⇨ROAD TRIP⇦
LOVE the LOVIT
THE LAKE OUACHITA VISTA TRAIL IS UNDERRATED — AND A PERFECTLY LOW-STAKES WAY TO TRY OUT SPRING BACKPACKING. STORY AND PHOTOS BY STEPHANIE SMITTLE
T
he whole human-versus-the-elements thing was a mismatch from the get-go, right? I’m guessing the Garden of Eden was blissfully free of poison ivy and Lone Star ticks, but that bit where the snake crashes the party was a pretty good indicator of outdoor hazards to come — and frankly, sounds an awful lot like August in Arkansas. As ever and everywhere, Mother Nature always bats last in The Natural State, and most of your time ramping up to a backpacking trip here will be spent asking, “What bad problems can happen to me and what can I do about that?” And while that’s crucial to consider, it leaves very little time for pondering the possibility that good things will happen. Behold, the following list of virtues of the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail, a 40-ish mile path through the Ouachita Mountains along the south banks of Lake Ouachita in Garland and Montgomery counties: 28 APRIL 2022
ARKANSAS TIMES
