State Parks and National Parks

Ouachita National Forest

Ouachita National Forest in southeastern Oklahoma and western Arkansas covers 1.8 million acres. The forest offers hiking, camping, fishing, boating, 65,000 acres of designated wilderness and the Winding Stair Mountain National Recreation Area.

The forest has two scenic byways, the 54-mile Talimena Scenic Drive that winds through the Ouachita Mountains from Talihina, Okla. to Mena, Ark., and Arkansas Scenic Highway 7.

More than 700 miles of trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding are available, ranging from short interpretive trails of less than a mile to longer routes, including the 192-mile Ouachita National Recreation Trail.

Thirty camp and picnic grounds are available from late spring to early fall and some are open year-round.

Rivers range from flat water to whitewater. They include the Caddo, Ouachita, Cossatot and Little Missouri rivers.

Quartz crystal, the Arkansas state mineral, is abundant in a belt several miles wide extending from Jessieville, Ark., to Broken Bow, Okla. Rockhounders are welcome to pick up quartz crystal off the ground for personal use but not for sale.

Photo credits in order: Courtesy of Ouachita National Forest. Courtesy of Ouachita National Forest. Courtesy of Ouachita National Forest.