Ozark Highlands Trail: 254+ Miles Through the Arkansas Wilderness

The Ozark Highlands Trail winds through the highest peaks of the most extensive highland area between the Rockies and the Appalachians. It is a full wilderness experience and can be hiked in the winter, when other trails may be unreasonable or snowed in. And, on top of that, the Ozark Highlands Trail brings you beautiful forestland views, crystal-clear bright turquoise waterways, and rugged, high vistas.

Here’s your guide to the best Eastern US trail you’ve never heard of. 

Ozark Highlands Trail At a Glance

• Length: Approximately 254 miles (and growing!), 41,000 feet of elevation gain
• Expected Completion Time: 2 – 3 weeks 
• Location: North/Northwestern Arkansas
• Best seasons to hike: Fall, Winter, Early Spring
• Trail Type: Thru-hike, point-to-point
• Scenery: Remote and Untouched High Ozark Mountains. Deep blue rivers and lakes, high, craggy, bluff-lined hills blanketed in thick forest. There is no visible civilization on the entire trail.
• Popularity: Very light traffic
• Terrain: Moderate, with consistent short steep climbs/descents
• Navigation: FarOut is still standard for hikers here. The Ozark Highlands Trail Association (OHTA) provides paper maps for navigation, and legendary photographer and trail advocate Tim Ernst has written extensive trail guides (print, ebook) for more granular detail on the trail. The built trail is marked consistently with mile markers, but there are off-trail gaps (more on this later).

Getting There

Getting to the remote trailheads in a state with minimal public transportation is a challenge. The western terminus is at Lake Fort Smith State Park, close to the city of Fort Smith off I-40. It would be possible to catch (many) connecting buses from Little Rock National Airport or Will Rogers World Airport (Oklahoma City) to Fort Smith and then Uber to the trailhead, but logistics would be challenging.

The current eastern terminus is at Matney Knob, near the tiny town of Norfork. There are no easy ways to get off the trail here except for a pickup or parked car. The moral of the story is, unless you’re doing a yo-yo, dropping cars at the termini is probably the way to go here (cars can be left at the termini).

Direction and Trail Layout

The Ozark Highlands Trail is traditionally hiked EABO (eastbound) from Fort Smith to Norfork. While it is certainly possible to hike the trail WEBO (westbound), the convention remains west-to-east, likely because that is the direction the trail has been built in. There’s no specific advantage to either direction, though. 

The question of “what defines the OHT?” has changed over time. The original 164 miles of trail, from Fort Smith to Woolum on the Buffalo River, was completed in 1989. More recently, the trail expanded another 42 miles along the Buffalo River to the east and then another 31 miles from Spring Creek Trailhead up to Norfork. (If you’re quick at math, you’ll notice these three sections run 17 miles short of the advertised 254 miles of the entire trail. We will get to this later.)

It’s important to note that the OHT is still a growing trail. The trail is planned to be built all the way to the Arkansas-Missouri border, to eventually connect with the Ozark Trail. That would bring the mileage of the OHT up to around 330, while the combined mileage of the eventual Trans-Ozarks Trail would total some 700 miles of continuous footpath.

Ok, but what about that gap?

Yes, the Ozark Highlands Trail is 254 miles between Fort Smith and Norfork, officially. However, there are only 237 miles of built trail to date, leaving around 17 miles of cross-country travel.

The gap lies on the eastern end of the Buffalo National River, between Arkansas Highway 14 and Spring Creek Trailhead within the congressionally designated Lower Buffalo Wilderness.

It is this wilderness that is currently blocking singletrack being built through the area, and it is unlikely to be built anytime soon (the rules for singletrack in wilderness are different in Arkansas than in most western states). Additionally, it is not an easy off-trail area — think large river crossings, jungle-like undergrowth, little camping, absolutely no trail traffic or navigational markers, etc.

However, you’re rewarded with remote views that few will ever see within the largest contiguous wilderness of the middle-south. For hikers venturing into this area, I would highly recommend picking up this book from the OHTA store, which details three different routes through the area.

Note: the FarOut track shows the most popular of these tracks, but there is no built trail on the ground, so it is strongly discouraged to rely solely on FarOut for this area.

Wait, there’s an aqua blaze??

Yes, it’s true. If you’re not a purist, you can aqua blaze between miles 164 and the eastern terminus on the Buffalo River. In fact, most canoe outfitters will pick you up right in Norfork!

If you do canoe all the way to Norfork, you also get to skip the Lower Buffalo cross-country bushwhack. If you don’t want to skip the latter half of the trail (and have easier logistics), you could just hop on a canoe at mile 178 (there’s a major outfitter up the hill from the trail), and canoe to Hwy 14. Or you could go to Norfork and hike back EABO to Spring Creek Trailhead. Options abound! All of these aqua blaze routes are on the Buffalo River, a stunning landscape for which the first National River Park was created. 

Why Hike the Ozark Highlands Trail?

The Ozark Highlands Trail is a wonderful, secluded wilderness hike for experienced backpackers looking for options when more popular trails are out of season. The fact that this trail can be hiked comfortably through the shoulder seasons and winter attests to its value as an option.

Additionally, this trail is like a step back in time. You won’t see any buildings the entire way other than old homesteading ruins unless you leave the trail. Let that sink in. The opportunity for full wilderness immersion on this trail and in this landscape is immense. That may not be for everyone, but for those who are up for the challenge, the likelihood is high you will have this landscape mostly to yourself. 

Climate and Weather

The best time to hike the OHT is late fall through early winter. In Arkansas, this lies between late October and middle December. During peak season, you will be rewarded with wonderful weather, dry weather, and fall colors. However, the trail is hikeable all winter if you can handle nighttime temperatures in the teens, and maybe the occasional snow.

The latest the OHT is feasible to hike is early spring into early April. After this, the underbrush starts to take over the trail corridor again, and the ticks and chiggers come out in full force. Late spring and summer are absolute sufferfests — go to Colorado instead.

During peak season, you can expect daytime highs in the 50s and 60s and nighttime lows in the 30s and 40s. In winter, the temperatures are highly variable but frequently drop into single digits. Rain occurs roughly once a week during peak season, but almost daily n the late winter and springtime. 

Ozark Highlands Trail Gear Suggestions

Outside of the normal Appalachian Trail-style gear kit, I would recommend clothing/pack covers in blaze orange during peak season, because hunting is quite popular during those times.

Rain gear is an absolute must here as well. You will have multiple very large river crossings, so wearing non-waterproof, quick-drying trail runner-style shoes or having lightweight sandals for crossings is also a very good idea.

Lastly, cell coverage is incredibly sparse on this trail, so it isn’t a bad idea to bring a satellite communicator like a Garmin inReach or a ZOLEO to coordinate with family or in the case of an emergency. 

Camping

Camping is plentiful on the OHT. FarOut lists over a hundred campsites, and these are just the commonly used ones! In general, campsites in the Ozark Mountains are best found in the deep valleys near the streams, where the land is flatter. You shouldn’t go more than four miles without passing a camping opportunity.

Highlights of the Ozark Highlands Trail

Much of the grandeur of the Ozarks lies not in grandiose, hundred-mile views, but in small, intimate things you can see and touch along the trail.

This trail runs above, under, and through hundreds of waterfalls and cascades along its length.

The streams and lakes in the Ozarks are brilliant turquoise, caused by the cave topography of the region.

Fall colors peak in mid-October in an incredible show.

The Buffalo River, the largest river in the area, is spectacular enough to have begun one of the largest conservation battles in the US at the time, leading to the creation of the National River and Wild and Scenic River protection systems.

Every so often, you will find yourself on sheer, tall cliffs overlooking the forest-cloaked, rolling terrain, punctuated with the occasional field, barn, or river.

The scenery on the OHT is not often so spectacular that it takes your breath away, but it is constantly beautiful in a more quiet and intimate fashion.

Water Sources

Water is very available on the OHT and rarely runs dry, especially in spring/late winter. In the fall, some smaller creeks can dry up, but there are plenty of springs and larger creeks listed on FarOut. Water is generally very clear and pure on the OHT, but filtering for safety is still recommended.

Resupply Strategy

Resupplying is possibly the greatest challenge of the OHT. This is not a trail you can just thumb it on and find resupply at just any highway crossing. In fact, the first feasible hitch to a resupply town isn’t until a whopping 178 miles EABO, at US Highway 65. From here, you can (reasonably easily) hitch to Marshall south, but there are few places to stay and resources to use (note that hitchhiking is prohibited in the Buffalo National River, so you should walk about a half-mile up the road to the boundary before thumbing it).

Most people resupply through the first 178 miles with two post offices where you can do mail drops — Oark (72852) at 61 miles, Ozone (72854) at 84.7, and Pelsor (72856) at 123 miles. Also, all three of these post offices have very limited hours (so plan your pickup time!) and are multi-mile road walk detours off of the main trail. After Hwy-16 to Marshall, your best bet is to just push the remaining 76 miles to the eastern terminus at Norfork, as there really aren’t good places to bail off the trail.

Closing Thoughts

The Ozark Highlands Trail is a unique, remote thru-hike best for experienced hikers looking for shoulder-season or wintertime hikes. It is extremely secluded but draws its value from its wilderness feel. There are few trails you can hike the entire length of and never see a manmade structure.

However, while this trail isn’t physically the hardest trail out there, it is logistically challenging, especially regarding resupply strategy. There are bushwhacking sections, and the trail will continue to change in the coming years as it is completed. Overall though, the OHT is a worthy undertaking for anyone looking to branch out from more popular thru-hikes. 

Featured image: Photo via JT Simmons. Graphic design by Chris Helm.