Cossatot River State Park & Natural Area is a jewel located about 15 miles south of Mena, Ark. Its 5300 acres encompass about 12 miles of the Cossatot River, one of our National Wild and Scenic Rivers. Class 3-5 rapids make it a popular destination for kayakers.
Campgrounds
All are primitive – tents only, no potable water. They’re open year-round with daily fees. See the state park web site for current information.
- Ed Banks (34.3438°N, 94.2492°W)
- Sandbar (34.32273°N, 94.237291°W)
- Cossatot Falls (34.3214°N, 94.2276°W). There’s a lot of day-use parking here but the place gets pretty busy on warm weekends. On the south edge of the campground are 3 day-use picnic tables/fire pits/grills, and several social trails leading off to various parts of the falls.
- River Ridge (group) (34.3045°N, 94.2161°W)
Trails
The scenic 12.5-mile River Corridor Trail will be the main attraction for hikers. Access at the north end is from the Brushy Creek Recreation Area at 34.3794°N, 94.2371°W (north side of AR-246, west side of the river). The trail begins on the south side of AR-246 (mile 0). The trail runs south through the Ed Banks Campground at mile 4.4 then crosses to the east side of the river on a low water bridge at mile 4.7 with a parking area on the east side (34.3398°N, 94.2507°W). At mile 6 it crosses a bridge above a waterfall – a great place for a rest break. At mile 6.7 it crosses road W52600, which goes to the Sandbar Campground about 0.5 miles west. At mile 7.4 it crosses the road in the Cossatot Falls Campground. At mile 9.5 the trail crosses road W52212 which goes to the River Ridge Group Campground (visible from the trail). At mile 12.3 it goes under US-278 and comes to the low water bridge (permanently closed to vehicle traffic) leading back to the west side of the river and the US-278 Access (34.2955°N, 94.1761°W) at the end of the road past the Visitor Center.
The two low water bridges might be uncrossable after heavy rain. The north bridge near the Ed Banks Campground was broken and closed to vehicle trafic during my May ’14 trip but was repaired and open during my April ’25 trip. Check water levels before your trip. I think 3′ might be typical.
The river elevation drops from about 760′ to 560′ over the length of the trail and there are some great rapids along the way. The trail has ups and downs but elevation doesn’t vary by much more than 200′ so it’s pretty tame compared to Athens-Big Fork.
The Harris Creek Trail is a 3.5-mile loop with the trail head on the south side of US-278 at 34.2966°N, 94.1604°W, about a mile east of the Visitor Center.
The Brushy Creek Nature Trail is a 0.75-mile loop in the Brushy Creek Day Use Area on the north side of AR-246 and east side of the river.
The Waterleaf Interpretive Trail is a 0.5 mile double loop on the east side of the Visitor Center.
Maps
My map set consists of a 2-page PDF and will be 1:24,000 scale when printed on 11″×17″ paper. Here’s some general info about my maps. Every time I update the map the file will have a different name so if you want to bookmark or share it, link to this page – not the file.
Apr 16 2025 update (v2): The tracks and waypoints used for the map were collected by me in Apr ’25. Mile markers for the Corridor Trail are now shown. The River Ridge Group Campground is shown.
The Compulsive Hiker 