Exploring Forked Mountain: Arkansas' Most Amazing Peak

Come along for my exploration of Forked Mountain in the Arkansas Ouachitas. On this trip, I bushwhack my way up to the rock field to plan my route to the summit (when the rattlesnakes are nice and sleepy and it's not storming like it was on this visit).
Start your adventure on Forest Road #793 at the Forked Mountain Falls Trailhead. Follow the trail south for about a quarter of a mile until you see a rock "bridge" to your right that crosses Cedar Creek. From there you will just work your way west/northwest in the direction of the summit by the route that looks best to you.
There is a "trail" listed on AllTrails, but this is just some person's recording and there is no path at all. Keep in mind, you want to keep your eyes open for all sorts of things as you walk: snakes, holes, rocks that might roll, or anything else you can think of.
For this visit, it started raining and I didn't feel like going up beyond the rock field, but even just going that far I was rewarded with amazing views and a pretty good idea of where I will go when I try to attain the summit sometime during the winter months. I can't wait to see the views from the top.

[@NorwayHikesTrails]

A nice trail and peak. Thank you for sharing 😊

[@OklahomoHiker]

Thanks for the kind comment and for watching!

[@BrianGay57]

Very cool! I used to spend a lot of time backpacking in Arkansas. I lived in north Louisiana and spent a lot of time in the Upper Buffalo River. I drove through the Ouachitas so many times without stopping. I did camp in the Ouachitas a couple of times, but never knew about a lot of beautiful places there. I’m meeting my wife’s sister for Christmas in Hot Springs, and hope to explore a bit if the weather cooperates. I wish I had learned to appreciate the Ouachitas sooner. It would have saved me a lot of driving. The geology of the Ouachitas is actually more interesting than the Ozarks.

[@thegleamteamcleaningcompanyNC]

Can you camp anywhere here? And what's the parking like? Also great video! Thanks for capturing and narrating!

[@Jhollowed25]

Very cool! Nice video, thanks for sharing. Do you know if there's a route up the back side of the mountain? It almost looks like you could avoid scrambling and just walk up on the side with the trees. Maybe a bushwack though. I'm trying to figure out if a dog could make it up to the summit :p

[@OklahomoHiker]

Everything I read seems to suggest you could go on the back way, but from what I hear it’s a GNARLY bushwhack. From what I’ve read that last climb to the summit is fairly rigorous so it might be worth checking out solo first.

[@denisestarr2314]

I have camped there several times .

[@OklahomoHiker]

It’s a SUPER cool spot!