The Ouachita National Recreation Trail, or simply Ouachita Trail, runs 223 miles across the Ouachita Mountains from Talimena State Park near Talihina Oklahoma to Pinnacle Mountain State Park near Little Rock Ark. See below for maps. Note that all coordinates below use the WGS84 datum.
Section information
- Section 1 – Talimena St Pk to Winding Stair campground – 23.7 miles. Apr ’15 trip (east of Deadman Gap). Apr ’15 trip (west of Deadman Gap).
- Section 2 – Winding Stair campground to Queen Wilhelmina St Pk – 27.9 miles. Apr ’15 trip.
- Section 3 – Queen Wilhelmina St Pk to US-71 – 16.5 miles. Apr ’15 trip.
- Section 4 – US-71 to Big Brushy Rec Area – 26.4 miles. Mar ’15 trip.
- Section 5 – Big Brushy Rec Area to AR-27 – 27.2 miles. Jan ’15 trip (east of Rainy Creek). Feb ’15 trip – west of Rainy Creek.
- Section 6 – AR-27 to AR-298 – 17.1 miles. The only reliable water source is Irons Fork in the middle and N Fork of Ouachita at east end. An intermittent stream crossed at mile 124.3 may have water over the cooler season and after recent rain. Jan ’15 trip, Dec ’23 trip.
- Section 7 – AR-298 to AR-7 – 21.6 miles. Dec ’14 trip and this too.
- Section 8 – AR-7 to Lake Sylvia – 27 miles. Nov ’14 trip.
- Section 9 – Lake Sylvia to AR-10 – 14.6 miles. Nov ’14 trip (west of AR 9). Feb ’15 trip (east of AR 9).
- Section 10 – AR-10 to Pinnacle Mtn St Pk – 20.5 miles. Feb ’15 trip.
Major trail heads
- Talimena State Park: 34.7835°N, 94.9511°W. $5 day-use fee for parking.
- Winding Stair Campground: about 34.7148°N, 94.6796°W. $3/night at backpacker’s camp, $5/night at main campground. There is no potable water at either campground despite the USFS website. There is a small creek south of OK-1 near the east end of the Mountain Top Trail that might have water.
- US 259 (Big Cedar): 34.6674°N, 94.6496°W.
- Queen Wilhelmina State Park: trail head parking in train depot lot at 34.6854°N, 94.3729°W.
- US 270: North side of highway at 34.6845°N, 94.3177°W. This is also the parking area for the Black Fork Mountain trail.
- US 71: 34.6821°N, 94.1808°W. Big parking area on west side of road. Eastbound: walk across highway. Trail now runs parallel to and left of the forest road instead of on the road.
- FR 76: 34.6664°N, 93.8860°W.
- Big Brushy Rec Area: The campground is officially closed – this is a day-use area now. Turn south off US-270 onto FR-6. Parking area is 34.6852°N, 93.8103°W (2 right turns after leaving highway). Eastbound: walk on FR-6 back out toward the highway, look for a trail sign on the right about 30 feet from the highway. Westbound: walk south on FR-6 about .25 miles, watch for a trail sign on the right (the second sign, I think. The first just indicates the trail is on the road at that point).
- AR 27: 34.7585°N, 93.4945°W. A 100-yard driveway on the west side leads to a parking area. The trail passes right by there.
- AR 298: 34.6896°N, 93.3366°W. A wide area on the north shoulder of the road. West-bound: cross the river on the bridge then look for a trail sign on the right side.
- AR 7: 34.7742°N, 93.0883°W. A large parking area on the west side of the highway. The trail runs along the other side of the creek – cross the wooden bridge and you’re there. West-bound is to the right, east-bound to the left.
- Lake Sylvia/FR 152: about 34.8585°N, 92.8173°W. Very limited parking and not marked. An alternative is to park in a large lot at 34.8633°N, 92.8185 near the Lake Sylvia Rec Area entrance and then take the spur trail across the road 0.4 miles to the OT.
- AR 9: 34.8468°N, 92.7649°W.
- AR 10: 34.8722°N, 92.6532°W. Vista Park picnic area is at the south end of the bridge on the east side of the road. There is no water hydrant and limited parking. There is also some parking at the north end of the bridge on both sides of the road where the trail crosses. Westbound: the trail is directly across the highway from the picnic area. Eastbound: walk along the east shoulder of the highway to the bridge, then over the rail onto the “sidewalk” at the edge of the bridge and across. On the other side of the bridge is a path in the grass continuing north about 100 yards to the trail sign at the edge of the woods.
- Lundsford Corner: East side of AR300 at 34.9093°N, 92.5511°W. This is relatively new and may be unknown to some navigation systems. There is a short spur heading east from the parking lot to the trail.
- Pinnacle Mountain State Park – River View Center (the old visitor center). Trail head is in the lower parking lot at 34.8447°N, 92.4637°W. If leaving a vehicle overnight you must register at the Visitor Center and get a tag to hang from your mirror, or risk having it towed. They are open 0800-1700 every day except some holidays. The park gates open at 0630 and close one hour after sunset.
Shelter Locations
34.7719, -94.8541 Rock Garden
34.7467, -94.7684 Holson Valley
34.7092, -94.6774 Winding Stair
34.6624, -94.6043 Pashubbe
34.6928, -94.4522 State Line
34.6907, -94.3103 Black Fork Mountain
34.6865, -94.1744 Foran Gap
34.6763, -94.0119 Turner Gap
34.6687, -93.8566 Brushy Mountain
34.6918, -93.7223 Fiddler Creek
34.7242, -93.6286 Suck Mountain
34.7266, -93.5405 Story Creek
34.7520, -93.4846 John Archer
34.7435, -93.4277 Bill Potter
34.7348, -93.3561 Big Branch
34.7164, -93.2895 Blue Mountain
34.7250, -93.1892 Big Bear
34.7654, -93.1063 Moonshine
34.8197, -93.0331 Oak Mountain
34.8742, -92.8688 Brown Creek
34.8522, -92.7955 Nancy Mountain
* Latitude & longitude are WGS84
The Red Bluff (mile 196.2) and Scott Tarvin (mile 210.2) shelters were established in the spring of 2025. These very welcome additions mean we can forget about the old “Penney Campground”.
Note that the eastern 30 miles of the trail are on private property. Camping is allowed there only in the 2 designated shelters.
Useful External Resources
Shuttle Services
Bluebell Country Store & Cafe, NE corner of AR-298 & AR-27, Story Ark, (870)867-3999. They seem willing to cover at least the area between AR 9 and Big Brushy Creek Rec Area, maybe more. Especially useful for hikers of Ouachita, Womble, and Lake Ouachita Vista trails.
Maps
My maps are in a 29-page PDF and will be 1:24000 scale when printed on 11×17″ paper. Here’s some general info about my maps.
v10, Sep 25 ’25: Added new Red Bluff and Scott Tarvin shelters at east end of trail. Removed the decrepit Penney Campground. Added the Kiamichi trail head at mile 39.3.
v9, Jan 28 ’25: Added some waypoints and trails at Pinnacle Mountain State Park. Minor style updates.
Nov 8 2023 update (v8): An all-new base layer replaces the old scanned USGS topo maps. Much nicer looking and more legible. Yet more roads added
Mar 10 2023 update (v7): A few more roads have been added and most roads now have labels. Minor style tweaks.
Good places to eat after a hike
Jessieville: The Shack, closed Sunday, cash only, 7901 N Highway 7
Story: Bluebell Country Store & Cafe, open Sunday, NE corner of AR-298 & AR-27
Last review/update: Sep 25 2025
The Compulsive Hiker 
I shuttle section one to Big Brushy. Been doing this almost 3 years, love it. I have made a lot of friends. My cell is 479 216 8992 Latecia Glover. I do emergency pickups and water drops.