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Ouachita National Forest
The Ouachita Mountains were formed when a collision of two prehistoric continents squeezed up from the ocean floor thick layers of sedimentary rock. They have lost thousands of feet of elevation to weathering and erosion since emerging above sea level some 286 million years ago -- 40 million years before the first dinosaurs walked the earth -- and their tallest summit now reaches less than 2,700 feet. The ancient Ouachitas now appear as the Rocky Mountains might well look 300,000 millennia from now. The U.S. Forest Service provides numerous recreational amenities including campgrounds, day-use and scenic areas, and hiking and backpacking on the Ouachita Trail. Beginning at Pinnacle Mountain State Park, 15 miles west of Little Rock, the Ouachita Trail runs 225 miles through the Ouachita National Forest, a 1.6-million-acre preserve in central and western Arkansas, to Talimena State Park near Talihina, OK. [Click here for more information on the Ouachita Trail...] Among several forest campgrounds, the Albert Pike Recreation Area, located along the Little Missouri near the county's southwest corner, is the most popular. Forty-six campsites provide a good base for angling for sunfish and smallmouth bass and -- in cool seasons -- for rainbow trout stocked by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. The area also offers a large natural pool for swimming, and, after substantial rainfall, the river can be traveled downstream by canoe or kayak, though doing so is recommended only for highly experienced paddlers. Hiking trails lead downstream to the Winding Stairs scenic area and upstream to the Little Missouri Falls, a day-use area also accessible by forest service roads. Travel on the mostly gravel forest roads yields access to the interior mountains. One popular route is Forest Service Road 177, which can be accessed by taking Logan Gap Road south from U.S. 270 just west of the Mt. Ida-Bearce Airport (about six miles east of Mt. Ida). Taking FS177 to the right at its intersection with Logan Gap leads travelers through the Crystal Mountain Scenic Area to the Collier Springs day-use area, by the Crystal Recreation Area (nine campsites) and on to a junction with Ark. 27 about a mile north of Norman. Like many of the backcountry roads, FS177 is rough in spots but two-wheel drive vehicles are sufficient in dry weather. Due to limited signage on most back roads, it is advisable to take along a national forest or county map. Other national forest highlights include a spectacular vista of Lake Ouachita and the surrounding mountains provided at the Hickory Nut Mountain day-use area, located off U.S. 270 near the county's eastern edge. Additionally, passing through northern Montgomery County is a portion of the 192-mile long Ouachita National Recreation Trail, which begins in Oklahoma and ends at Pinnacle Mountain State Park just west of Little Rock.
Talimena National Scenic Byway
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