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Dec 6, 2020 · Published by Maggie Slepian on December 6, 2020. Maggie Slepian hiked this route in 2020. The Ouachita Trail is a 223-mile point-to-point backpacking route in Oklahoma and Arkansas. It is a blazed trail with frequent shelters, and can be hiked in 10-18 days.
- The Ouachita Trail at A Glance
- Why Hike The Ouachita Trail?
- OK But How Am I Supposed to Get there?
- Which Way Should I Hike It?
- Climate and Weather
- Gear Suggestions
- Camping
- Ouachita Trail Highlights
- How Much Water Should You Carry?
- Where Are You Supposed to Resupply?
Length:223 milesElevation Gain:~34,000 feetExpected Completion Time:(10-15 days, averaging 20-25 miles a day)Location:Eastern Oklahoma to Central ArkansasI have to recognize the potential hypocrisy of using a public platform to advertise the solitude of a place, but for the time being, I think that this trail offers the most meditative solitude I have ever experienced while hiking. The Ouachita Mountains at night are a spiritual thing. You can stealth camp almost anywhere on the trail, or there are ...
The best way to reach both trailheads is by getting a ride/shuttle or having a very dear friend drop you off (thanks again Skull Crusher). On the western side, the trail begins in Talimena State Park in Oklahoma. There is parking right at the trailhead for $5 a day. On the eastern side, the trailhead is at the Pinnacle Mountain State Park Visitor C...
The trail can be hiked in either direction, and I don’t see much advantage to hiking one way as opposed to the other. It all depends on what makes the most logistical sense. As we didn’t leave a car at a trailhead, we opted to hike west to east: getting dropped off at the trailhead in Talimena SP and ending in Little Rock, so we could catch a bus b...
The Ouachita Mountains get four seasons and can be rainy at any time of year. We did get a fair number of showers when we hiked in March. The trails didn’t get too muddy though until the last day, when we hiked through a flash flood and ended in a tornado warning. I’d advise checking a weather report before heading out, but you can pretty much coun...
Take it from the crazy guy who managed to hike the whole PCT this year with just a Coleman emergency poncho: I would certainly, certainly NOT recommend that kind of risk on the OT. A rain jacket is essential, and a puffer jacketis a good idea for any cold snaps. There are reportedly plenty of black bears in the Ouachitas but we didn’t see or hear a...
No permits are required to camp anywhere on the trail. The shelters occur once every 7-10 miles, and there are plenty of stealth campsites with fire rings in between each of those (also: you can have fires most of the year!) You can pretty much do as many or as few miles as you like each day and never have to be too committed to one spot as there’s...
There are plenty of nice lookout points along the trail. My favorite vista was from Flatside Pinnacles—there’s a 360-degree view of nearly the whole range from up there; or the side trail up Pinnacle Mountain, for its history in relation to the Trail of Tears. My favorite shelter was Bill Potter Shelter. It was 0.5 miles off-trail, but so worth it ...
First: always use a filter! There are lots of deer, foxes, and bears around to share the sources with. But the water runs beautifully along nearly all of this trail. I have never seen such an emerald-blue flow before. Some ridges require 5-10 mile carries, and a few sources are seasonal, but you can count on 10 miles being the longest dry stretch.
Okay, I know I’m just one guy, but hear me out: my strategy has always been to hit a town if the option is available. Especially in Arkansas, you never know what kind of crazy experience you’re going to have. And I did love all three towns that we stopped in. On this hike we resupplied three times: 1. Mena (a short hitch from mile 56) 2. Story/The ...
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Best time to hike: Spring and Fall. Length: 223 miles. Highest elevation: 2,600 ft. Total ascent: 34,340 ft. Total descent: 34,914 ft. The Ouachita (pronounced waa-shee-tuh) National Recreation Trail aka the “Ouachita Trail” or “OT” spans 223 miles through the Ouachita National Forest and mountains of Oklahoma and Arkansas.
According to AllTrails.com, there are 19 biking trails in Oklahoma City and the most popular is Lake Hefner Trail with an average 4.5 star rating from 1,277 community reviews. Looking for the best hiking trails in Oklahoma City?
- (7.7K)
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States
The wide, ADA-compliant asphalt trail with a concrete curb line is for walkers, runners and cyclists. Because of the hills along the side of the lake, it has more elevation changes than other trails in Oklahoma City. The trail has four pieces of public art funded by the City’s 1% for Art program.
Explore the best rated trails in Oklahoma, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Osage Prairie Trail and Cleveland Trail. With more than 49 trails covering 222 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Sep 28, 2021 · Osage Prairie Trail. Counties: Osage, Tulsa. Built on an old Midland Valley Railroad line, the paved Osage Prairie Trail heads 15 miles north from Tulsa over creeks and a repurposed railroad trestle, through agricultural pastures filled with farm animals, and up to the suburban Sperry and Skiatook. The south trailhead is located in the historic ...
