OT Eagle Rock Loop

[RomanLA]

I have a long weekend coming up and it looks like it will be a fairly dry week. I was thinking about coming up and backpacking Eagle Rock Loop. Which trail head would I want to park at and what direction should I hike to save the best for last? Also, I've never been on the Cossatot and I will be driving through Vandervoort. What would be a good section of the River Corridor Trail to do an in and out hike? Anything else in this area that I should check out? Thanks!

[Owl]

The ERL is a great trail. I've backpacked it twice in three days/two nights both times. I've always hiked it clockwise starting at the trailhead nearest Mena on Hwy. 25 but the next time I do it I think I'll start at the same trailhead but hike CCW to get the steep Athens-Big Fork section done first.

There are other trailheads you can use, too. Below are some links for maps and more information.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/ouachita/maps/d ... op_000.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

http://www.ouachitamaps.com/Eagle%20Rock.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[RomanLA]

I'm going to have to do some digging to find a map with the fire roads. I was able to find the GPS coordinates for the trail, so that may help.
http://bp2.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip ... pId=236686

[bstephens]

Definitely the best part of Eagle Rock Loop is the trail along the Little Missouri south of Albert Pike Rec Area, second best being the trail north of Albert Pike up to the falls. When you complete it, be sure to check with the rangers on how to obtain your ERL patch, they are free.
Last time I was on the river trail, it was very hard to find and follow due to overgrowth. I doubt if it has improved.

[RomanLA]

Definitely the best part of Eagle Rock Loop is the trail along the Little Missouri south of Albert Pike Rec Area, second best being the trail north of Albert Pike up to the falls. When you complete it, be sure to check with the rangers on how to obtain your ERL patch, they are free.
Last time I was on the river trail, it was very hard to find and follow due to overgrowth. I doubt if it has improved.

Very cool...that was the direction I had decided to take...counterclockwise from Albert Pike. As soon as I find my USB cable, I'm going to download the GPS waypoints. By the way, where is the ranger station?

Oh yeah, also would it be worth me bringing a boat to practice skills at Ed Banks or somewhere else easily accessed on the Tot...without me risking losing my boat if I end up swimming? lol

[William82]

Any suggestions on best day hike section that allows you to see the highlights on the ERL?

[RomanLA]

Any suggestions on best day hike section that allows you to see the highlights on the ERL?

Definitely! Winding Stairs was hands down the best part of the trail. If you park at Albert Pike, it's 4.8 miles each way. There are a lot of scenic overlooks near Albert Pike too. There's also a parking lot near the start of Winding Stairs making it 2.8 miles each way. The only bad thing is that the road from Albert Pike to there is pretty rough. I got lost when I got there at 1am and started up in that direction. I was pretty happy when I found a place to turn around. lol

Anyway, it was a great trip and I can't wait to do some paddling on the Little Mo! Here's my pictures if anyone is interested...lots of fall colors...my self portraits are in a different folder. lol
http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/5683 ... t=outdoors

This was the view from my tent at Winding Stairs!



p.s. Be prepared for quite a few stream crossings. There were several that were knee deep with fairly fast moving water in this section.

[Lifejacket]

The bridge in the first 2 pictures is that on the 25 road?

[Renee H]

About the corridor trail on the Cossatot.......

I've hiked from the Falls campground up to Ed Banks - it is pretty cool, but tough. Downstream of the Double Ledges rapid where the trail crosses a small creek, you can hike up this creek to a pretty cool waterfall. Even when the Tot is low, there is some water coming over it. Also, the trail takes you to the top of the bluff at the Esses, so hiking down into the Esses is a bit of a challenge, but doable. The trail goes from Hwy 246 to Hwy 278, but I haven't hiked all of it. When are you thinking about doing this trail?

[Zach]

The trail along the Tot below the falls is a little strange. It winds around different sections of fenced private land, so it zig-zags around and is a little hard to follow. It also isn't very close to the river in a lot of places (a lot of it is on the other side of the ridge from the river). A lot of it is more a marked hike through the woods than a trail, especially any of the hilly sections.
Better for a fast hike or trail run than a leisurely scenic hike, since if you're going slow you'll be in the middle of fairly nondescript woods for long periods of time.

[T Yamashita]

Nice pictures!!!

Makes me want to hit the trail with some Emerson or Thoreau!!!
ty

[RomanLA]

The bridge in the first 2 pictures is that on the 25 road?

I think it's at FR914, because I came to it almost immediately when I left Albert Pike heading north. I sent those pictures and a description of the location to Cowper last night. I think he's going to follow up on the equipment in the river.

About the corridor trail on the Cossatot...

I had planned to hike it Sunday, but by time I got off the trail I just wanted a shower and to get home to my girls. I'll probably end up hiking it when I finally get up there for a Tot run.

Nice pictures!!!

Thanks T! I just got a new camera, so I was playing with it quite a bit.

[Lifejacket]

Kinda hard to believe it would be 914 that road has been closed for over 10 years. It is in the middle of a walk-in turkey area. Would more likely be 512, I haven't been up there since the spring and they were working on a bridge on 512.