Arkansas trails · West Outer Loop
West Outer Loop
A 24.6-mile network in Arkansas, with 936 ft of climbing. Reaches Switchback Lake. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Elevation profile
The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 3,008 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Switchback Lake (lake)
Getting there
BUCKHORN OHV — parking nearby, restroom, water. About 50 min drive (22 mi) from Van Buren. 35.71393, -94.30710 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:57 a.m., the sun rises at 7:22 a.m. and sets at 6:43 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:08 p.m. (CDT) — 11 h 21 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 24.6-mile route takes roughly 9 h 34 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 4:57 p.m. — 1 h 46 min before sunset.
Loop options
- WEST OUTER LOOP SHORTCUT G + WEST OUTER LOOP — 1.9 mi loop, 242 ft gain
- WEST OUTER LOOP + WEST OUTER LOOP SHORCUT E + WEST OUTER LOOP SHORTCUT H — 13.4 mi loop, 2,088 ft gain
- WEST OUTER LOOP + WEST OUTER LOOP SHORTCUT F — 2.4 mi loop, 310 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Bradford East Outer Loop — 2.1 mi
- Butterfield Hiking Trail — 3.6 mi
- Ozark Highlands Trail — 15.9 mi
- White Rock-Shores Lake West — 20.0 mi