Jeff Garmire hiked this route in 2022
The Ozark Highlands Trail is a 254-mile point-to-point backpacking route in Arkansas. It is a blazed trail through the northern part of the state with multiple stream crossings. A full thru-hike is considered to be 165 miles, with 254 miles being the full proposed (and possible) route.
Region: Middle South (Arkansas)
Length: 165 – 254 miles (10-18 days)
Physical Difficulty: Moderate
- Creek and river crossings ebb and flow with the weather
- The trail is moderately graded
- The climbs and descents are short
Logistical Difficulty: Moderate
- No permits needed
- Both termini are hard to access
- Resupplies can be tough
Season: Fall, Winter, Spring
Hiking the Ozark Highlands Trail
The Ozark Highlands Trail is a route through northern Arkansas that follows the spine of the Ozark Mountains from east to west.
The trail is white-blazed along most of its route and is fairly straightforward to follow. There is also a FarOut guide. Compared with the Ouachita Trail, there are not as many signs or markers, but for the first chunk, every mile is signed.
The trees are deciduous with small groups of pine and the weather is temperate and mild. On my thru-hike I saw deer, elk, and porcupine. Locals also spoke of small black bears in the Ozarks. It is a peaceful environment that is far removed from any towns. This also makes the resupply strategy more difficult than comparable trails.
One big factor on the Ozark Highlands Trail is the water. There are numerous crossings every day, an abundance of waterfalls, and little need to have more than a 2-liter capacity. I thru-hiked this trail in February, which is one of the wetter times of the year, but water seems to flow year-round based on many of the online comments and water sources on maps.
The Ozark Highlands Trail is not finished, and there are two distinct sections with the opportunity to connect them as I did. The first 165 miles to the Buffalo River at Woolum are largely considered an entire thru-hike, but there is a decent section for 40 more miles to Dillards Ferry at Highway 14 that I was able to easily complete. From there, it was a 20-mile slog of bushwhacking, looking for a trail, and following gravel roads to get to the Sylamore section of the trail. The east end of the trail was beautiful and my 254-mile route ended at Matney Knob Trailhead.
How to Get to the Ozark Highlands Trail
Western Terminus: Fort Smith State Park, Arkansas
Closest City: Fort Smith (1 hour)
Eastern Terminus: Matney Knob Trailhead, Arkansas, or Woolum Campground, Arkansas
Closest City: Mountain Home, Arkansas (20 minutes)
I hiked this trail eastbound and was able to get a ride to the trailhead from a friend, but there is a very active Facebook group and numerous resources for getting to the trail on the Ozark Highlands Trail Association website.
Ozark Highlands Trail Western Terminus
From Fort Smith, Arkansas, it’s a 40-minute drive to Lake Fort Smith State Park
Ozark Highlands Trail Eastern Terminus
The trail ends abruptly at either Woolum or Matney Knob Trailhead (depending on where you conclude your thru-hike). Mountain Home is the largest city of any kind, but transportation can be tricky. I was able to hitch across the state to Fayetteville but there are also some bus options and the opportunity to rent a car to get to a major city. I found hitching to be fairly simple in Arkansas.
When to Hike the Ozark Highlands Trail / Which Direction
The Ozark Highlands Trail fits snuggly into the shoulder seasons when the weather is tamer in Arkansas and without the sticky heat and humidity that the region experiences during the summer. A generally equal split hike the trail in the early spring and the fall, with the season lasting a few months twice a year.
The trail can be hiked year-round, but a number of factors ranging from bugs to floods to cold weather make the February to April and October to November timeframes the most popular. In late February it snowed on me and the rivers were swollen after a rainstorm. The weather can be inclement, and despite the lack of true elevation the terrain can be rugged.
Most thru-hikers start at Lake Fort Smith State Park and travel eastbound because it is fairly easy to get a ride to and makes the logistics work a little better. The two possible termini on the east side are both remote and difficult.
Ozark Highlands Trail Terrain
The Ozark Highlands Trail is very much under the canopy of deciduous trees, but there are a number of views as the oscillating elevation brings you up and down numerous mountains. The trail is rocky with mud, waterfalls, and numerous stream crossings. Compared with the drier Ouachita Trail to the south, the Ozark Highlands Trail has a lot more dependable water.
Ozark Highlands Trail Resupply
Resupply can be complicated on the OHT. There are no major towns nearby, and the roads cutting through the mountains are lightly traveled. But with a couple of longer carries the trail can be thru-hiked without going hungry.
Resupply 1, Ozone, Arkansas
Mile 68
A tiny Burger Barn that accepts thru-hiker packages is only 2 miles off the trail. The other option at this crossing of Highway 21 is Clarksville. If you can manage the long carry from here to Woolum, the simplest way to thru-hike the Ozark Highlands Trail is to only resupply at this location.
Resupply 2, Highway 65
Mile 205
If you are hiking the full (proposed) length of the trail, Highway 65 is well-traveled and can provide access to a Dollar General in St. Joe. It is a fairly easy hitch and is the only real relevant resupply option for the second half of the lesser-traveled section of the trail.
Logistics: Camping and Water
Camping: Camping is dispersed and plentiful on the OHT. There are a number of flat spots, and FarOut has a number of waypoints marked as potential spots to set up a tent.
Water: There is so much water on the Ozark Highlands Trail that flooding can be an issue. Especially in the Hurricane Creek section, the water crossings can swell substantially when it rains. Keep an eye on the weather and the current levels of the rivers and creeks.
Ozark Highlands Trail: Know Before You Go
Weather: Shoulder season hiking comes with variable weather. I experienced rain, snow, and sunshine in late February. The weather was in the 70s one day and dipped below 20 the next. Packing the gear to weather any potential conditions is highly recommended.
Ozark Highlands Trail Resources
Ozark Highlands Trail Association