Ouachita National Forest

The oldest national forest in the southern United States, Ouachita was established in 1907 by President Theodore Roosevelt and spans 1.78 million acres across the Ouachita Mountains of western Arkansas and southeastern Oklahoma. The forest is distinguished by its unusual geology -- the Ouachita Mountains are one of the few mountain ranges in North America that run east to west rather than north to south, creating a distinctive landscape of parallel ridges and valleys unlike anything else in the region. Rich deposits of quartz crystals, including world-famous specimens from the Mount Ida area, have earned the region the title "Quartz Crystal Capital of the World." The 192-mile Ouachita National Recreation Trail, stretching from Talimena State Park in Oklahoma to Pinnacle Mountain State Park near Little Rock, is the premier long-distance hiking trail in the mid-South, while the Talimena National Scenic Byway follows 54 miles of mountain crest offering sweeping views across forested valleys that blaze with spectacular fall color each October. Ecologically, the Ouachita is a critical stronghold for shortleaf pine and shortleaf pine-bluestem grass restoration, supporting one of the most ambitious ecosystem restoration programs in the national forest system. The forest's streams and rivers, including the Ouachita River and Fourche La Fave, support populations of smallmouth bass and provide outstanding paddling opportunities through scenic mountain valleys.