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The Ouachita National Forest is a National Forest that lies in the western portion of Arkansas and portions of eastern Oklahoma.
The Ouachita National Forest is the oldest National Forest in the southern United States. The forest encompasses more than 1.6 million acres (6,500 km²) including most of the scenic Ouachita Mountains. Six locations in the forest, comprising 65,000 acres (263 km²), have been designated as wilderness areas. The forest stretches from the central part of Arkansas into southeastern Oklahoma. Ouachita is the French spelling of the Indian word Washita which means "good hunting grounds".
The area including the forest nearly became a 165,000 acre (668 km²) national park during the 1930s but a last-minute veto by President Calvin Coolidge ended the effort.
Two wilderness areas are found in the forest, protecting the sections of the forest that have had the least amount of human intervention. The 13,139 acre (53 km²) Black Fork Mountain Wilderness is located in both Arkansas and Oklahoma while the 9,754 acre (39 km²) Upper Kiamichi River Wilderness is located solely in Oklahoma.
The forest contains a number of hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding trails. The most extensive hiking trail is the Ouachita National Recreation Trail * which traverses 223 miles across the region. This is a well maintained backpacking, hiking trail with overnight shelters in several portions of the trail. Mountain biking is also allowed for some sections of the trail.
In the Oklahoma section of the forest the 26,445 acre (107 km²) Winding Stair Mountain National Recreation Area and six other designated areas offer visitors a full range of activities with more than 150 campsites, a 90 acre (0.4 km²) lake, and an equestrian camp.
The Talimena Scenic Byway in Oklahoma and the Highway 7 National Scenic Byway in Arkansas meander through the forest providing amazing vistas and excellent photo opportunities.
Canoeing and fishing are popular activities on the Caddo River, Little Missouri River, and Ouachita River within the bounds of the forest. The Cossatot River, said to be the most difficult whitewater river between the Smoky and Rocky Mountains also passes through the forest.
Rockhounds frequent a belt several miles wide containing large amounts of quartz crystals. Visitors and rock collectors are free to pick up loose crystals within the belt for personal use and may dig for quartz with the permission of the district ranger.
Points of interest
External links
"Ouachita National Forest"