Oklahoma trails · Ouachita National Recreation Trail

Ouachita National Recreation Trail

A 48.2-mile network in Oklahoma, with 1,638 ft of climbing. Reaches Horse Thief Springs and other pass/spring/summit/viewpoint destinations. Managed by the U.S. Forest Service.

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Length

48.2 mi

Elevation gain

1,638 ft

Difficulty

Expert

Max grade

48%

Steepest mile

+826 ft

Tread at ≥10% grade

16.5 mi

Shape

network

Managed by

U.S. Forest Service

Elevation profile

The climbing is spread fairly evenly along the route. It gives back about 8,933 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.

3-D terrain

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

Reaches

Horse Thief Springs (spring)
Deadman Gap (pass)
Rough Mountain (summit)
Holson Valley Vista (viewpoint)
Mountain Top Vista (viewpoint)

Heads up

Stream ford: expect at least one unbridged crossing.

Terrain graded T2 (SAC scale).

Getting there

OUACHITA TRAIL-TALIMENA STATE PARK — parking nearby. 34.78432, -94.95196 · directions

Daylight at the trailhead

On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:25 a.m., the sun rises at 6:51 a.m. and sets at 7:47 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:13 p.m. (CDT) — 12 h 56 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 48.2-mile route works out to roughly 18 h 40 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.

Loop options

Mountain Top Trail + Ouachita National Recreation Trail — 1.5 mi loop, 374 ft gain
Wsm Eq - 1004a + Horsethief - Goldville Divide + Ouachita National Recreation Trail — 14.5 mi loop, 3,814 ft gain
Choctaw Nation Trail + Ouachita National Recreation Trail — 2.9 mi loop, 582 ft gain

Across the border

Continues into AR as Ouachita National Recreation Trail — view on the map