Ouachita National Forest

The oldest and largest national forest in the South, proclaimed in 1907 to protect shortleaf pine, with a supervisor's office in downtown Hot Springs.

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Duration

An hour at the office to many days on the trails.

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Admission

Fees and seasons vary by recreation area; contact a Forest Service office. The Supervisor's Office is at 100 Reserve Street, Hot Springs.

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Best Season

Most developed recreation areas are open April through September; some stay open year round.

The Story

On December 18, 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt issued an executive order creating the Arkansas National Forest. Gifford Pinchot, then the Forest Service chief, called it the only major shortleaf pine forest under federal protection. The 1911 Weeks Law let the government buy cutover and farmed-out land, and the largest increases in national forest ownership came between 1933 and 1941.

President Calvin Coolidge renamed it the Ouachita National Forest on April 29, 1926, and President Herbert Hoover extended it into Le Flore County, Oklahoma on December 3, 1930. Today it has nearly 1.8 million acres across 12 Arkansas counties and two Oklahoma counties, which makes it the largest and oldest national forest in the southern United States. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas counts 60 developed recreation areas, six wilderness areas, two national wild and scenic rivers and 700 miles of trails.

The Forest Service runs the forest through five district clusters: Caddo-Womble, Jessieville-Winona-Fourche, Poteau-Cold Springs, Mena-Oden and one in Oklahoma. The Supervisor's Office is at 100 Reserve Street in Hot Springs. The forest is mostly a pine-hickory mix. Most developed sites are open from April through September, and some stay open year round, so check the site before driving in.