I wince with every step as I cross the river. Bare feet had seemed like a good idea. But now, after too many crossings to count, my soles feel the pain. I grip my trekking poles for stability against the current and tread cautiously on the slick stones, picking my way to the other side.

The river glitters in the late afternoon sun. Jessica and Shay are already on the opposite bank, searching for yellow blazes. Before attempting this crossing, we had bushwhacked away from the last vestiges of trail. Scrambling through brush to the stream bank, we sought some visual indicator of direction, but found only the sight of another wet crossing.

Our scouts report no sign of the trail. We were supposed to be hiking along Viles Branch Creek but something is wrong. Following yellow blazes which have now disappeared, we’ve criss-crossed this swift stream for hours and it is getting late. Where are we? Finally, it occurs to me. “Mary, does your GPS have maps on it?” “I’m not sure,” says Mary. “You want to take a look?” Yes, indeed. Upon examination, it appears we are still on the Little Missouri River – somewhere in the middle of the Ouachita National Forest, but not on Viles Branch Creek. I zoom out and see Road 106 to our north, if the GPS is correct. Mary says the device may not be calibrated correctly. Even so, we have to make a decision.

“We’d better bushwhack to the north and find that road. Then we can head west and it should take us to the Athens-Big Fork Trail,” I say with a confidence I don’t feel. The seven of us begin our scramble through the undergrowth. I feel the weight of the group’s welfare. What have we gotten ourselves into? Before we have gone 100 yards we hear voices on the ridge. I hasten ahead and shout, “Hello! Is someone there?” Soon I climb a little rise and there before me is a trail. Hallelujah, a trail! This trail is different, as we are learning.

The Eagle Rock Loop

The Eagle Rock Loop is the longest and one of the toughest loop hikes in Arkansas, a state with a high concentration of long and tough trails. It is a combination of three trails, the Little Missouri, the Athens-Big Fork, and part of the Viles Branch Horse Trail, with a total length of 26.8 miles. Hiking the Little Missouri section is dependent on water level and flash flooding is possible in the rainy season. It was here in 2010 that 20 campers were killed by flash floods in the Albert Pike Recreation Area.

We planned to do this hike last year but had to divert to a section of the Ouachita Trail because of high water. Now in mid-October 2013, we have found a sweet spot. The river is passable, there is no rain in the forecast, the foliage is gorgeous, and the sun is shining. What else could we need?

Mary and I are the “experienced” hikers and trail guides on this trip. In our pre-trip planning, she agreed to bring the pertinent pages from Tim Ernst’s Arkansas Hiking Trails book. Ernst provides detailed, virtually step-by-step, directions in his many guidebooks. I agreed to bring a detailed U.S. Forest Service map which I had painstakingly printed out and taped together. Mary always brings her GPS, so we believed we were adequately prepared. I had opted not to bring my own GPS or a back-up map for the sake of weight. My pack is just under 20 pounds without water, my lightest pack weight ever. This will be both a blessing and a curse.

Our all-female group, including three first-time backpackers, leave Oklahoma City on a Thursday evening for Mena, Arkansas, our jumping-off point for the hike. The drive is familiar. This town of 5,600 is our home base for semi-annual section hikes on the Ouachita Trail. Midway through the five-hour drive we stop in the berg of Krebs for Italian food served family style at Roseanna’s. Arriving in Mena about 10:30 p.m., we waste no time hitting the sack, craving a good night’s rest for the trail tomorrow.

Hiking the Eagle Rock Loop: Day 1

The trailhead is 23 miles southeast of Mena on a remote forest road. We leave the Sun Country Inn at 7 a.m. to breakfast at the Skyline Café with a roomful of motorcyclists preparing to enjoy the area’s twisty roads. After stuffing ourselves with pancakes, bacon and coffee, we wind our way to the trailhead along canopied byways, leaves of yellow afire in the morning sun.

We arrive at the Little Missouri parking area about 9:30 a.m., intending to begin the loop in a counter-clockwise direction from its northernmost trailhead. This would get the mountainous section out of the way while we are fresh. These mountains are not high in an objective sense but they are mountains nonetheless. The Athens-Big Fork Trail, which comprises the western portion of Eagle Rock Loop, follows an old mail route between the two communities of Athens and Big Fork and climbs steeply over one mountain after another. Many recommend saving the climb for the end of the hike and a lighter pack. I am indifferent, but we have to make a choice. Mary and I stand at the narrow Little Missouri crossing looking at my map.

“Sue, do you see a trail going west?” We both search and all we can see is a white-blazed path going south. “Let’s just head this way and see if it branches off towards the west,” I say, either direction seeming satisfactory to me. The map goes in my pack’s outside pocket so I can reach it easily and we set a brisk pace on level ground along the river, admiring the fall colors and sparkling watercourse. If we encounter the Little Missouri Falls soon, we will know we have gone “the wrong way.” Four miles along, we do exactly that. Clockwise it is!

After crossing a high bridge over the river we explore the falls. Clear turquoise water flows over rock stair steps as wide as the river itself, framed by the reds, yellows and greens of the forest. Descending to the river level, we scramble on boulders and take photographs. The rest of the afternoon is uneventful as we continue along the Little Missouri, ending with three major crossings and no mishaps. We all have different approaches to the river crossings – some use waterproof boots and gaiters, some cross in water shoes. The water is very cold.

Scenic waterfall on the Eagle Rock Loop

Eagle Rock Loop Day 2

My 45-degree sleeping bag weighs almost nothing but given the night’s freezing temperatures, its lightness is small comfort. At daylight, I am ready to get moving and warm up. We try to find the trail. Our wanderings take us through the ghostly Albert Pike Campground – buildings boarded up, abandoned and eerie. Finally, thanks to Jessica, we find the right path, just a couple of hundred yards from our camp. It is wasted time we cannot afford. The trail skirts a rock wall with a fern-lined spring and emerges at a picnic area.

We ascend a steep hill, losing our way again but eventually regaining the trail and moving on toward Winding Stairs. It is important to note that we don’t actually know what Winding Stairs is. What we do understand is that when we get there we should look for yellow blazes signifying the Viles Branch Trail, the east-west connector between the Little Missouri and Athens-Big Fork Trails. Our map is little help in this regard.

We soon arrive at a parking area signed “Winding Stairs” and see a trail marked with yellow blazes. Before we continue, we decide to make this our lunch stop. While we eat, we observe other hikers crossing the stream and surmise that this is a lesser trail we haven’t heard about. For us, it is time to focus on on the Viles Branch.

We follow the yellow blazes. The trail quickly peters out and we are puzzled, finally deciding we have gone the wrong way. Little do we know how wrong. Trudging back to the parking area we find yellow blazes going the opposite direction. Eureka! This must be it, the Viles Branch Trail.

Off we go, trying to follow the yellow blazes, crossing the river over and over. Each time, we are slowed by the process of evaluating the water’s depth and crossing. Shay and Jessica, who are now hiking in their sandals, clearly have the right idea.

As we meet other hikers, the term “Eagle Rock Loop” is unfamiliar to them. Then we come upon a place with giant boulders and multiple swimming holes. Families are wading, picnickers lounging on the lush hillsides. Now it becomes clear – THIS is Winding Stairs Scenic Area, the point where we should have begun seeking the Viles Branch Trail. When we were back at the Winding Stair parking area and saw those people crossing the river – we should have been following them. That was just the parking area and it was Blaylock Creek they were crossing to join the Winding Stairs Trail, which is where we should have been. We have been wandering in the wilderness along the river for several hours. It is another mile to the Viles Branch and it’s getting late. We get moving.

Soon we rejoice again, arriving at a sign post indicating “Eagle Rock Loop.” Here we turn west and are finally trodding the Viles Branch. We come to a wide crossing – hopefully our last. Three hikers have just crossed from the other side and we ask them for bearings. They coach us on the best path for crossing and where to find campsites. We hurry along while we have sunlight, knowing we had better put some miles behind us.

Twilight is falling as the first campsite comes into view. It is occupied by a young woman who doesn’t seem to welcome our gaggle of hikers. “There’s another campsite about five minutes up the trail,” she says.

We arrive there in near darkness and it too is occupied but we have run out of time. We greet the occupant and ask his permission to camp. To our relief, he is cordial, and in a thick southern drawl introduces himself as Wade from Mississippi. We hastily pitch our tents and filter water while we have light, then visit with Wade as we cook dinner. What we learn is alarming.

He is hiking the loop counterclockwise and started at Little Missouri Falls yesterday. "I’ve gone almost 20 miles,” he says, asserting his satellite phone can prove it. If this is true, we have at least 16 miles to go tomorrow. “And those mountains are brutal,” he adds. How is this possible? Mary’s GPS shows 11 miles today and, while we know that some of it was wandering, we can’t be this far behind. According to the map, such as it is, we should have only 8 or 9 more miles to go.

“We should bail out when we get to Road 106,” says one of the girls, referring to the closest parking area. “It’s just too far to go to finish tomorrow.” Panic is setting in. Mary and I confer. “Why don’t we get an early start and see how it goes?” she says. “I agree,” I say. “And just because there is a road up ahead doesn’t mean there will be taxis waiting to ferry us back to the trailhead.” We set our alarms and try to sleep.

Day 3 on the Eagle Rock Loop

We rise at six, breaking camp in the dark and rolling out at sunrise. I lead, moving as quickly as possible to get us out of here. Shay hikes at the front with me and I show her the trail signs – blazes and brightly colored tape. We quickly put the remainder of the Viles Branch Trail behind us and breathe easier when we reach the parking lot at Road 106. It is exactly where it should be. Tim Ernst was right. Now we do know we can finish today and there is no more talk of bailing out. A signpost says we are five miles from the end and we push on.

Where Wade was wrong about the distance, he was right about the mountains. The climbs are long and steep. Lack of adequate conditioning and heavy packs make it even tougher. We share the weight of our companions and soon I drop back and let Shay lead, trying to encourage those who are struggling at the rear. This has to end at some point but the mountains keep coming. Soon we hear a shout of joy from our leaders. They have found the trail’s terminus. We’ve made it! We finish just after 2 o’clock, hiking 10.1 miles today.

As we return to the trailhead, the westerly trail is obvious. It is even marked with orange tape. How we missed it is a mystery – one of many on the Eagle Rock Loop.

Need to Know

Information

Eagle Rock Loop travels through the southwestern portion of the Ouachita National Forest, offering the longest loop hike in Arkansas. It is formed from a combination of the Little Missouri, Viles Branch, and Athens-Big Fork Trails. Camping is allowed anywhere along the trail, but not in the Albert Pike Recreation Area or any of the parking areas. No permits are needed to hike or camp. Trail difficulty ranges from “easy” to “most difficult.” It has numerous water crossings and travels over nine mountains.

Best Time to Go

Late fall, winter and early spring are best for cooler temperatures, minimal undergrowth and insects, fall colors and spring wildflowers.

Getting There

There are five trailheads/parking areas on the loop, with the nearest communities being Mena, Mt. Ida, Langley and Glenwood, Arkansas. Consult the guidebook and maps.

Maps

Forest Service Map. For getting to and from the trailhead and overall planning the Delorme Arkansas Atlas & Gazetteer can be useful.

Books

Arkansas Hiking Trails, Tim Ernst.

About the Author

Susan Dragoo is a writer and photographer living in Norman, Oklahoma.

Editor's Note: This article originally appeared in Issue 14 of TrailGroove Magazine. You can read the original article here for additional photos and content.