Ozark Highlands Trail

The Ozark Highlands Trail crosses northern Arkansas. It starts at Lake Fort Smith State Park on Arkansas 71 and runs east through the Ozark National Forest, along the Buffalo National River, and on into the Sylamore Ranger District. The association says no permits are required to hike or camp on the trail, and Buffalo National River says no backcountry permit is needed there. In the national forest, a group of more than 75 people needs a special use permit from a district office. Sign in and out at the trailhead registers; the association says the cards help search and rescue know where to look if something goes wrong. Dogs are not allowed on trails, in the backcountry or in wilderness in Buffalo National River. Elsewhere they must be leashed. The trail is for foot traffic only: no vehicles and no mountain bikes, and horses only on a short stretch inside Buffalo National River between Richland Creek and Calf Creek. The continuous built trail is 207 miles, from Lake Fort Smith to AR-14 at Dillard's Ferry. The Ozark Highlands Trail Association says about 290 miles are built in all, but that total is not one continuous trail. East of Dillard's Ferry, the way to the Spring Creek trailhead is a bushwhack of about 15 miles, mostly through the Lower Buffalo Wilderness, and about 14 miles there are still to be built. The association sells a route guide for it, with topo maps and GPS waypoints for the 16-mile bushwhack on the south side of the Buffalo River. The Sylamore section is 32 miles, from Spring Creek to Matney Knob on AR-341. Near Norfork Lake there is a road walk of about 10 miles and an 18-mile gap that is not built. When it is finished, the trail will run about 325 miles, ending at the Missouri line north of Norfork Lake. The first 164 miles, from Lake Fort Smith to the Buffalo River at Woolum, were once regarded as the whole trail. The association says that section can take 10 to 14 days. It calls a complete thru-hike difficult but possible. The association calls fall through spring the peak seasons, with the best hiking from October into early June. Most hikers choose the leaf-off months. July through September is the least favored time: expect heat, humidity, dense vegetation, snakes and low water. The trail is not maintained from late spring until early fall; maintenance starts in mid-September. It is open all year, though short sections can close for controlled burns. On the Buffalo River, the National Park Service says hiking is most popular in fall, winter and spring, when ticks are fewer, and that July through October are the drier months. Most of the trail is blazed with white 2-by-6-inch markers. On the Norfork Lake section the markers are blue. Mile markers are 12-inch carsonite posts fixed to trees at eye level. The association has moved the Boston Mountains mile markers, most of them east by at least a mile, so older maps, books and trail reports can be off by that much. From the Richland Creek crossing to just past the Old Arnold Cemetery the trail is shared with horses: hiker-only trail is blazed white and horse trail yellow, so watch where they split. The association sells its own waterproof maps in three sheets: West (miles 0 to 103), East (miles 100 to 222, including the Lower Buffalo Wilderness bushwhack) and North (miles 213 to 325, Sylamore and Norfork Lake). They are also sold in the Avenza Maps app. The association warns that National Geographic Trails Illustrated map 233 does not show the trail between US-65 and AR-14 and has errors in the Buffalo River section, even in its 2019 edition. It calls Tim Ernst's Ozark Highlands Trail Guide the definitive source for the Boston Mountains segment, and Ken Smith's Buffalo River Handbook the definitive source for the river and its trails. The association says to camp at least 200 feet from the trail and any water, out of sight. The national forest says 100 feet from water. In Buffalo National River, do not camp within half a mile of a developed area unless you are in a designated campsite, and never in a cave or rock shelter. Use an existing fire ring if there is one; do not build a new one. The built trail runs from streamside to high ridges, with bluffs and rock formations. The Buffalo River section alternates low creek crossings and bluff tops. There the trail follows the Buffalo River Trail on the south side of the river for a little more than 42 miles, from Woolum to Dillard's Ferry. The Park Service lists its access points as Woolum campground, which means fording the river, Tyler Bend Road, Grinders Ferry landing, Maumee South Road, Spring Creek campground and the Dillard's Ferry landing. From Woolum to Tyler Bend it is narrow and rocky in places along high cliffs, so the Park Service advises against hiking it after dark, and it says rain and snow can make sections of the trail impassable. Flooding is the main hazard. The Forest Service says heavy showers flood the rivers and creeks in the forest, and that the same creeks are usually dry in late summer and early fall. At Woolum the Buffalo River can be too high to cross after big rains. The National Park Service says a storm upstream can flood the river downstream where no rain fell, and that the river can rise more than a foot an hour and more than 25 feet in a single day. The campground at Blanchard Springs, in the Sylamore area, closes at any hint of heavy rain. The road to the Richland Creek Wilderness is prone to landslides. Also watch for venomous snakes, which the association says include rattlesnakes, copperheads and water moccasins, and for black bears; the association says bears are most common around White Rock Mountain and Horn Mountain. Buffalo National River warns that chiggers and ticks are most numerous in summer but may be present all year, and that bull elk there can weigh more than 500 pounds. Cell service is very limited. Leave a detailed trip plan with someone at home; Buffalo National River's 24-hour dispatch, 1-888-692-1162, takes reports of overdue hikers. Water along the trail is not for drinking, except at campgrounds, according to the Forest Service. The association says to treat all water. In July through September it can be hard to find, so stash water if you hike then. On the Buffalo River section, the Park Service warns that when the river is low the side drainages hold no water, so carry enough for the day. Ozone Recreation Area has drinking water by the day-use pavilion. The Forest Service lists no drinking water at the Hurricane Creek Wilderness site, where the Fort Douglas trailhead is. For bears, never keep food or toothpaste in your tent. Hang your food or carry a bear-proof container. In Buffalo National River, glass containers are banned on trails and within 100 feet of any river or stream, soap and shampoo stay out of the water, and human waste is buried at least 100 feet from a waterway. In times of high fire danger the park can ban backcountry campfires. There are no grocery stores within reasonable hiking distance of the trail. The association points to the small post offices at Ozone and Pelsor, both within two miles of the trail, for mailed resupply. Lake Fort Smith State Park has reservable campsites and hot showers, and White Rock Mountain has rental cabins. The west end is Lake Fort Smith State Park. The east end of the original trail is Woolum, mile 164, where you wade the Buffalo River to reach the campground. Trailheads on the Buffalo River section include Tyler Bend at mile 176.6, US-65 at mile 178.6, and AR-14 at mile 206.4. None of the trailhead parking lots is supervised, so take valuables with you or keep them out of sight. The association lists shuttle services that charge a fee, including Turner Bend for the western and central trail, Buffalo River Outfitters for the east, and Cody's Cafe at Fiftysix for the Sylamore section. The trail is almost entirely on public land open to seasonal hunting. The association calls wearing blaze orange a wise precaution and says to check with the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission for seasons (agfc.com). For current conditions, read the association's Trail Alerts page, the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest alerts page, and the Buffalo National River alerts page. Report trail problems to the association with the date, the mile marker or GPS location, photos and a description.