OT section 8

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

This is another interesting segment of the OT in section 8, running from FR94 (the parking area for Flatside Pinnacle) to FR152, for a total of 8 miles.

The nice features of this section include a) Flatside Pinnacle via a spur trail, b) Brown Creek Shelter, c) Brown Creek crossing, d) North Fork Pinnacle (via a spur trail) and Lake Sylvia (via a spur trail).   Looks like there's lots of spur trails in this segment!

Flatside Pinnacle is definitely worth the extra hike up to the top.  As shown in the photo, it is a rocky crag with cliffs that will induce vertigo (and nice views too).

This is the first of 3 sub-sections of section 8.   Flatside Wilderness is in the center of the OT section 8...  so this section is from mile 160.4 (Hwy 7) to the first encounter of Flatside (FR 124).  It is 8.4 miles long and is mostly uphill from the Hwy 7 crossing.

The elevation at the crossing of Hwy 7 is just under 1000 feet and the FR124 road crossing is about 1600 feet.  There is quite a bit of "up and down" so the overall change in elevation over this whole 8 mile segment is probably close to 1000 feet (cumulative gain in elevation).

Section 8 of the Ouachita Trail - mile 160.4 to 187.4.   This section is entirely within the Ouachita National Forest.   It basically runs from hwy 7 to Lake Sylvia.  There are several great vista points in this section, one at Flatside Pinnacle and the other at North Fork Pinnacle (on a spur trail).   Section 8 includes the following features:

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       

Hike Features:

Date:  April 14, 2007
State: Arkansas
County: Perry
Location: Off FR132 (Winona Scenic Drive) between hwy 7 and 9. 
Length of hike shown:  ~ 3 miles
Trail: Mixed on-trail and off-trail
GPS: Very helpful. 

18 photos in OHJ Photo Gallery

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

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