Caney Creek Wilderness (Caney Creek and Buckeye Trails)

Caney Creek Wilderness, Ouachita National Forest (southeast of Mena)

The Caney Creek Wilderness protects a rugged corner of the Ouachita Mountains in southwest Arkansas. Wilderness.net says Short Creek and Caney Creek flow all the way across it, west to the Cossatot River. The Caney Creek Trail follows Caney Creek for about 9.6 miles, crossing it 13 times, and the Buckeye Trail climbs over Buckeye Mountain. Linked together, they make a loop of about 9 to 10.5 miles.

One hiker calls the loop their favorite hike in Arkansas. The creek crossings are what make it hard.

The hike

Wikipedia puts the wilderness at 14,460 acres in the Ouachita National Forest near Mena. Evendo says it was designated in 1975 as Arkansas’s first wilderness area and describes clear streams, old-growth forest, and panoramic vistas. Wikipedia says there are many waterfalls, side drainages, and springs, including 12-foot Katy Falls, which the Caney Creek Trail passes near.

There are three trails. Wilderness.net describes the Caney Creek Trail at 9.6 miles, generally following Caney Creek and crossing it 13 times, getting harder as the terrain steepens. Parking lots serve both ends. Wikipedia describes the 4.7-mile Buckeye Vista Trail rising from the center of the Caney Creek drainage to the top of Buckeye Mountain, and says half the Caney Creek Trail, the Buckeye Trail, and a short stretch of forest road combine into a 10.5-mile loop. The third, the Tall Peak Trail, climbs 3.2 miles from Shady Lake Campground to a restored lookout tower inside the wilderness.

ArkOkHiker’s loop starts on the east end of the Caney Creek Trail. The writer reaches the Buckeye Trail intersection at about 3.8 miles and describes taking off their boots several times for crossings. The Armchair Explorer says a rock cairn marks the Buckeye junction. From the Caney Creek valley, ArkOkHiker could look up at the towers on Tall Peak, and from the Buckeye Mountain ridge, they used the towers to gauge how far and how high they’d come.

The west half of the Caney Creek Trail is wetter. ArkOkHiker describes an 11.4-mile out-and-back there, 5.7 miles each way, with 22 wet crossings total, and calls it well worth the effort. On the east side, an AllTrails listing for the 8.3-mile East Caney Creek Trail says only one crossing is deep enough to get your feet wet.

The Right Kind of Lost blog calls the area one of the most beautiful and rugged in the state and a backpacker’s paradise. It describes the Tall Peak Trail following the small Saline River for about a mile, crossing it three times, then climbing steeply, with a spur to a vista at mile 2.6.

Wikipedia warns that the Caney Creek Trail often floods after heavy rain. Evendo adds that stream levels can rise quickly, trails aren’t well marked, and there’s no potable water.

Getting there takes some driving. The Armchair Explorer’s directions to the eastern trailhead: go south from Mena on US 59 and 71 for about 19 miles, east on State Road 246 about 17 miles, then north on Forest Road 38 about 7 miles. For the western trailhead, turn east on SR 246 at Vandervoort, go about 11 miles to Forest Road 31, then north about 10 miles.

For another Ouachita trip with creek crossings, see the Eagle Rock Loop.

Tips

Plan for wet feet. The Caney Creek Trail crosses the creek 13 times.
Stay out after heavy rain. Wikipedia says the trail often floods.
Bring a map and compass. Evendo says trails aren’t well marked, and cairns are few.
Treat all water. Evendo says there’s no potable water.
Use the towers to navigate. ArkOkHiker used the Tall Peak towers to gauge progress from the ridge.

Camping

Camping is dispersed in the Caney Creek Wilderness. We found no permit requirement, but we didn’t read a Forest Service page for this wilderness. Confirm current rules with the Ouachita National Forest. Shady Lake Campground, outside the wilderness’s southeastern boundary, is the developed option near the Tall Peak Trail.

Inside Intel: We didn’t find trip reports recommending specific campsites. Wikipedia notes that water is abundant along the Caney Creek Trail but that the trail often floods after heavy rain, so check the forecast before choosing a creekside spot.

Trail facts

Distance: About 9 to 10.5 miles as a loop with the Buckeye Trail; Caney Creek Trail 9.6 miles one way
Route type: Loop, or out and back
Difficulty: Strenuous. Many crossings; steep climb over Buckeye Mountain.
Campsites: Dispersed
Water: Caney Creek and side streams. No potable water. Treat all water.
Permits: None found
Hazards: Flooding after heavy rain; faint trails
Trailheads: East (Forest Road 38) and west (Forest Road 31) Caney Creek trailheads; Buckeye trailhead
Last verified: September 30, 2026

The Lowdown

Thirteen fords of Caney Creek:

The Caney Creek Trail crosses Caney Creek 13 times, and Wikipedia says it often floods. Five tips for picking your spot and staying upright, with the fifth one about your pack straps.

See the water-crossing tips →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.