).

Waterfall on Ouachita Trail (03-I) – About 1 Mile West of Hwy 71 (Foran Gap)

I began (and parked) at the Foran Gap trailhead on Highway 71, between Waldron and Mena, Arkansas. From there I hiked west about 5 miles to MM 63. Originally, I intended to go just to MM 64, but it appears that there is no marker at MM 64.

There is a marker at MM 63, but it looks like it was written with a ball point pen. (There have been problems lately with some of the OT mile markers disappearing.)

I refer to the part of the trail I hiked Saturday as “03-H” and “03-I.”

The section of the Ouachita Trail between Eagle Gap (around 58) and Foran Gap is about 10 miles long and has no access points in between.

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Hole in the Ground Mountain Trail

By Mike Newman, on November 8, 2010

View from Hole in the Ground Mountain Trail

Hole in the Ground Mountain Trail is one of those trails that seemed much more difficult when I first hiked it a few years ago than it does to me now. Some weight loss and lots of day hikes have probably helped.

Even though it doesn’t seem all that difficult to me now, I’m still giving it a “5″ (out of 5) difficulty rating. I figure when a trail has a 600+ foot elevation increase, that’s enough to put it in the “most strenuous” category.