Ouchita National Forest Bikepacking
Once again, as the sun sets we hit the road in search of an adventure. My travels take me east, back into Arkansas. I had been in the area a couple of times backpacking and exploring some potential routes. The allure of seclusion intrigued us to hit the dirt/gravel/rocky back roads of the National Forest. This would be an amazing trip.
Arriving late, late at night deep in the woods. No cell reception is a welcome disconnect to the world. Time slows down, priorities move from checking email, constantly being up to date and connected to enjoying the sounds of nature, eating deliciously cooked meals and staying on track with an outdated map. For me, it sometimes takes a good day to unwind, clear the mind and get going. Our fist initial up hill spent most of the time in the lowest gears, spitting rocks left and right, I had never done a climb fully loaded. The adverse terrain was welcome – this trip wasn’t meant to ride far, rack up the miles; it was meant to disconnect, clear the mind and enjoy the outdoors.
At the end of the first day, we were finding ourselves deeper into private land. Shot gun blasts were sounding off in the background (turkey seasoned opened the following day) and we were a little nervous about staying on route/finding a spot for the evening. We were then conversing about our next plan of action when a Gentleman with an illustrious white beard pulled up next to us and said, “I thought you were a new sign from back there. We don’t get too many cyclists here, Welcome! Haha.” (not in a creepy voice.) He was quite the helpful local, suggested a few options (taking no heed to the gun blasts in the background), and went on his way. We decided to head back to the National Forest area that was more remote. Finding a great campsite past a bridge we called it a day. The stream next to us was refreshing and helped to cool our warm beer.
The next day proved to be more unnerving. Increased activity, from ATV-ers, was disheartening to put up with. Little consideration and thwarting the disconnect I had hoped for, we headed back to the truck for this to be the final day of riding. Shorter trip than expected, but well worth it. I highly recommend riding out in this forest for a great time.
Route notes:
For this trip, I would recommend some bigger tires (I ride on Continental 700cx38 tires). The gravel roads switch to rocky roads quickly and that extra cushion will save your rims. On the map link below is where a good camping spot is after Albert Pike Recreational area, this is where we stayed the first evening. We left our vehicles in at the Little Missouri Falls over flow parking. This is a very active area, and well marked throughout the area if you lose your way. Be mindful of people whipping around the corners on ATV’s. From adults, to children driving them, they do not necessarily respect the “share the road” mentality. The locals in the area are wonderful, got some good information for new exploration for a future trip. The forest is huge and cell phone reception is limited. I would recommend getting a Garmin GPS or a detailed map of the area. I used a map from the late 80’s and it doesn’t seem to have changed much at all. Ride on.
0 Comments