A 300,000-acre section of the Ouachita National Forest in the southeastern corner of Oklahoma features the pine and hardwood covered ridges of the Ouachita Mountains. This area is a popular outdoor activity and scenic driving destination.
The best views of the area are in spring and fall along the Talimena Scenic Drive, a National Scenic Byway. The 54-mile byway follows the Winding Stair Mountain Range and crosses into Arkansas. Recreational activities along the byway include camping, hiking, hunting, and hang-gliding. The Ouachita National Recreation Trail, a 192-mile hiking, backpacking, and mountain biking trail, also follows the byway east. Other trails in the national forest are open to off-road vehicles and horses.
U.S. Highway 259 provides a scenic route to Broken Bow Lake and the Mountain Fork River. Here, Beavers Bend State Resort Park and Hochatown State Park offer camping, cabins, and hiking and horseback trails. The clear lake hosts scuba divers, and is a popular fishing, boating, skiing, swimming, and eagle watching spot. The Mountain Fork River offers some of the state's best trout and fly-fishing. Cedar Creek Golf course is nearby.
The Ouachita Mountains and National Forest are located in the southeastern corner of Oklahoma. They are accessible via U.S. Highways 59, 259, 271. Lodging choices include camping, cabins, resorts, hotels and motels in the towns of the region.
