Backpack Trail Guide

Trails / Oklahoma / Ouachita Mountains

Ouachita Trail: Winding Stair to Queen Wilhelmina State Park

Ouachita National Forest, Upper Kiamichi River Wilderness, and Rich Mountain (Big Cedar area to the Arkansas line)

This is the eastern half of the Ouachita Trail’s Oklahoma miles: from Winding Stair Campground over Winding Stair, Rough, and Wilton Mountains, down to the Kiamichi River, and up Rich Mountain to the Arkansas line and Queen Wilhelmina State Park. Compulsive Hiker lists the section at 27.9 miles.

OuachitaMaps suggests hiking the eastern part east to west, starting at Queen Wilhelmina, to avoid the climb up Rich Mountain. This page follows the trail’s mile markers, west to east.

The hike

OuachitaMaps’ description, published in March 2026, has the trail heading southeast past a hiker’s parking lot west of the Winding Stair Recreation Area, then crossing the scenic drive and climbing a forest road to West Billy Peak (2,451 feet) and the Winding Stairs shelter, which Friends of the Ouachita Trail places at mile 25.0. Past East Billy Peak, the trail makes a steep descent with 26 switchbacks to a saddle at 1,780 feet, then climbs near the summit of Rough Mountain (2,171 feet).

Near Forest Road 6023 there’s a hunters camp, and the guide says there’s “usually water in Red Spring.” The trail drops along Simmons Mountain to Cedar Creek, which the guide calls “a dependable water source,” though camping there puts you close to traffic on US 259. Wikipedia says mountain bikes are allowed only as far as this US 259 trailhead, at about mile 30.5.

East of the highway, OuachitaMaps describes small ridges and “surprisingly dependable creeks,” with plenty of places to camp. Pashubbe Creek is multi-channeled and can look dry, but pools and running water are often upstream. The Pashubbe shelter is at mile 34.0. The trail then climbs about 1,100 feet to a campsite on top of Wilton Mountain, which the guide calls “a great campsite,” though water has to be hauled up about 2.5 miles.

On the far side, the trail drops to the Kiamichi River and crosses it eight times in 2.3 miles, passing three primitive riverside campsites. The guide says the crossings are “usually a dry boulder hop,” but can be un-fordable after very heavy rain. This is wilderness, closed to vehicles and bikes.

The last climb is about 1,200 feet over three miles to the state line on Rich Mountain, where the State Line shelter sits at mile 46.4. From there it’s 5.2 miles east, past a pioneer cemetery with native-rock headstones, to the Queen Wilhelmina lodge. On an October 2007 trip, the guide’s author saw a copperhead and a black rat snake, and “plenty of scat” from black bears.

For the miles west, see Talimena State Park to Winding Stair; east of the park, the trail continues as Queen Wilhelmina to US 71.

Tips

Camping

The route is almost all Ouachita National Forest land, with shelters at Winding Stairs, Pashubbe, and the state line, and primitive sites at the Kiamichi River, on Wilton Mountain, and east of US 259. No reservation system for the shelters was found, so carry a tent. The forest’s occupancy order (OA-ONF-09-2026, through June 2028) limits camping to 30 consecutive days at one spot. The Upper Kiamichi River Wilderness bans vehicles and bikes. At the start, Recreation.gov describes Winding Stair Campground’s tent-only backpackers camp as first come, first served, with no water.

Inside Intel: OuachitaMaps’ author recommends the Wilton Mountain summit campsite as “a great campsite,” with the trade-off of carrying water up about 2.5 miles from the river.

Trail facts

The Lowdown

A night on top of Wilton Mountain:

The campsite OuachitaMaps likes best sits on a summit about 1,100 feet above the Kiamichi River, so a bag suited to the season matters on fall and winter trips. See which sleeping bags testers rate.

Read the full guide →

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.