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