huckepack

Ouachita National Recreation Trail

Length

Stated
358.9 km, the stated length (Friends of the Ouachita Trail)
Map line
350.2 km, OpenStreetMap along the official track
Used for
The charts on this page, and comparing trails in the search

358.9km

Ascent · descent

This trail
Estimated from the terrain model (≈): no source states them
How
Every main stage's climbs and drops between samples 100 m apart
Keep in mind
In forests the model reads the treetops, so it reads high there

estimated: 10,480m ↑10,680m ↓

Difficulty

What
How hard the trail is, in three ways: the terrain, the climate in season and the length of the days
Scale
Easy to Hard, with the same thresholds for every trail; each takes its hardest measure
Keep in mind
It describes the trail, not how it will feel to you: that depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather you get
  • Terrain: DemandingNatural ground: 98 %
  • Climate: Moderate in Oct–NovHeat: 23 °C by day (October)
  • Effort: HardLongest day: ≈ 15 h (stage 2)

All measures

Terrain: Demanding; Climate: Moderate in Oct–Nov; Effort: Hard

Days

This trail
10 days, one per main stage
Why
No source suggests a number of days

10days

Per stage

How
The 10 main stages' totals over their number
Source
Friends of the Ouachita Trail, so the averages come from one source
Ascent
The terrain model's estimate per stage (≈): the stages state no climbs

35.9km· about 1,050 m ↑
Season

Landscape

Source
ESA WorldCover satellite land cover, along the main route
  • Forest: 99%
  • Grassland and shrubs: 0%
  • Farmland and villages: 0%

Landscape along the route

Mostly Forest

Photos

Photos from Wikimedia Commons by MARELBU; each photo's licence in the gallery

Location

Country
United States
Regions
Oklahoma, Arkansas
Start
Talimena State Park
Finish
Pinnacle Mountain State Park
Route type
Point to point
Travel hubs
  • Fort Smith Regional Airport (FSM)99.7 km by road · 101 min
  • Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport (LIT)304.4 km by road · 249 min
  • Little Rock Union Station304.5 km by road · 249 min
Protected areas
Ouachita National Forest; Upper Kiamichi River Wilderness; Flatside Wilderness; Talimena State Park; Queen Wilhelmina State Park; Pinnacle Mountain State Park
Managed by
USDA Forest Service, Ouachita National Forest, Arkansas State Parks, Pinnacle Mountain State Park, Friends of the Ouachita TrailOfficial website
Waymarking
Well marked with the traditional blue trail blazes.
GPX
GPX trackOur tracing from OpenStreetMap
  • Trail
  • Start
  • Stage start
  • Finish
  • Contour lines

Difficulty

Terrain

Rates
How hard is the ground to walk: the path, the climbing, the steep bits, the ground underfoot?
How
Rated over the whole main route.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Path grade
the trail's SAC grade, stated, converted or estimated
  1. EasyT1
  2. ModerateT2
  3. DemandingT3
  4. HardT4 to T6
Climbing
ascent of the main stages over their length
  1. Easyunder 15 m per km
  2. Moderate15–30 m
  3. Demanding30–50 m
  4. Hard50 m or more
Steep stretches
share of the route steeper than 15 %, up or down (terrain model)
  1. Easyunder 5 %
  2. Moderate5–15 %
  3. Demanding15–30 %
  4. Hard30 % or more
Natural ground
share on footpaths and trails (OpenStreetMap); never Hard on its own
  1. Easyunder a third
  2. Moderatea third to two thirds
  3. Demandingtwo thirds or more

Demanding

  • SAC hiking scale

    This trail
    T2 (our estimate)
    Basis
    The Friends describe "a challenging wilderness-type trail with mountains, rocks, creeks, rivers, uneven tread and various obstacles", a single-track footpath over long forested ridges between about 180 and 800 m (the Forest Service: 600 to 2,600 feet in the national forest), with river crossings and no exposed passages. Mountain hiking on a maintained trail (T2).
    Scale
    The Swiss Alpine Club's hiking scale, from T1 (easy) to T6 (very hard)
    Why
    Trails rate difficulty in many local scales, or only in words; we translate each into this one so trails compare
    Keep in mind
    An estimate: how hard a trail feels depends on your fitness, experience, pack and the weather
    T1 · Hiking
    Well-made paths, mostly flat or gently sloping. No risk of falling; trainers are enough.
    T2 · Mountain hiking
    A continuous path, steep in places, where a fall can't be ruled out. Be sure-footed; wear hiking boots.
    T3 · Demanding mountain hiking
    The path is not always visible; exposed spots may have chains or ropes, and you may need your hands for balance.
    T4 · Alpine hiking
    Often no path. Hands are needed in places, terrain is exposed, and there can be easy snowfields.
    T5 · Demanding alpine hiking
    Mostly pathless, with easy climbing and exposed, demanding terrain. Needs alpine experience.
    T6 · Difficult alpine hiking
    Pathless, very exposed, with climbing and glaciers. For experienced mountaineers only.

    The scale at the Swiss Alpine Club

    estimated T2
  • Climbingestimated 29 m per km
  • Steep stretches3 % of the way
  • Natural ground98 %

Climate

Rates
How hot, cold, wet and windy does it get?
How
From 30 years of daily weather (ERA5), rated per month. Without months picked: the trail's best run of at least two season months, each measure at its hardest month. Pick months in the search to rate it for yours.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Heat
mean daily high at the lowest point
  1. Easyunder 22 °C
  2. Moderate22–27 °C
  3. Demanding27–32 °C
  4. Hard32 °C or more
Cold
mean nightly low at the highest point
  1. Easy8 °C or more
  2. Moderate3–8 °C
  3. Demanding−2 to 3 °C
  4. Hardbelow −2 °C
Wet days
days a month with 1 mm of rain or more, the wetter of both points
  1. Easyunder 10
  2. Moderate10–14
  3. Demanding14–18
  4. Hard18 or more
Snow
days a month with 1 cm of snow or more at the highest point
  1. Easyunder 1 day
  2. Moderate1–3 days
  3. Demanding3–6 days
  4. Hard6 days or more
Wind
mean of the day's strongest wind (hourly mean, 10 m above ground), the windier of both points; over land: a point whose 25 km weather cell is mostly sea takes the nearest mostly-land cell's
  1. Easyunder 15 km/h
  2. Moderate15–20 km/h
  3. Demanding20–25 km/h
  4. Hard25 km/h or more

Moderate in Oct–Nov

  • Heat · October23 °C by day
  • Cold · November4 °C at night
  • Wet days · November9 days
  • Snow · November1 day
  • Wind · November15 km/h

Effort

Rates
How long are the days?
How
Rated by the longest main stage; a time range counts its upper end.
Level
The hardest measure sets it
Longest day
walking time of the longest main stage, stated or by DIN 33466
  1. Easyup to 4 h
  2. Moderate4–6 h
  3. Demanding6–8 h
  4. Hardmore than 8 h

Hard

  • Longest day · stage 2estimated 15 h

Climate

Days in season · lowest point
10–23°C
Nights in season · highest point
−2 to 10°C
Wet days a month
8–11
Daylight
9.8–13.0h
SeasonSeasonDay high and night low−10 °C0 °C10 °C20 °C30 °C40 °CWet days, at the highest point51015Daylight10.1 h10.9 h11.9 h13.0 h14.0 h14.5 h14.3 h13.4 h12.3 h11.2 h10.3 h9.8 hJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Climate by month, 1995–2024 average
MonthLowest point, day high / night low (°C)Highest point, day high / night low (°C)Wet daysSnow daysFrost nights at the highest pointDaylight (h)
January10.3 / 1.57 / -27.62.621.210.1
February12.5 / 3.19.3 / -0.48.72.815.810.9
March17.4 / 7.413.9 / 3.811.117.311.9
April22.1 / 1218.1 / 810.80.11.213
May26.7 / 17.222.6 / 13.212.70014
June31.3 / 21.727 / 17.510.10014.5
July33.2 / 23.829.3 / 19.510.10014.3
August33.1 / 23.529.4 / 19.38.80013.4
September29.3 / 19.625.6 / 15.67.20012.3
October23.4 / 13.719.6 / 9.88.300.311.2
November16.5 / 7.613.1 / 48.30.76.610.3
December11.6 / 3.38.2 / -0.38.12.317.59.8

Climate by month

Source
ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, averages for 1995–2024
Places
The trail's lowest and highest point, adjusted to their height
Bars
From the mean night low to the mean day high
Wet days
At least 1 mm of rain; snow days at least 1 cm of snow
Daylight
Sunrise to sunset in the middle of the month
Shading
The trail's season

Stages

RouteDistanceAscentDescentElevation
1Talimena State Park Winding Stair Trailhead38.1 km1,230 m ↑970 m ↓330 → 590 m
2Winding Stair Trailhead Queen Wilhelmina State Park Lodge44.9 km1,460 m ↑1,290 m ↓600 → 770 m
3Queen Wilhelmina State Park Lodge Foran Gap (Highway 71)26.6 km730 m ↑1,060 m ↓770 → 440 m
4Foran Gap (Highway 71) Big Brushy Campground42.5 km1,340 m ↑1,500 m ↓440 → 280 m
5Big Brushy Campground Highway 27 Trailhead43.8 km1,390 m ↑1,360 m ↓290 → 310 m
6Highway 27 Trailhead Highway 298 Trailhead27.5 km750 m ↑870 m ↓320 → 190 m
7Highway 298 Trailhead Highway 7 Trailhead34.8 km1,250 m ↑1,140 m ↓190 → 300 m
8Highway 7 Trailhead Forest Road 15243.5 km1,250 m ↑1,310 m ↓320 → 250 m
9Forest Road 152 Highway 1023.5 km420 m ↑570 m ↓250 → 110 m
10Highway 10 Pinnacle Mountain State Park33.8 km660 m ↑610 m ↓100 → 140 m

Totals and averages count the main stages only. ≈ marks our estimates where the source gives no figure: ascent and descent and heights from the terrain model (Copernicus DEM, 30 m grid, sampled every 100 m), to the nearest 10 m.

Terrain

Highest · lowest point
811m high80m low

Gradient

Steepest climb
19 % (11°), 94 m up over 500 m, stage 2
Steepest descent
−20 % (11°), 99 m down over 500 m, stage 3
Gradient
Height per distance: 20 % is 20 m up per 100 m forward; 100 % is 45°, not 90°
Keep in mind
Averages over 500 m from a 30 m terrain model: steps and ladders within them are steeper
GradientAngleFeels like
10 %6°Noticeable on a road
20 %11°A steep path, slow going
30 %17°Very steep, often steps
100 %45°Scrambling

19% ↑−20% ↓

Steep stretches

This trail
5 km up, 5.8 km down: the darkest parts of the profile
Steep
15 % or more (9°, 15 m of height per 100 m), in 200 m stretches
Why it matters
Slow going uphill, hard on the knees downhill

10.8km

Surfaces

  • Natural ground: 98%, 341.4 km. Earth, grass, rock and roots: footpaths and forest trails. Can be muddy after rain.
  • Gravel: 1%, 4.8 km. Gravel, compacted and stony surfaces: mostly forest roads and farm tracks.
  • Paved: 0%, 1.0 km. Asphalt, concrete and cobbles: roads and village streets.

98% natural1% gravel<1% paved
200 m400 m600 m800 m811 mStage 1Stage 2Stage 3Stage 4Stage 5Stage 6Stage 7Stage 89Stage 100 km347.2 km

Terrain along the route

Heights
Copernicus terrain model, 30 m grid, every 100 m along the main route; in forests it reads the treetops
Colours
Each 200 m by its gradient in walking direction: climbs warm, descents violet, darker when steeper (to ±30 %)
Ground
The strip below, from OpenStreetMap; the 3% without a surface tag is read from the way type (footpaths natural, tracks gravel)

Landscape

Forest99%Grassland and shrubs0%Farmland and villages0%Stage 1Stage 23Stage 4Stage 56Stage 7Stage 89100 km347.2 km

Landscape along the route

Source
ESA WorldCover 2021, a 10 m satellite map
Points
Every 100 m along the main route; each takes the most common class within 30 m, so the path itself doesn't count as bare ground
Groups
Its eleven classes, folded into the six shown
Keep in mind
What the landscape looks like, not which plants grow there

Sleeping

Wild camping is restricted. Dispersed camping is allowed anywhere in the Ouachita National Forest outside developed campgrounds, at least 100 feet from streams, but typically not near campgrounds, picnic areas or trailheads; campfires are allowed unless fire restrictions are in force. The last 32 miles to Pinnacle Mountain run on private and other public lands.

312.7 km without a bedCamping3Huts0Hostels0Rooms0Stage 1Stage 23Stage 4Stage 56Stage 7Stage 89100 km347.2 km

Places to sleep along the route

Ticks
One per place to sleep: 3 campsites, 0 huts, 0 hostels, 0 guest houses
Counted
Within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end (stage towns often lie off the trail); no hotels or day shelters
Shaded
The longest stretch without any, km 34.5–347.2
Source
OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list closed ones, so book or check locally

Water & Supply

Clean water

This trail
312.7 km without clean water, km 34.5–347.2, stages 1–10
Rating
  1. Frequentup to 10 km
  2. Regularup to 20 km
  3. Scarcebeyond
Counted
Within 500 m: 0 taps, fountains and drinking springs, 3 refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites
Refills
Guests come first and many close out of season: ask, and carry a little extra. Places marked without drinking water are left out
Source
OpenStreetMap; the counts include the approach and variant, the chart shows the main route

312.7kmScarce

Any water

This trail
122.8 km without any water, km 224.4–347.2
Rating
  1. Frequentup to 10 km
  2. Regularup to 20 km
  3. Scarcebeyond
Counted
Clean water, plus the 4 springs within 500 m
Keep in mind
Spring water's quality is unknown: filter, boil or treat it, and expect some springs to run dry in late summer

122.8kmScarce

Shops

This trail
347.2 km without a shop, km 0–347.2
Counted
0 supermarkets, convenience and general stores and petrol station shops, within 1 km of the trail or 3 km of a stage's end
Keep in mind
Small village shops are often missing in OpenStreetMap, and opening hours vary: check before relying on one

347.2km
Water · 122.8 km withoutPublic drinking water · 347.2 km withoutSprings (treat before drinking) · 122.8 km withoutRefills at places to sleep · 312.7 km withoutShops · 347.2 km withoutStage 1Stage 2Stage 3Stage 4Stage 5Stage 6Stage 7Stage 89Stage 100 km347.2 km

Water and shops along the route

Ticks
One per place along the main route
Counted
Drinking water and springs within 500 m; refills at huts, hostels, guest houses and campsites within 500 m; shops within 1 km, or 3 km of a stage's end
Shaded
Each lane's longest stretch without. "Water" counts every kind and opens into one lane per kind, each with its own
Source
OpenStreetMap: it may miss places or list ones that have closed or run dry, so check locally

Wildlife

Wildlife

Shows
Animals that can be dangerous to hikers on this trail: large animals, venomous snakes, scorpions and spiders, ticks, and plants that harm on touch
Level
Ours, read from the official source
High
A bite of a species it calls common can be life-threatening within hours
Moderate
It warns of attacks or serious harm, or places the trail in a risk area for tick-borne encephalitis
Low
The harm is mostly minor or treatable, or avoidable by how you behave
What to do
From the official source: USDA Forest Service, Ouachita National Forest
Pictures
Silhouettes from PhyloPic, not to scale, each maker named with its advice; the landscape is the trail's own, drawn by us

Black bear Low

Black bear

Low danger

The Forest Service says the national forests in Arkansas and Oklahoma are bear country and asks dispersed campers to camp accordingly; it requires no bear-proof food storage.

If you meet one

  • Stay alert, do not wear headphones, and cautiously approach any blind corners on trails
  • Remain calm; group together and pick up small children
  • Continue to face the bear and back away slowly, speaking calmly
  • If the bear continues to approach, try to scare it away by making yourself as large and imposing as possible by stretching your arms overhead and making loud noises

Don't

  • If you see a bear, do not run

Advice: USDA Forest Service, Ouachita National Forest. Level: ours. Silhouette: Abby Weber (Ursus americanus), PhyloPic, public domain.