Arkansas trails · Ouachita Trail

Ouachita Trail

A 16.9-mile out-and-back in Arkansas, with 740 ft of climbing. Reaches Curtis Mountain and other summit/viewpoint destinations.

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Length

16.9 mi

Elevation gain

740 ft

Difficulty

Expert

Max grade

27%

Steepest mile

+514 ft

Tread at ≥10% grade

3.3 mi

Shape

out-and-back

Surface

Dirt

Bikes

yes

Elevation profile

The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 2,489 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

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

Reaches

Curtis Mountain (summit)
Sandlick Mountain (summit)
Lori's Vista (viewpoint)
Round Mountain Vista (viewpoint)
Sandlick Mtn Vista (viewpoint)
Lake Vista (viewpoint)
West View (viewpoint)

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.

Getting there

JESSIE-HWY 27 TRAILHEAD — parking nearby, restroom, water. About 1 h 19 min drive (55 mi) from Hot Springs. 34.75884, -93.49404 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:53 a.m., the sun rises at 7:18 a.m. and sets at 6:40 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:06 p.m. (CDT) — 11 h 22 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 33.9-mile round trip works out to roughly 13 h 17 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.

Loop options

Brushy Mountain + Ouachita National Recreation Trail + Ouachita Trail — 4.6 mi loop, 1,052 ft gain
Ouachita Trail + Rockhouse Trail + Mountain Top Trail — 5.4 mi loop, 632 ft gain