Create Your Escape: Outdoors in the Ouachitas

If you are itching to hit the road, here is something to try out. There is a new website Arkansas Tourism has developed to give people a chance to create their dream escape to Arkansas.  You can use the Trip Planner found there to build your ideal Arkansas trip, share it with your friends, and it could be yours! I just designed mine and the trip planner function is pretty neat to use. It is hard to stop adding things to a dream list so I just went with it and created my ultimate outdoor trip.

Some of my favorite things to do in and around Hot Springs include walking down Bathhouse Row, mountain biking at Cedar Glades Park,  kayaking at Lake Ouachita, and walking my dog through the Historic and Art District neighborhoods around the city.

These things are part of my daily escape so I had to make them part of this trip too!

I love hiking and biking and kayaking so my ultimate escape trip would involve all three. A mecca for outdoor activities, the Ouachitas are a prime place for this trip to happen. The many options for hiking in the Ouachita National Forest  could make a wonderful trip of their own.

Then there is the Womble Trail—one of my favorite spots for mountain biking. The view of Lake Ouachita from the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail is well worth the hike or bike to a vantage point. Heading to Mena to check out the Wolf Pen Gap trails is also on the list as well as kayaking the Cossatot River in Wickes and hiking to Little Missouri Falls in Glenwood. 

It’s a big loop through and around the Ouachitas, with excursions that involve high vantage points to take in the scenery. 

Those that do are entered to win a three-day-two-night getaway in Arkansas. Pretty neat! From what I’m told, the winner will be chosen on April 30. We would love to hear from you on your plans for your dream escape. Or if you’ve already taken your dream trip here, let us know about that too!