USFS · Arkansas, Oklahoma

Ouachita National Forest

The Ouachita National Forest is a vast congressionally-designated National Forest that lies in the western portion of Arkansas and portions of extreme-eastern Oklahoma, USA.

From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

National Forest2.7 million acresUSFSAROK38 campgrounds within 10 mi50 Forest Service sites173 trails
Official page at U.S. Forest Service ↗
1 fire
active
Rx Spring Lake Recreation Area (prescribed burn) · 44 mi from the center · 48 acres
Interagency incident data as of 2026-11-01
Incident details ↓

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationNational Forest
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StatesArkansas, Oklahoma
Size2.7 million acres
Forest Service code0809, region 08
Center point34.68° N, 93.96° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 11)

Boundary map

3 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground Forest Service recreation site

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Ouachita National Forest30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 4.38 inches of precipitation, 0.5 inches of snowFebruary: 4.57 inches of precipitation, 0.4 inches of snowMarch: 5.44 inches of precipitation, 0.4 inches of snowApril: 6.93 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowMay: 7.87 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 5.12 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 4.94 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 4.33 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 5.22 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 5.53 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowNovember: 6.23 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowDecember: 6.01 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 39.7°F averageFebruary: 43.8°F averageMarch: 51.4°F averageApril: 59.3°F averageMay: 66.5°F averageJune: 73.4°F averageJuly: 77.9°F averageAugust: 77.5°F averageSeptember: 70.7°F averageOctober: 60.3°F averageNovember: 49.9°F averageDecember: 42.1°F average0 in2 in4 in6 in8 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Big Fk 1 SSE, 15 miles from the center point at 1,200 feet, station USC00030664 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 67 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 1 inch a year on the same inches scale.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

15 federal campgrounds sit inside the boundary and 23 more are within ten miles of it. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · Inside
Billy Creek Recreation Area
First-comeOK
USACE · Inside
Brady Mountain
Reservable78 sites
FS · Inside
Camp Clearfork
ReservableAR
FS · Inside
Cedar Lake (Oklahoma)
Reservable118 sites
FS · Inside
Charlton Recreation Area
Reservable48 sites
USACE · Inside
Crystal Springs
Reservable75 sites
USACE · Inside
Denby Point
Reservable82 sites
FS · Inside
Jack Creek Recreation Area
First-comeAR
Show 4 more

26 more within ten miles are not listed here.

Trailheads and sites

Forest Service directory · 50

The Forest Service lists 50 recreation sites in this forest, among them 11 shooting ranges, 10 picnic areas, 7 campgrounds, 5 day hikings. Each links to its page on fs.usda.gov, which carries the season, fees and current status.

Show all 50

Distance is from the center point of the boundary, not from a road or town.

Trails

Every trail on Trailhead Atlas →

The Forest Service trail layer records 173 named trails in this forest, 878 miles in all. The 10 longest are listed here.

TrailMiles
Ouachita NRT ↗192.5
Bear Creek Equestrian Trail ↗58.4
Lake Ouachita Vista Trail ↗38
Viles Branch ↗26
Womble Trail South ↗25.8
Sugar Creek Multi-Use Trail ↗25.3
Fourche Mountain Trail ↗20.4
Belle Starr Multiuse Trail ↗18.7
Choctaw Nation Trail ↗18.5
Possum Kingdom Bike Ride ↗17.2

Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.

All 173 trails in Ouachita National Forest on Trailhead Atlas ↗

Fire nearby

Within 50 miles · as of 2026-11-01
  • Prescribed
    Rx Spring Lake Recreation Area

    44 mi from the center point · 48 acres

Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge, and is measured from the center of a boundary that may be many miles across. Check the agency page for closures.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Park · 2 mi
Hot Springs National Park
National Historic Site · 27 mi
Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site
National Historic Site · 27 mi
Fort Smith National Historic Site
National Register listings within 15 miles · 316 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Guidebooks for Arkansas

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • The Ozarks: 43 spectacular hikes in Arkansas and Missouri
    Jim Warnock, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Arkansas Nature Lover's Guidebook
    Tim Ernst and Pam Ernst, 2010
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Scenic Routes and Byways the Ozarks
    Don Kurz, 2013
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Ouachita National Forest?

2.7 million acres.

Source: Forest Service boundary data

Who manages Ouachita National Forest?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

What state is Ouachita National Forest in?

The boundary crosses Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Source: How states are assigned

Can I camp at Ouachita National Forest?

Dispersed camping is allowed on most national forest land outside developed sites. Check the forest page for closures. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to Ouachita National Forest?

A point inside the boundary is at 34.683° N, 93.957° W. Hot Springs National Park is 2 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: U.S. Forest Service

Is there a fire near Ouachita National Forest right now?

1 active incident within 50 miles as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Rx Spring Lake Recreation Area at 44 miles. Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge.

Source: Fire nearby

Which national parks are near Ouachita National Forest?

Hot Springs National Park (2 mi), Little Rock Central High School National Historic Site (27 mi) and Fort Smith National Historic Site (27 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Ouachita National Forest?

The National Register has 316 listings within 15 miles, including Bathhouse Row and Pushmataha Hall.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage and code: the Forest Service Enterprise Data Warehouse.
  • States and territories: computed by intersecting the boundary with Census state polygons and coarse outlines of the territories and outlying islands. A place is listed when it holds at least one percent of the area. A boundary that touches no outline is listed under the nearest one.
  • Description: Ouachita National Forest on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. The article was accepted because its title contains this unit’s name.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, matched by forest code.
  • Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched by forest code.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.