I currently have some time on my hands due to changing jobs and decided to take a break and finally get out to the Ouachita National Forest. For those that don’t know, the ONF spans from SE Oklahoma and over into Arkansas. Famous of the Talimena National Scenic Byway, which is a 54 mile scenic drive that spans one of the highest mountain ranges between the Rockies and Appalachian ranges.
I love to spend time researching routes using Gaia GPS, OnX and of course good old Google Maps but at the end of the day, overlanding is about getting out there and exploring. I decided to start the trip at the Three Sticks Monument located in Big Ceder, OK. This monument was dedicated to John F. Kennedy for his involvement in the opening of the Ouachita National Forest in 1961. This is also the start of the Kiamichi Trail as it exists today that extends into the Ouachita’s east.
This part of the K Trail extends from the Indian Highway at Three Sticks Monument and splits into different routes as it nears the Arkansas state border. I took the northern route, ending up on OK SH 63 near Muse, OK. Just before though I found some amazing campsites that were located just next to a beautiful stream.
This first campsite was right next to this stream which is a preferred type of location when solo camping. The sounds of the stream really act as white noise and help to ease my anxiety about being solo. Though this first site was great, it was a bit too close to the road and the ground was not as level as I wanted. Back south on this end of the trail though was a bigger site that I decided to snag. The site was an entrance to some more USFS trails that had been closed for a bit. Down off the main trail 25 yards or so, this new site offered a central fire ring made of river rocks, an elevated flat area that overlooked even more beautiful scenery including some amazingly beautiful stone and more of the same amazing stream that I had seen before.
This final site for the first night really had everything that I wanted and would love to bring some more people out to this location to camp alongside with. Views of the stars, a beautiful stream with great cold water and you aren’t that far from the main highway. This site could be accessed by anyone with a car which just really shows how accessible some of the places in the Ouachita National Forest really are.
After spending some time visiting Mena to find an air compressor after my Harbor Freight special decided to not work, I ventured up the Scenic Byway to air up by myself and venture down a bit. I found an awesome trail that split off the Biway and took me back down towards Muse, OK surprisingly. After this trip back to Muse, I decided to use Gaia to find another trail, finding one close by near Big Ceder Trailhead. This trail ended up being way more rocky than I anticipated and having only aired down to around 30psi, ended up making me a bit more sore that night. So when I came across this beautiful site next to another stream, I had to stop and take advantage of it.
This second site was much smaller in size, with me barely able to back into it far off the trail to get my vehicle close to where I wanted to throw up my tent. You can see to the left of this picture, I’m using some cheap LED lights from Harbor Freight to help illuminate the area. These came in so helpful during this back country camping. While I’m not exactly afraid of the dark, I respect that I’m in the animals natural habitat and am just visiting so I like to see what’s around me until I can escape to my tent.
This second night was not as cold, which the first night getting down to around 32 degrees F. Second night though, was very comfortable. I slept so well this second night with my sleep system and blanket really being the perfect fit for 40 degree F weather.
The next morning, I awoke to a beautiful site that I didn’t really appreciate the evening before because it was a bit past sunset when I arrived. I was able to setup my chair after making coffee and enjoyed the serenity of this pretty remote site with a stream that would offer some amazing summer time swimming right next to your camp site. I don’t think there is a better place to be than in the wilderness, a cup of hot coffee and a good book to read.
All in all, this was one of my favorite trips and I can’t wait to get back! Since I still have some time before starting my next position, I may get back out there and find some new trails. The trails here offered some easy to medium difficulty that I have found so far which are really great when you’re adventuring solo. I can’t wait to bring more people out here to experience what SE Oklahoma and Western Arkansas has to offer.