Ouachita Trail (section 08) mile 168.8 to 173.5

Hike Features:

State: Arkansas
County: Saline
Location: Off forest road near OT mile 169
Length of hike shown:  ~ 9.8 miles
Trail: All on the Ouachita Trail
GPS: 34.83268° N  93.03222° W (OT access off forest road #124)

30 photos of this hike in photo gallery

Reaching Trailhead: The easiest way to find this place is to look at the Section 8 map in the Ouachita Trail Guidebook.    FR 132 is the "Winona Scenic Drive".   It can be reached off of highway 9 a few miles south of Williams Junction and can also be reached from highway 7 (just north of Iron Springs picnic area).  The trail crosses FR #124 on top of White Oak Mountain, which was the starting point for this hike.

Description of hike:  This was a yo-yo hike of a 5 mile stretch of the Ouachita Trail.   I had several intentions on this day...   it was a Sunday afternoon in August, but the weather was relatively mild (for August).  I wanted to map this section of the OT using the GPS and needed some exercise, so it seemed like as good a time as any.

The first "issue" was finding the trail.   The forest service (or somebody) had recently regraded the road (FR #124) and the trail was very overgrown and difficult to find.  As of this writing (August 2008) there is a little pull-out right next to where the trail crosses the road, probably big enough for 2 cars to get off of the road.

Heading east, the OT drops down to a trailhead sign with nothing on it and a sign announcing that this section is cared for by the Ouachita Mountain Hikers.  The sign also announces that it is 2 miles to Green Thumb Spring.   Section 8 actually has water sources year round: at Sugar Creek, Green Thumb Spring, Moccasin Springs, Crystal Prong, etc...  even in summer. 

The main "feature" of this section from FR #124 to Green Thumb Spring is that its very rocky.  Incredibly rocky!  Its easy enough to walk but you spend a lot of time looking at your feet.  During August there are essentially no views/vistas.  During "leaf off" there probably would be. 

Another "feature" of this part of the OT is where it passes through a tangle of dead trees on top of White Oak Mountain.  The trees look like they were killed by fire and many of them are blown down.   The result is a large open area of dead standing and fallen trees that gets full sunlight and is completely overgrown.   On the east-heading leg of this hike, I lost the trail and ended up having to go out onto the road (FR#132), hike past the dead tree section, and then re-locate the trail east of it.   FR #132 parallels the OT for the whole 5 miles of this hike, so you're never more than a few 100 feet from the road (and in some places much closer).

Green Thumb Spring had plenty of water.    Right where the spring water emerges from the ground there is a large multi-trunk tree.  Now, one large trunk has rotten and fallen across the trail. FoOT needs to clean this up.   Anyway, from Green Thumb Spring it is another ~ 3 miles to Grindstone Gap. 

Between Green Thumb Spring and Grindstone Gap the trail makes a long slog up White Oak Mountain.  There are actually a few glimpses of the mountains beyond.  No doubt, during fall/winter, there are some nice views up there. 

Grindstone Gap, so called, looks like any other section of trail except that it has a little Spur Trail going out to FR#132.   You don't really perceive a "gap".

Elevation profile:    The elevation changes in this section are quite misleading.  The map suggests that there is "a bit of up and down" in this section upon first glance.  However, it turns out that the cumulative elevation gain of this 9.8 mile round trip hike is well over 1000 feet. 

Also, the mileage by GPS differs from what the official trail mileage is.  The hike from FR124 to Grindstone gap is actually 4.9 miles according to my Garmin 60csx GPS, which is very accurate.  Its quite close to the 4.7 official mileage, but is off by 0.2 miles (about 1000 feet).

Cautions:  none.   Snakes in hot weather.  Expect ticks and mosquitoes in hot weather.   I rated it "moderate" because of the overall length and elevation gain (cumulative up/down).

Hikers: jc

Ouachita Trail (section 08) mile 173.5 to 175

Hike Features:

Date:  November 27, 2003
State: Arkansas
County: Saline
Location: Off forest road near OT mile 174
Length of hike shown:  ~ 3.4 miles
Trail: All on trail except short bushwhack up to cliff
GPS: 502608.71E  3855535.00N 15S (OT access off forest road 132 near mile 174)

 13 photos of this hike in photo gallery

Reaching Trailhead: This is a bit hard to describe.  The easiest way to find this place is to look at the Section 8 map in the Ouachita Trail Guidebook.    FR 132 is the "Winona Scenic Drive".   It can be reached off of highway 9 a few miles south of Williams Junction and can also be reached from highway 7 (just north of Iron Springs picnic area).

Description of hike: This was one of those special hikes that are not easily forgotten.   It had rained the night before but the day was breezy, bright, sunny and clear.  I had been to this small cascade before but it was just a trickle and I specifically wanted to return to check it out after significant rain.  So this was the object of the hike...   to see the falls flowing.   The drive on FR132 is very nice too.  From highway 9, FR132 is a dirt/gravel road that winds through the mountains, first reaching the Wildcat Mountain parking area at about 3 miles, then reaching Flatside wilderness at ~ 8.5 miles and then reaching the access for this hike at about 15 miles from highway 9.  The drive from highway 7 to the trail access is about 12 miles.  The drive itself is beautiful, with numerous views.   The  mountains get a bit larger as one drives west from highway 9.  Grindstone and Crystal mountains, just to the south of this hike are about 1700 feet.

The hike starts at an OT trail access.   There is a typical OT access sign and an unofficial place to park across the road.  From the OT trail junction, which is very close to the road, I headed east (turned right).   Its basically flat, with a few ups and downs.  The trail passes a wildlife pond on the right and then generally heads east at about 1,400 feet elevation through mixed hardwood and pine forest.  It soon passes OT marker 174 and at about halfway to the falls, starts to descend gently through small, open ravines.  The trip is downhill all the way to the falls, but the total elevation change from the car to the falls is only about 250 feet.   It continues to descend northward through a series of small drainages until it reaches a flowing stream about 5-6 feet wide.  This is the stream above the falls, which is under a massive rock outcropping to the northeast, which is visible in places through the trees.  In a few feet more the trail reaches the falls.  At this point the trail is on the west side of the stream/falls.  The official OT goes just above the falls and then heads uphill and away.  There is an old, now abandoned part of the OT that goes straight (north), following the stream.  Its actually easy to miss the OT and take this old trail by mistake.

Just below the falls there is a flat open area that's a nice lunch spot.   From there, it was obvious that the cliff top can be reached by a short bushwhack up the hillside.   The views from the top are great, mainly west and south.   On this day, which was sunny and breezy, I sat up there (see photo) for about a hour.   It was one of those wonderful times when the wind is whistling in the pines and there was an intense feeling tranquility and, at the same time, of isolation, wilderness and wildness.  I was thinking what a great place this was for contemplation and snapping photos of the beautiful deep red leaves, backlit by the sun, when I heard thunder.  At first I thought it must be something else; a jet or other non-natural sound.   Then it came again and again...   so I decided to head back.   Within a few minutes of hiking back towards the starting point, it started raining, the wind picked up, gusting and howling through the trees and the lightning became much more frequent.   It was basically walking back the whole way in rain with frequent thunder & lightning.  As the storms came in, the clouds descended so that thick fog was blowing through the treetops overhead.   In a few places, when the wind let up, the forest floor was actually foggy with the settling clouds.   Although I don't like the danger of hiking in thunderstorm conditions, I didn't want to reach the car any sooner than necessary.   Times like this when out hiking are often the most mystical and unforgettable.

This "falls" is really a small cascade, probably no more than 6-8 feet tall.  I've visited here many times, including with ice in winter and in the heat of summer, and this is the most water flow I've seen yet (see photo gallery).   Usually the stream flow is minimal and the falls is a trickle.   There is a nice little pool under the falls which usually has water (in my limited experience) even in summer.

This area can also be reached by a much longer hike, from the OT road crossing just under Flatside Pinnacle.  That hike, round trip, is about 8 miles.
 
Cautions:  none.   Snakes in hot weather.  Expect ticks and mosquitoes in hot weather.   I would rate it 'easy' due to its short length, all on-trail and elevation change of less than 300 feet. 

Hikers: jc

Ouachita Trail (section 08) mile 177 to 179.3

Hike Features:

Date:  October 14, 2007
State: Arkansas
County:
Location: Start - north east end of Flatside Wilderness at OT trailhead
Length of hike shown:  ~ 4.7 miles
Trail: All on trail
GPS: N34 52 28.7 W92 54 49.1 (NAD27)  (OT trailhead at Pinnacle Mountain parking area)

   Maps and photos in photo gallery       
  KMZ file of hike (GPS track) for Google Earth (open in Google Earth*)

Reaching Trailhead:  Reaching this trailhead is relatively easy.   The hike starts at the large parking area just west of Flatside Pinnacle.

Description of hike: This is a great dayhike.   It starts at the parking area just west of Flatside Pinnacle.    The short hike up to the top of Flatside is a 'must' for this area too.  

At the south end of the parking area there is a big wilderness sign.  From there, the trail is basically downhill all the way to Crystal Prong Creek crossing on the OT, heading west.   There is a pond (see map and photos in photo gallery) along the way, not far from the beginning of this hike.  There is also a small waterfall down in the valley, but it only runs after substantial rains.   This is a nice hike in all seasons but fall and during Iris blooming time in the springtime is especially nice.    The Crystal Prong crossing area has some nice spots for lunch.   Camping is strongly discouraged here due to overuse damage.  
 
Cautions:  none.   Snakes in hot weather.  Expect ticks and mosquitoes in hot weather.   It is rated "moderate" only because it is up hill all the way back with a total elevation gain > 1000 ft.

Notes:   *Requires Google Earth.  If it does not open directly in Google Earth, try saving to disk first and then open with Google Earth.

Hikers: jc, sb

Ouachita Trail (section 08) mile 183.1 to 184

Hike Features:

State: Arkansas
County: Perry
Location: Off Highway 10, on Brown Creek forest road. 
Length of hike shown:  ~ 2 miles
Trail: Part bushwhack (off trail) and part on trail.
GPS: 512140.40E  3858487.19N 15S (UTM WGS84) (OT crossing of forest road)


 7 photos in OHJ Photo Gallery
Reaching Trailhead: We drove out HWY 10 from Little Rock, past Williams Junction until we reached the sign to turn left for Lake Sylvia.  A few miles down that road brought us to a dirt road (going off to the right) called Brown Creek road (or something like that).  We went down Brown Creek road until 512717.91E  3858502.47N 15S (UTM GPS coordinates, WGS84, labeled "start" on map).  

Description of hike: I'm a little ambivalent about putting these hikes on the web.  This off-trail hike goes to a wonderful waterfall under a bluff. Its really more of a cascade than a true waterfall.  The cascade height is not impressive (maybe 10 feet), but the place is a gushing, roaring vortex during big rains.  Great place.  During times of lesser rains, its still nice.  My ambivalence is about publicizing the location of these places.  On the one hand, it would be bad to see them trampled by the masses.  On the other hand, people who really care need to know that these gems are there so they can help protect these areas.
 
Anyway, we parked at the starting point (see above, map).  From there we hiked up the west side of the creek, which was a surging torrent on January 14, 2007 after 3 days of rain. There is no trail but its easy to follow the creek, staying to the west.  Some rock scrambling is necessary.  After scrambling over an east-west running rock dyke, we reached an old road trace that follows the creek up to the falls.  It's overgrown (of course) and has numerous fallen trees, but it was easy to follow.  After a quarter of a mile or so we reached the falls.  There is a large bluff (overhang) where 2 streams converge.  The streams drop under the cliff in a cascade of swirling water.  On a day like today, when the water is flowing 10+, its an impressive place.  It was pouring rain during the whole hike, with low-hanging clouds, fog, gushing water everywhere... really fantastic atmosphere.  Rainy days are my personal favorite for hiking.

After hanging around the falls for a bit, we decided to continue on up the mountain.  As seen on the map, the waterfall area is just northeast of North Fork Pinnacle and the hillsides are steep and rocky.  There are some 'boulder fields' that aren't really a barrier but are not easy to walk across.  Anyway, I knew that the OT was on the ridge top, from previous hikes in this area.  I've spent 100's of hours hiking off trail here.  So we hiked on up to the ridge to catch the OT.  From there it was a nice stroll back to the road.  There are two more nice waterfalls just to the west.

When we reached the road we were curious to see what SF Brown Creek looked like.  It was a raging torrent.  The OT bridge was nearly underwater.  I had never seen the water quite so high here.  From there it was a brief quarter mile or so back to the car.  We were also curious to see what the low-water ford across Brown Creek looked like (see photo). 

Cautions:  The off-trail hike to the falls is easy but there is a small bit of rock scrambling.  There are also a lot of briars in summer.  The is best as a winter hike, preferably after big rains.  The other caution is to treat the falls area with great care.

Where are the photos of the falls?  Why aren't there any pictures of the cascade?   It was pouring rain from the time we started and during the whole time at the cascade.  I forgot my umbrella (which I usually take for keep the rain off the camera on rainy days).  Simple as that. There are other photos of this place that I'll link to later.

Hikers: mec, sb, jc

Ouachita Trail (section 08) mile 184.8 to 187.4

Hike Features:

State: Arkansas
County: Perry
Location: Off Highway 10, near Lake Sylvia
Length of hike shown:  ~ 5.4 miles
Trail: All on trail
GPS: 34.85759° N 92.81764° W (OT crossing of forest road #152)

41 photos and topo map in OHJ Photo Gallery
Reaching Trailhead: Drove to Lake Sylvia, then continued south to the place where the OT crosses FR #152 at mile 187.4.   There is room for 2 cars to park there.   Alternatively, you can park at the Lake Sylvia parking lot (hiking lot) and use the half-mile long spur trail to reach the OT.  

Description of hike: This hike was a dayhike, from where the OT crosses FR #152 to the spur trail for North Fork Pinnacle.  The total mileage according to the GPS was 5.5 miles and the elevation gain was about 1000 feet cumulatively.   It starts about about 780 feet elevation and goes up to about 1,400 feet, but there is also some up/down along the way.

Basically, the OT here follows the north side of an un-named mountain so it is cut into the slope almost the whole way.  There is very little "flat" trail in here.  Also, in places its very rocky...  you spend a lot of time looking at your feet while walking (which is not a bad idea anyway for reptile reasons, especially in summer).   I saw one snake on this trip (see photos).

At about mile 185.5 there are some interesting small rock outcrops but otherwise there are no special landmarks...   this is just a pleasant walk in the woods.   The trail is well-done and well-maintained.

You could use this hike as a route to North Fork Pinnacle.   If you did, it would be about 6 miles round trip.  For those not wanting to exert that much energy, North Fork Pinnacle can be reached by a much shorter trail (see here).

Cautions:  Snakes in spring, summer and fall.  Otherwise, none.

Hikers: jc

Ouachita Trail (section 09) mile 187.4 to 188.7

Hike Features:

Date:  September 1st, 2002
State: Arkansas
County: Perry
Location: Off Highway 9, off FR152.
Length of hike shown:  ~ 2.6 miles (round trip)
Trail:  All on trail.
GPS: 516668.65E 3857188.02N 15S (OT crossing of forest road 152, only approximate location)

 11 photos of this hike in photo gallery
Reaching Trailhead:   I drove out highway 10 from Little Rock to Williams Junction, then south on highway 9 to the Winona Scenic Drive.  West on WSD to FR152 (2nd intersection), turned right (north).  Trailhead is roughly 1 mile from road intersection.   Can also reach the starting point for this hike by going to Lake Sylvia, then going south on FR152 for about 3/4 of a mile.  There is a typical OT trail crossing sign and room on the east side of the road for 1 or perhaps 2 cars.  This is not an official parking area; just a place to pull off the road.

Description of hike:   This section of the OT is almost jungle-like in places during the summer.   I've done this little hike many times when I wanted a short, quick day hike that was easy to access.   This can also be part of a longer loop hike, it can be used as access to the Chinquapin Mountain Spur Trail, or it can just be part of an OT hike from FR152 to Hwy 9.

As seen on the map, it basically drops down into a wide valley, crosses a small creek, then swings over to follow another small creek upstream.  It crosses that creek at about a mile in and then shortly thereafter reaches Chinquapin Gap (see last photo in 11-25-2000 series).   One way, its only a 1.3 mile segment of the OT, but it traverses a beautiful part of the valley.  For me, the best times for this hike are spring, summer and early fall.  On this particular day, I simply hiked to Chinquapin Gap, turned around and came back.   Easy 2.6 mile hike.  Encountered a snake on the trail and lots of poison ivy.   On other days, I've used this segment to reach Chinquapin Gap and then headed north on up to the Chinquapin Mountain Spur Trail (see separate entry).   Another option is to link up with the Lake Sylvia trail system and make it a loop.   Tim Ernst describes all of these options in one of his hiking guidebooks.
 
Cautions:  snakes, poison ivy and turkey hunters.   This part of the OT goes through a designated turkey hunting area.   I usually avoid it during that time of year.

Hikers:  jc

Ouachita Trail (section 09) mile 188.7 to 191.8

Hike Features:

Date:  November 25, 2000
State: Arkansas
County: Perry
Location: Highway 9 OT trailhead
Date of hike:  Nov 25, 2000
Length of hike shown:  ~ 6.2 miles round trip
Trail: Ouachita Trail, section 9 (Hwy 9 to Chinquapin shelter and back)

 12 photos + topo map in photo gallery
Reaching Starting point:     From Little Rock, drove out Hwy 10 to Williams Junction, turn south on Hwy 9 for a few miles, parked at OT trailhead on left (east side of road).

Description:    This is a section of the Ouachita Trail.   On this day the starting point was the trailhead on Hwy 9, where the OT crosses the highway.   Its a nice hike any time of year but is especially nice in fall and spring.   On this autumn hike, it had been raining the night before and water was flowing in every stream, even the smallest ones.  This always makes the whole forest seem more 'alive'; certainly alive with the sounds of the water.  It was also overcast, so the light was diffused, which gave a strange glow to the yellow autumn leaves.   The combination of the light and the wet leaves from the overnight rain made the yellow and few red trees appear luminescent.  

The trail is easy to follow.  After crossing the highway, the trail slips into the woods heading west along a stream.  There is an OT sign-in box.   The trail goes up a ravine called "Hilary Hollow" according to Tim Ernst's guidebook.  I have no idea why it's called "Hilary Hollow".  Tim says it has nothing to do with Hilary Clinton.  Anyway...   hiking in this way is uphill all the way, climbing over about 2.5 miles up to the Chinquapin Gap shelter.   I went on past the shelter to the point where the OT intersects with the Chinquapin Mountain spur trail at about 3.1 miles from the start.   So...  it was 3.1 miles back, for a total of 6.2 miles.   I rated this hike as moderate, only because of the 6.2 mile length and the fact that half of it is uphill.  It is really easy walking, on-trail, with no difficulties to speak of.  The excitement of the day was seeing a flock of wild turkeys.  As photo models, they were too fast and vanished before I could ready the camera.  However, I still remember those turkeys like a picture in my memory; wild turkeys are a sight you don't forget.

Cautions/comments:  none

Hiker:  jc

Ouachita Trail (section 09) mile 195.1 to 196.5

Hike Features:

Date:  March 18, 2007
State: Arkansas
County: Pulaski
Location: OT between highway 9 and highway 10. 
Length of hike:  ~ 2 miles
Trail: All on-trail
GPS: none

24 photos in OHJ Photo Gallery
Reaching Trailhead:    This was a trail work trip in section 9, between highway 9 and highway 10.   On this day we were clearing/cleaning from 195.1 (1st crossing of Duffy Road heading east) to Red Bluff Creek (about mile 196.5).   This really can't be done as a quick day hike because section 9 (11 miles long) is only accessible from either end.  Trailheads are (west) on highway 9 south of Williams Junction and (east) on highway 10 at the south end of the bridge crossing Lake Maumelle. 

Description:  This 'hike' is included to show what the OT looks like between miles 195.1 and 196.5.   From the highway 9 trailhead, the OT heads east through the last of the "mountain" terrain, until it reaches Pipeline Creek.   There it turns due north and essentially follows the creek to Duffy Road (private, dirt road, no public access).   There is a section before reaching Duffy Road where the trail climbs into the adjacent hillside forest and is quite nice in spring.   In any case, when it reaches Duffy Road, the trail follows the road very briefly before heading back into the woods, continuing north along Pipeline Creek.

This is where today's 'hike' began.   The trail parallels the creek going north until it abruptly turns east and crosses Pipeline Creek on a well-made, rustic wooden bridge.   This bridge is quite well done and has a handrail.   After a few tenths of a mile the trail crosses another creek, again with a wide wooden bridge with handrail.   The forest in here is mostly upland mixed hardwood.  The trail encounters the Big Maumelle river briefly but doesn't track near the riverbank.   The next stream crossing also has a bridge, but this one is metal and (at present) broken.   It is still functional.   The trail continues on, crossing several intermittent streams (no bridges), passes the 196 mile marker and reaches Red Bluff Creek at roughly mile 196.5.

The bridge at Red Bluff Creek makes me dizzy when the water is flowing.   It is quite long, very narrow and has no handrail.   The bridge will get you across the stream in high water but, in my opinion, it should be enhanced by making it wider and adding a handrail to one side.   Anyway, its quite a scenic area.   Heading east from this bridge, the trail quickly climbs up on a bluff over the Big Maumelle River.    This is a good break or lunch spot for hikers making the long hike between highway 9 and highway 10.

See March 28, 2007 hike for the continuation of this section of the OT (Red Bluff Creek to mile 199).

Notes:    The whole hike from highway 9 to highway 10 is 11 miles long.  

Cautions:     Mainly snakes.   This section of the OT crosses through hunting leases as well, so I avoid it during modern gun deer season.

Hikers:   jc, sb, Maggie C.

Ouachita Trail (section 09) mile 196.5 to 199

Hike Features:

Date:  March 28, 2007
State: Arkansas
County: Pulaski
Location: OT between highway 9 and highway 10. 
Length of hike shown:  ~ 5 miles
Trail: All on-trail
GPS: none

 30 photos in OHJ Photo Gallery
Reaching Trailhead:    This was a work trip.  As members of FoOT (Friends of the Ouachita Trail) our "adopted" section is from mile 195.5 to mile 199.   This is in section 9, between highway 9 and highway 10.   On this particular day we were clearing/cleaning from Red Bluff Creek to mile 199.   This really can't be done as a quick day hike because section 9 (11 miles long) is only accessible from either end.  Trailheads are (west) on highway 9 south of Williams Junction and (east) on highway 10 at the south end of the bridge crossing Lake Maumelle. 

Description:  This 'hike' is included because this site is a "journal" and mainly to show what the OT looks like between miles 196.5 and 199.   I avoided hiking this section for many years because I assumed it wouldn't be very interesting.   Like many people, I assumed that the mountains are "better" somehow and sought out trails and hiking areas west of here.   One day I had limited time and hiked section 9 from the highway 10 trailhead (mile 202) to mile 199.   That hike was during the rainy season, water was flowing everywhere and I was surprised how interesting and varied this section is.   I've been coming back here ever since.

The center section of this 11 mile stretch of the OT is the most varied.  Parts of it are mixed hardwood upland forest, parts are near pure pine forest and parts are river bottom forest.   The scenery ranges from dense forest, to rock outcroppings with views to almost jungle like stretches along the Big Maumelle River.  The trail changes the type of landscape many times; just when you think you've left the upland forest for good, you're back in it.  There is a bit of "up and down" but no serious climbs.  Except for the first mile (heading east from highway 9), most of this section of the OT crosses private land (timber company) and then enters Lake Maumelle watershed land.   In the private land sections the trail is still beautiful, but you'll see a lot of marks demarcating timber forest and the trail follows fences for miles.   Never-the-less, this section of the OT can be uniquely beautiful and is not to be missed.  

The best times to hike section 9 (opinion) are spring and fall.   Winter is next.   Summer is for hard core "hike in any weather" hikers.  It is hot, muggy, buggy and "snakey" in summer.    Cottonmouths, copperheads, black snakes and others are easily seen down in here.   Another great time to hike in here is after big rains.   This is best done when the weather is warm enough to get wet and not mind too much as some of the stream crossings will be 'wet crossings'.   After very heavy rains (ie., flooding) the trail might not be passable and stream crossings could be dangerous.   I tried to hike this section once after 2-3 solids days of rains and found some of the creeks impassable.   However, hiking in from either end you can go miles before encountering a rain-swollen impassable creek.

Notes:    The whole hike from highway 9 to highway 10 is 11 miles long.  

Cautions:     Mainly snakes.   This section of the OT crosses through hunting leases as well, so I avoid it during modern gun deer season.

Hikers:   jc, Molly C.

Ouachita Trail (section 09) mile 198.7 to 202

Hike Features:

Date:  April 15, 2007
State: Arkansas
County: Pulaski
Location: OT between highway 9 and highway 10. 
Length of hike:  ~ 6.6 miles  (round trip)
Trail: All on-trail
GPS: none

 30 photos in OHJ Photo Gallery
Reaching Trailhead:     Trailhead is on highway 10 at the south end of the bridge crossing Lake Maumelle.    There is a parking area and park with picnic tables, etc.

Description:  This was a quick hike for exercise.   Started in the late afternoon and hiked in 3.3 miles from the highway 10 crossing, heading west on the OT.   This is always good for exercise...  its flat, the trail is in good shape and its easy to navigate.    Walking at a quick but comfortable pace, it is easy to reach the 3 mile point in about 1 hour.   There is a wonderful part of the Maumelle river on this hike where the river flows through cypress knees.   See photo gallery for photos of this hike and the fabled "rapids in the cypress knees".

Notes:    The whole hike was 6.6 miles.  

Cautions:     Mainly snakes, chiggers, ticks and poison ivy.

Hikers:   jc

Ouachita Trail (section 10) mile 212.2 to 214.8

Hike Features:

Date:  August 16, 2007
State: Arkansas
County: Pulaski
Location: OT day hike starting at Lundsford Corner on hwy 300
Length of hike:  ~ 5.3 miles
Trail: All on-trail
GPS: none needed

42 photos in OHJ Photo Gallery

Reaching Trailhead:    Parking area at Lundsford  corner (highway 300)  (N34 54.455  W092 32.981,  DMM WGS84; 541138.78E  3862886.91N 15S UTM WGS84)           There is a parking area just at the 90 degree bend in the road (hwy 300) here, complete with trash can.    From the parking area, walked north on hwy 300 about 50-100 feet and found the Ouachita Trail road crossing.  

Description:     It was 103°F on this day, which was one of many days during August 2007 with temps over 100 degrees.   If that wasn't enough, there had been no rain for at least two weeks (more like 3 weeks).  I made a snap decision at about 3:30pm to go hiking and was at the trailhead by 4pm.   The map in the photo gallery shows the trail route, mapped with a Garmin GPS 60CSx set on 'highest detail' mode.  I think its quite accurate (no guarantees).   Basically, the photo gallery says it all.   This section of trail is in good condition, with lots of ups and downs but nothing very challenging.   Its a nice day hike.   If a particular destination is desired, this hike could end at the "scenic vista", which would make it about 6 miles round trip.  I was fascinated by the forest in the dry heat of August, when temps had been consistently > 100°F and as high as 106 degrees on some days.  All of this is without a drop of rain since sometime in mid-July.   it was amazing to see how the forest was coping with this.  In any case, there is a detailed description accompanying the 42 photos in the gallery.

Notes:   There is room for about 3 cars at Lundsford Corner.

Wildlife sightings:   Numerous deer (most deer sightings per hike in the last 5 years), woodpecker, chuck-wills-widow, hawk, katydids, spiders, etc.    The KATYDIDS were amazing.   For info about katydids and even recordings of their "songs", there is an excellent site called Singing Insects of North America.  It's a great site, well worth a visit.

Cautions:     None. 

Hikers:   jc

Ouachita Trail (section 10) mile 212.2 to 219.2

Hike Features:

Date:  June 23, 2007
State: Arkansas
County: Pulaski
Location: OT between highway 300 at Lundsford Corner  and highway 300 near PMSP. 
Length of hike:  ~ 7 miles (OT miles 212.2 to 219.2)
Trail: All on-trail
GPS: none

No photos
Reaching Trailhead:    Parking area at Lundsford  corner (highway 300)  (N34 54.455  W092 32.981,  DMM WGS84; 541138.78E  3862886.91N 15S UTM WGS84)           There is a parking area just at the 90 degree bend in the road (hwy 300) here, complete with trash can.    From the parking area, we walked north/east on hwy 300 about 50-100 feet and found the Ouachita Trail road crossing.  

Description:     This started out as a planned 5-6 mile hike.  We intended to hike east on the OT from Lundsford Corner about 3 miles and then turn around and come back.    It was a muggy morning and the forecast was for 30% chance of showers, mainly after 11:00am.    Started hiking at 9:30 am.

The trail is in great condition and quite clean except for small deadfall here and there.   It goes up and down through hickory/pine forest along the north side of Lake Maumelle.   There's nothing spectacular in this section but the forest is very 'open' and its a nice walk in the woods.    There were a lot of mushrooms of many different varieties.      About a mile in, there is a spur trail to a designated campsite area.

Just past the designated campsite area (mile 213.2) we started hearing thunder but decided to try to reach mile 215.    By the time we reached 215, it was pouring rain and we were in the middle of a strong thunderstorm, with lightning but not much wind.  At that point, the storms appeared to be mainly west, so we made a decision to keep hiking east.    There was, in fact, a lull in the storms but within about half an hour more storms came up from the south and we spent the rest of the hike in pouring rain and lightning.   This is why there are no photos.    On the east end we called home for a ride and shuttle back to the truck at Lundsford Corner; exiting the trail on Spillway Road (the place is obvious) at about OT mile 219.5 (marked "END" on the map).    The trail continues on to hwy 300, where a car can be parked just south of the bridge over Maumelle spillway (marked "car" on map).  

Overall, this is a great little hike, especially if it can be done one way (with a car shuttle).     It's basically a bunch of "up-and-downing" as Tim Ernst says in the guidebook, but its a pleasant walk and its great for exercise close to Little Rock.

Notes:   On the above map, the trail route from Lundsford Corner to mile 216 is approximate.  From 216 to hwy 300, its an accurate route from a GPS.

Wildlife sightings:   Turtles, squirrel, crows...    not much was out in the pouring rain.

Cautions:     None.   Snakes maybe.

Hikers:   jc, Steve B.

Ouachita Trail (section 10) mile 219.5 to 216.5

Hike Features:

Date:  June 22, 2007
State: Arkansas
County: Pulaski
Location: OT between highway 300 at Natural Steps and mile 216.6 (and back). 
Length of hike:  ~ 6 miles (OT miles 216.5 to 219.5, round trip)
Trail: All on-trail
GPS: none

    22 photos + map in photo gallery
Reaching Trailhead:    Parking area on Spillway Road, which is off hwy 300 just north of Pinnacle Mountain State Park (in Natural Steps).  there is an obvious place to pull off, an obvious place where people cross over an embankment into the spillway area and a large white Central Arkansas Water sign.   The OT is just on the other side of the embankment.

Description:     This was a quick afternoon exercise hike.   From this starting point, hiked west on the OT.    Not far from the Maumelle dam, it opens up into a broad, easy trail on an old roadbed.    Basically, the trail just goes up and down across what seems like 100's of little streams and hills.    There are several places where the trail comes close to the lake.   You can hike it as far as you like and then turn around and come back to the car.    On this particular day, in the 90+ degree heat, I hiked to ~ OT mile 216.5. 

There were a lot of mushrooms (see photo gallery) but little wildlife out.   The high point of the hike (from a wildlife standpoint) was the Chuck-Wills-Widow that flew right in front of me and landed on a log a few feet away.   It's unusual to see this nocturnal bird so closely in the daytime.   Otherwise, spotted a few turtles, squirrels, vultures, crows, woodpeckers and assorted other birds.   Exercise was the main goal.

Overall, this is a great place for a nice hike in the woods near Little Rock.   Its good for exercise and you'll rarely see other people.   Last time I hiked here before this, we saw a solitary runner and no one else.

Wildlife sightings:   Chuck-Wills-Widow, vultures, crows, woodpeckers and assorted other birds.  Also, a few turtles, squirrels, etc.

Cautions:     None.   Snakes maybe.

Hikers:   jc