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Eagle Rock Loop
of the Ouachita Mountains, Arkansas
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The Eagle Rock Loop is a 26.8 mile loop through the Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas made up of three trail, the Little Missouri, Athens-Big Fork and Viles Branch Trail. It is probably the best hike in Arkansas and the Ouachita Mountains providing river crossings and traversing 5 mountain spines. NOTE- Albert Pike Rec Area remains closed to overnight parking, but the Eagle Rock Loop is open. While there are several places to park along the trail, the best alternative to Albert Pike is the Winding Stair parking lot. The Map: A free full size version of the map is available on the right as a downloadable jpg. It is also available printed in color on 11x17, "Rite in the Rain” all weather writing paper for $5 plus S&H by emailing Charlie at cew5151@gmail.com. The map is nominal 1:24,000 based on USGS 7.5 minute quadrangle topographic maps. The loop was mapped with a WAAS enabled GPS and is drawn in three colors to designate the three trails. Also shown is the Winding Stair scenic area and Eagle Rock Vista. Other features include trailheads, segment mileage, general directions to park, waypoints and waypoint coordinates. GPS File: Right click this link to download the track in a gpx format. Save it to your computer and use your GPS software to load it to your GPS. Google Earth Track: Right click this link to download the track in the Google Earth kml format. Save it to your computer, and open it in Google Earth and trace the route in interactive 3D. Trail Mileage Tables: Two trail mileage tables are presented in pdf format. Both begin at Albert Pike. One is clock-wise and the other is counterclock-wise. This one is an Excel version that is interactive. Background:The Eagle Rock Loop is located in the Ouachita Mountains. The Ouachitas are an east-west trending range that, in its entirety, runs from Atoka OK to almost Little Rock AR. They are characterized by east-west ridges that were the result of thrust faulting during the Ouachita Orogeny. The ridges are made of novaculite, a hard rock that is more resistant to erosion that the softer shales found in the valleys. The loop is in a sub-range called the Cossatot Mountains. The loop is comprised of the Little Missouri, Athens-Bigfork and Viles Branch trails. The Little Missouri trail runs fairly level as it follows the Little Missouri River for about 13 miles. The Lil Mo has 8 crossings, including two bridges. The two south crossings are always wet (video), sometime un-crossable (see below). The middle two between AP and Lil Mo Falls are likely to be wet. The bridges are dry (go figure) The two upstream crossings are usually dry. In addition, there are three creek crossings that could be significant if there has been rain; Blaylock (video), Brier and Longs. The Athens-Bigfork Trail is over 9 miles, cuts across 6 ridges (Hurricane Knob, McKinley Mt, Brier Creek Mt, Leader Mt, Brush Heap Mt and Fodderstack Mt) and has several potentially wet crossings (notably Longs Ck). The Viles Branch Trail is a level trail that follows Viles Branch for 3.5 miles. There are 11 crossings that are usually dry (i.e. dry boots). The loop is in the Ouachita National Forest. There are over 60 native species of trees in the forest, predominantly shortleaf pine, oak, and hickory. When you are in the forest, the canopy does not seem that high. However, before the whole-sale harvest of the shortleaf pine in the early 1900s, the trees were so big and the canopy so high, you could ride a horse through the middle of the forest. Depending on the season, you may see budding redbud, dogwood or blossoming fruit trees such as service berry and wild plum. The hollies are evergreen and prominent during the winter. Some of the flowers we have seen on the trail are downy phlox, blue star, fire pink and leaf sunflower. We have not seen much fauna on our many hikes. We have seen deer but no bears. The bison and elk of yesteryears are long gone. On one trip we were lucky enough to see a river otter in the Viles Branch. We followed it from the bank for several hundred yards before it snuck it to a river side borrow. Geology. The rocks of the Cossatot Mountains tell a story that goes back over 450 million years. Based on the Ordovician age of the Bigfork Chert, the minor ridge former just south of Albert Pike and near the Blaylock Trailhead, the paleo environment was deep ocean. It stayed like this for 100 million years, all the way into the Mississippian Period. The predominant ridge former is the Devonian-Mississippian Arkansas Novaculite, also a deep water sediment. It is a cryptocrystalline silicon dioxide (a type of chert) that was subject to low grade metamorphism. The result is a very hard and smooth rock that makes a superior whetstone. It also features a conchoidal fracture that makes a great source of arrowheads. Its harness and resistance to erosion allows it to form most of the ridges you will cross on the hike. The deep water sediments were deposited in the sea, south of the North American continent (by south, I mean today's south, like where the Gulf of Mexico is. Back then continents were shifting and the directions get confusing). About 280 million years ago South America moved in, closing the sea and colliding with North America. The forces pushed the sea floor on top of the continent causing thrust faults. Today's ridges are the results of the thrust faults and the competent, erosion resistant novaculite. Another benefit of the novaculite is that it does not erode like sandstones and shales. Whereas the latter often cloud the creeks as their particles erode (like in the Oklahoma Ouachitas), the creeks here are very clear. Water Crossings: The crux of this hike are the numerous water crossings, especially the two across the Little Missouri River in the Winding Stair area. The water levels can be fatal as exemplified by the disaster of June 11, 2010 when a heavy rain sent a flash flood through the Albert Pike Recreation Area and swept 20 people to their death. Even after a normal rain, the river can be too high and swift for a safe crossing. It does comeback down in a day or so, so a rain mid-week may not affect your weekend hike. Alternatively, a downpour the night before you plan to cross may make you glad you have a map so you can bushwhack the crossings. Here is a link to the USGS water level gauge for the Little Missouri River near Langley, AR. It will give you an idea of how fast the levels rise and fall and what is normal. As a rough coorelation, 4.0 feet and below on the guage should not be a problem if you are prudent. The water level at the Winding Stair crossings should be about calf deep. Between 4 and 4.5 feet it may be doable but there is a risk of drowning if you screw up (sounds severe but slip with your pack cinched tight and you have the makings of a tragedy). Over 4.5, you might want to wait a day, consider the bushwhack over the ridge or join the kayaks frolicking in the river at Albert Pike. The Hike: The Eagle Rock Loop just may be the best hike in the Ouachita Mountains, combining rugged hill climbs though the mixed hardwood and pine forest with strolls along crystal clear streams. The loop is made of three trails and, with 5 trailheads, offers a multitude of hiking options. The hardwoods in this section of the Ouachita National Forest are oak with some maple. The pines are short leaf and loblolly. In the winter the smaller but evergreen holly trees are a striking contrast to the gray brown of the forest floor. This trail description goes counter-clockwise starting near the north end of Highway 369 at the Albert Pike Recreation Area. The recreation area has been closed to camping and overnight parking since the flood of June 11, 2010. Follow the Little Missouri Trail (white blazes) north along the Little Missouri River. The trail is fairly level but crosses the river (video) three times and two significant tributaries making it impassible when the water is high. Call the ranger station if there has been heavy rains or take note of the water level when you cross the bridge at Albert Pike. A small hot spring has been reported in this area about 5 minutes south of the Crooked Creek crossing, between the trail and the river. At 6.3 miles you will come to the scenic Little Missouri Falls (video), its namesake picnic area and the second trailhead. The trail swings west and continues its level march along the river for another 4.1 miles and 3 more crossings. The first crossing is an old bridge and the other 2 are usually dry boulder hops. At the third trailhead the loop turns south and follows the Athens-Big Fork Trail. Over the next 4.9 miles the trail crosses six prominent east-west trending ridges (video) formed by Ouachita thrust faulting, each with relief of 400 to 500 feet. The rocks supporting the ridges and cropping out along the river are Arkansas Novaculite, a sequence of black and near-white chert-like rocks that underlay this portion of the forest. After the fourth ridge, you will cross Blaylock Creek and reach the trailhead on Forest Road 106 (mile 15.3). The Blaylock crossing is wide and can be done with dry feet across a long stretch of stepping stones if the water isn’t too high. There are two more ridges to cross on this section of the loop, including an 800 foot haul up Brush Heap Mountain. Look for the spur trail to Eagle Rock Vista (video) on the second ridge taking off to the right. The vista gives you a great view of Viles valley and Big Tom Mountain to the south. At mile 18.5 the trail drops into the valley of Viles Branch and intersects the Viles Branch Trail (yellow blazes). Turn left (east). The trail runs flat for the next 3.5 miles but crosses the creek (video) 11 times. If the water isn’t high, they are easy and dry. Watch for wild turkeys and river otter. At mile 22, the Viles Branch Trail crosses the Little Missouri River and the loop rejoins the Little Missouri Trail. This is a wet crossing (video), year-round. Heading north you will reach the bluff overlooking Winding Stairs (video), a scenic area formed by a narrow water gap through one of the novaculite ridges, and a great swimming hole. Shortly, you will have another wet crossing (video) across the Little Missouri, but don’t put your boots back on. You are on a gravel bar and have another crossing in about 50 feet. The fifth trailhead is the Winding Stair Trailhead located at mile 24.8. There is a short spur trail to the parking lot on FR 106. The loop finishes off with a 300 foot climb to a narrow rocky ridge overlooking Albert Pike (video) and a steep decent to the parking lot (26.8 miles). Info: Featured in the Backpacker Magazine (Wild Weekend, April 2007, Midwest Edition). USGS 7.5 minute quadrangle topographic maps: Big Fork and Athens (trail not shown). Contact the Ouachita National Forest, Caddo Ranger District at (870) 356-4186. An 8.5” x 11 sketch map is available from the Forest Service website. Directions to Albert Pike Trailhead: Take Arkansas Hwy. 84 west of Glenwood, AR; turn north on Arkansas Hwy. 369 at Langley and go 6 miles. At Albert Pike, turn left on FR 106 and cross the bridge to the parking lot. Albert Pike can be accesses from the north via AR Highway 8. Turn south on Forest Road 43 about 5.6 miles east of Big Fork AR. Take FR 43 for 9 miles, turn right on FR 73 and go 3.1 miles to Albert Pike. Turn right on FR 106 to cross bridge to parking lot. To Buy Map: The entire trail is available as a two map set on color weatherproof paper (11x17). The maps are $5 each ($10 for the set) plus S&H by emailing cew5151@gmail.com. The maps are also available at Ozark Outdoor Supply in Little Rock and Pack Rat Outdoor Center in Fayetteville. Call the store to make sure they are in stock. Links to T-shirts and stickers (Note: Ouachita Maps is not affiliated with the following sites or the vendors): |
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Weatherproof Topographic Maps at
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