Friends of the Ouachita Trail

06/09/2026

Friends of the Ouachita Trail was honored to be recognized Saturday by Michael Boren, the undersecretary for natural resources and environment, and the U.S. Forest Service for our efforts in helping maintain the trails and the area. We couldn’t do what we do without our volunteers!

06/02/2026

Summer mowing Mt. Watch Out for a Timber Rattler living close by.

05/25/2026

Today we honor the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to our country. Let us take some time to remember, to reflect and be grateful for their service. 🇺🇸

05/05/2026

05/03/2026

Please help us welcome Nick Fowler to the Friends of the Ouachita Trail board! He was unanimously voted in to fill the remaining term of Jerry White. We appreciate Jerry’s outstanding service to FoOT over the last five years! You may know Nick from past maintenance events whether you were on the trail together or enjoying his humble humor around the campfire about his long-distance hiking adventures. Below is a bio Nick shared with us which gives you a taste of his encouraging and witty style… 😊 Great people are what makes FoOT a model trail maintenance organization, and we are delighted Nick is sharing his time and talents to help make us even better. 🥾 🥾

About Nick:

Nick Fowler, just your average Nick with a backpack, enjoys long walks outside and sleeping in the dirt. Husband, father; ungroomed and unbothered. Being from Oklahoma, he calls the Ouachita Trail “home.” He hopes everyone, and yet no one, gets to experience this 223-mile single track that stretches from Talihina to Little Rock, for one of its beauties is that it’s vacant. One can hike the entire trail and see only a handful of people. You can do your part to keep it this way by going to the Appalachian Trail instead.

04/26/2026

Springtime on the OT. Irons Fork Crossing 128.8

04/18/2026

Congrats to all the participants in today's 35th running of the Ouachita Trail 50 Endurance Run! No matter what place you took, it's a huge accomplishment! Matt Edwards, Kristy Dodd, and Ben Liesman were on hand to represent FoOT and help support the runners with a FoOT hosted aid station.

04/15/2026

These guys spent a few hours yesterday building a new Womble Bridge at mm8.6 to replace the one that was built some 20 years ago by Ed and Sue Hawkins. Ron Mayfield, Matt Williams, Shane Scott, Adam Deal and Scott Richards - thank you so much for your hard work!

04/14/2026

The Forest Service is proposing to permit quartz prospecting and mining within the Ouachita Forest, totaling approximately 337 acres of public lands. The public comment period is now open. FoOT is preparing a comment, but we wanted to make you all aware in case you would like to comment individually.

Comments must be written and may be submitted to the District Ranger at

P.O. Box 189, Jessieville, AR 71949
By fax at 501-984-6253
By email at [email protected]

A link to the draft environmental assessment is below. It lists the following issues:

• During mining operations, the acres of timber that can be logged commercially will be
reduced.

• Mining activities resulting in topsoil removal and stock piling may compromise soil
productivity.

• Three of the nominations are within the ½-mile buffer of Lake Ouachita and the surface
drinking water buffer. One nomination is within the surface drinking water buffer.

• The Aquatic Cumulative Effects (ACE) model estimates cumulative risk from the
proposed action(s) to water quality and beneficial uses by calculating increases in
sediment. The model categorizes risk into High, Medium, or Low. In this case, since
mine sites are likely to remain open/active concurrently, the Proposed Action (combined)
resulted in a High-risk rating for two of the four sub-watersheds analyzed.

• Mining activities may impact ongoing and future vegetation management activities.

• Mining may impact scenic integrity.

https://usfs-public.app.box.com/v/PinyonPublic/file/2184352650328

01/13/2026

🔥 Notice of controlled burns 🔥 The Forest Service will be conducting controlled burns today around MM 94 -97.

Send a message to learn more