Along the Ouachita Trail

After having breakfast with my brother’s two children, Ben and I set off to take a stroll along a trail at Pinnacle Mountain State Park. I really wanted to see the eastern terminus of the Ouachita Trail, and figured it might be a nice trail to saunter on for a bit. FYI: The Ouachita National Recreation Trail (OT) is a 223-mile hiking trail that stretches from Talimena State Park in Oklahoma to Pinnacle Mountain State Park in Arkansas. I am thinking I might want to attempt it one day, as it does not have permitting issues that the John Muir Trail has.

We drove out to the parking lot and set off. The area had some rain the night before, so the ground was wet and we had to be mindful of our footing from time to time. We did not go that far along the Ouachita Trail before the trail had some flowing water on it. We took that as a sign to turn back, plus my sister’s daughter and her husband were now up and ready for us to come over. We retraced our route, following those helpful blazes back to the car. While I did pick up an Ouachita Trail patch the day before, we did not walk enough for it to count. 😉

I am an avid peak bagger, sometimes backpacker, and former sea kayaker living in San Diego. In 2019, I became the third person to complete the San Diego 100 Peak Challenge. Not stopping with that accomplishment, I set my sights on the harder San Diego Sierra Club 100 Peak list, which I completed in 2021. In addition, I have conquered several Six-Pack of Peaks challenges (SoCal, San Diego, Central Coast, and Arizona-Winter). Beyond attempting the San Diego Sierra Club 100 Peak list a second time, I am looking forward to exploring new summits and new adventures across the southwest.

Climbing Pinnacle Mountain

We were back in Arkansas for my sister’s celebration of life, and originally hoped to drive over to Hot Springs to get in a hike on Saturday morning. However, the chaos around getting my daughter to Little Rock from DC had me staying closer to Little Rock. Instead, I opted to hike Pinnacle Mountain, which was just 20 minutes from the hotel. I had climbed this peak in 2018 on my first visit to Little Rock with my son and nephew-in-law. This time, I opted to ascend the peak from the East Summit trail instead. There were a few cars in the parking lot when I pulled in. A nice trailhead sign guided me into the woods and onto the trail. I followed the blazes through the forest, being mindful of the roots and rocks. These trails are quite different from those back in San Diego. Soon, I came to the base of the mountain, and it was time to gain 510 feet in just about 0.2 miles. Not only was this approach steeper, but the entire ascent is Class 2. The blazes guided me up the rocks toward the summit. While it was early, it was warm and muggy. I soon heard voices and knew the summit was close.

I stood atop the summit and once again took in the view. My daughter was finally on her last leg of her journey, and I was no longer worried about having to help her navigate options to get to Little Rock in time. After enjoying the views, I descended via the West Summit Trail. While initially, the trail was rocky, it eased up and became more trail-like. Benches were placed along the route to provide respite for those not physically capable of the climb or who just needed a rest.

Once at the base of the trail, I took the Base Trail around the south side of the mountain. Here, I would spy some mushrooms from time to time as I cruised along the mostly flat trail back to the car.

On the drive back, I stopped at the Pinnacle Mountain Visitor Center. This is a beautiful building and I explored the exhibits some before grabbing some stickers and a better hiking map. I hoped that I might return the next day for some more trail time. My stats for this hike were: 2.58 miles, with 784 feet of gain in 1:34.

Petit Jean State Park

While visiting my sister in Little Rock, my wife and I drove out to Petit Jean State Park. This park is about an hour west of where we were staying. Our first stop was the Cedar Falls Overlook trail. This short trail takes you down to where you can see the falls. Unfortunately, there was no water flowing, but it was still a lovely view.

We drove down to the lodge and took a look around. From there we drove a short distance to hike the Bear Cave Trail. We did the small loop, before retreating to our air-conditioned car. I would love to come back during some cooler weather and explore more of the park.

Mount Magazine

Might not have scored a permit for Mt. Whitney, but I was able to summit another state’s high point, Mount Magazine in Arkansas. Towering at 2,753 feet, this was a short hike from the trailhead. The entire hike was under a mile and had about 140 feet of elevation gain. The summit had rocks arranged in the shape of the state. Unfortunately, there is no view from the summit.

After returning to that car, I made a quick stop to take in the view of the Peitit Jean River Valley. While there were no views from the summit, this made up for that.

Pinnacle Mountain

While visiting my sister in Little Rock, my nephew-in-law, my son and I headed out to Pinnacle Mountain State Park to hike up the West Summit Trail. We started from the park picnic grounds and followed the rocky trail to the top of Pinnacle Mountain. From the top is a spectacular view of Lake Maumelle, the Arkansas River Valley, the Ouachita Mountains, and west Little Rock.