Ozark Highlands Trail
Ozark Highlands Trail is a 132.1-mile trail in Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, Arkansas. The Forest Service rates it trail class 2 to 3, moderately developed to developed. It is open to hiking. It enters Hurricane Creek Wilderness.
Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Ozark-St. Francis National Forest official page carries current alerts and closure orders.
Map
One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.
| One end | 35.6972° N, 94.0251° W · Directions ↗ |
| Other end | 35.8976° N, 92.9282° W · Directions ↗ |
The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start. The trail is recorded as 16 segments.
The trail
| Length | 132.1 miles |
| Trail class | 2, moderately developed; 3, developed |
| Type | land trail |
| Surface | native material |
| Typical grade | 12-20 percent |
| Typical tread width | 18-24 inches |
| Motor vehicles | Closed to all motorized use year-round |
| Accessibility | Not evaluated |
| National designation | National Recreation Trail or other national designation |
| Trail numbers | 2000 |
| Forest | Ozark-St. Francis National Forest (unit 0810) |
| States | Arkansas |
| Detail published | management level, with uses |
Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.
Weather by month
Allowed uses
| Hiking | Allowed year-round |
A use is listed when the Forest Service records it as managed, accepted or discouraged on any segment. Discouraged still means legal. Uses marked restricted are left out. Where the forest publishes a Motor Vehicle Use Map, that map governs motorized use.
Wilderness
- Hurricane Creek WildernessFS · about 8% of the line is insideWilderness Connect ↗
Inside a designated wilderness, bicycles and motor vehicles are prohibited by law regardless of the trail record, and permits or group limits may apply.
Trailheads
Fairview Trailhead No season published | under 0.1 mi |
Distance is from the point to the nearest part of the trail line. Season text is what the forest wrote and is often a season name rather than a date.
Trails nearby
Camping nearby
Campsite Atlas cards carry site counts and booking links from Recreation.gov. Forest Service cards come from the recreation layer and link the agency page.
Fire nearby
- PrescribedRx Arbaugh Woodland
7 mi from the trail midpoint · 75 acres
- PrescribedRx Spring Lake Recreation Area
36 mi from the trail midpoint · 48 acres
Distance is to the reported incident point, not the fire edge. Closure orders are on the forest's official page.
Explore
Park units nearby
Historic places nearby
Guidebooks for Arkansas
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Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
How long is the Ozark Highlands Trail?
The Forest Service records 132.1 miles under this name in Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, the sum of 16 segments.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
What is allowed on the Ozark Highlands Trail?
Hiking is allowed. The trail is closed to motor vehicles year-round.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Where does the Ozark Highlands Trail start?
The line begins at 35.6972° N, 94.0251° W and ends at 35.8976° N, 92.9282° W. The nearest recorded trailhead is Fairview Trailhead, under 0.1 miles from the line. The record does not say which end is the usual start.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Is the Ozark Highlands Trail in a wilderness area?
Yes. It enters Hurricane Creek Wilderness. Wilderness rules ban bicycles and motor vehicles and often limit group size.
Source: Hurricane Creek Wilderness
Where can I camp near the Ozark Highlands Trail?
Haw Creek Falls Point of Interest (under 0.1 mi), Ozone Campground (0.1 mi) and White Rock Mountain Recreation Area (0.2 mi) are within five miles of the trail. The camping section lists all 7 with site counts and booking links.
Source: Campsite Atlas
How developed is the Ozark Highlands Trail?
Trail class 2 to 3, which the Forest Service describes as moderately developed to developed. Class 1 is a minimal, unimproved route and class 5 is fully developed, often paved.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
How steep and how wide is the Ozark Highlands Trail?
The typical grade is 12-20 percent. The typical tread is 18-24 inches wide.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Is the Ozark Highlands Trail a national trail?
Yes. The record marks it as a National Recreation Trail.
Source: Forest Service trail layer
Who manages the Ozark Highlands Trail?
Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, Forest Service unit 0810. The trail is in Arkansas.
Is there a fire near the Ozark Highlands Trail?
The interagency feed shows 2 active incidents within 50 miles of the trail midpoint as of 2026-11-01, the nearest Rx Arbaugh Woodland at 7 miles. Check the forest's closure orders before you go.
Source: Fire nearby
Source
This page is built from 16 segments named Ozark Highlands Trail in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0810. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed November 1, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.