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Arkansas trails · Athens-Big Fork North

Athens-Big Fork North

A 9.2-mile out-and-back in Arkansas, with 769 ft of climbing. Reaches Spirit Rock. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

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Length
9.2 mi
Elevation gain
769 ft
Difficulty
Expert
Max grade
41%
Steepest mile
+725 ft
Tread at ≥10% grade
4.5 mi
Shape
out-and-back
Managed by
U.S. Forest Service

Elevation profile

1,042 – 1,800 ft123456789

The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 2,659 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

3-D terrain view of Athens-Big Fork North

USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5

Reaches

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.
Terrain graded T2 (SAC scale).

Getting there

UPPER ATHENS-BIG FORK — parking nearby. 34.45006, -93.96744 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:22 a.m., the sun rises at 6:48 a.m. and sets at 7:43 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:09 p.m. (CDT) — 12 h 56 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 18.5-mile round trip takes roughly 7 h 37 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 2:25 p.m. — 5 h 18 min before sunset.

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