Ouachita Trail: Talimena State Park to Winding Stair

Ouachita National Forest and Talimena State Park (Winding Stair Mountain, northeast of Talihina)

The Ouachita Trail begins at Talimena State Park in southeastern Oklahoma and runs about 223 miles east to the Little Rock area. Wikipedia says about 46 of those miles are in Oklahoma. This first stretch climbs onto Winding Stair Mountain and follows it east to Winding Stair Campground, which Compulsive Hiker puts at 23.7 miles.

Backpacker, in 2003, called the trail a “lush, hilly oasis in a land much better known for being flat and dry.”

The hike

OuachitaMaps, whose trail description was published in March 2026, says the trailhead is well marked on the east side of the park, off US 271 about seven miles northeast of Talihina. At mile 0.7 the Old Military Road Trail goes straight, and the Ouachita Trail turns right and starts up Winding Stair Mountain. There’s a spring at mile 0.9, and the Indian Nation Trail crosses three times by mile 1.4.

A spur at mile 2.4 leads to the Potato Hills Vista on the Talimena Scenic Drive. The first campsites come next: Frazier Creek at mile 3.5, a one-tent site that OuachitaMaps says “can be dry until the fall rains come,” and Panorama Vista at mile 4.8, which has room for several tents but no water. At the Forest Road 6010 crossing (mile 5.8), the guide warns about a prominent unblazed trail heading downhill to the southeast; stay on the blue blazes.

Bohannon Creek, at mile 7.3, usually flows, and there’s a single-tent site a few hundred feet past it. The trail crosses the Talimena Drive at mile 7.9, near Deadman Vista. Past Deadman Gap, OuachitaMaps says the main difficulty is rock: the author nicknamed some of it “Ankle Break Pass.”

Friends of the Ouachita Trail built two shelters on this section in 2013, Rock Garden at mile 9.4 and Holson Valley Vista at mile 16.8, and a third, Winding Stairs, just past the campground at mile 25.0. A reviewer on The Dyrt describes Holson Valley Vista as a three-sided wooden shelter with a picnic table and fire pit, a few hundred feet from the scenic byway.

The West Horse Thief Trail joins at mile 17.2, and spurs at miles 18.4 and 18.5 lead to Horse Thief Spring, which OuachitaMaps calls “a year-round water source.” From there the trail passes the Billy Creek Trail junctions and reaches Winding Stair Campground, a Forest Service campground with a tent-only backpackers camp.

The Horse Thief Spring loop shares part of this route. To keep going east, see Winding Stair to Queen Wilhelmina, then the Arkansas sections from Queen Wilhelmina State Park onward.

Tips

Go in spring or late fall. Wikipedia says July through September tends to be too hot and water sources dry up.
Cache water on the Talimena Drive near Frazier Creek and Panorama Vista, as OuachitaMaps suggests, and don’t count on water at Winding Stair Campground.
Watch for the unblazed trail at Forest Road 6010.
Expect mountain bikes. Bikes are allowed on this section, per Wikipedia.
Arrange a shuttle ahead. OuachitaMaps lists the D&W Store (918-651-3230), Big Cedar RV Park (918-651-3271), and Talking Trees Campground (918-653-2187), none set up for drop-in service.
Wear orange in hunting season and check burn bans before any fire.

Camping

Most of this section is in the Ouachita National Forest, where you can camp at the shelters or at primitive sites along the trail. The forest’s occupancy order (OA-ONF-09-2026, through June 2028) limits camping to 30 consecutive days at one spot. No reservation system for the shelters was found; carry a tent in case one is full. At the east end, Recreation.gov describes the Winding Stair backpackers camp as a tent-only area with designated pads, first come, first served, with no water. TravelOK says it sits about 300 feet west of the main campground, with picnic tables, fire rings, and a pit toilet. At the west end, TravelOK says Talimena State Park’s tent sites must be reserved online.

Inside Intel: A 2018 reviewer on The Dyrt, Troy W., recommends the Holson Valley Vista shelter for its “dramatic overview of the valley when the weather is clear and the foliage is not heavy.” His group picked up water earlier in the day and carried it in.

Trail facts

Distance: 23.7 miles (Compulsive Hiker)
Route type: Point to point
Difficulty: Moderate to strenuous; rocky in places
Shelters: Rock Garden (MM 9.4), Holson Valley Vista (MM 16.8); Winding Stairs (MM 25.0) is just beyond the campground
Campsites: Frazier Creek (3.5), Panorama Vista (4.8), Bohannon Creek (about 7.3), Winding Stair backpackers camp
Water: Spring (0.9), Bohannon Creek (7.3), Horse Thief Spring (18.4); treat; cache in dry months
Permits: None found for the national forest; reserve state park campsites online
Bikes: Allowed on this section
Trailhead: Talimena State Park, US 271 northeast of Talihina
Last verified: October 17, 2026

The Lowdown

Between Rock Garden and Holson Valley Vista:

The two shelters on Winding Stair Mountain sit more than seven miles apart, and the campsites between them are small, so a light tent keeps the plan flexible. See the tents testers like.

See the picks →

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.