[Philmont] Training treks

Scott, our troop is located in Kilgore, Texas, about 100 miles east of you. Our favorite places for Philmont shakedowns are the Little Missouri trail in southwest Arkansas, and the Ouachita Trail in eastern Oklahoma/western Arkansas. Tim Ernst has written guide books, available at REI, covering these trails.
 
The Ouachita Trail is a favorite of ours in the winter. We usually access the trail at the Winding Stair campground north of Big Cedar, Oklahoma, and hike east to a good campsite with water near where US Highway 259 crosses the trail. It's about 6 1/2 miles of rugged, steep hiking one way, representative of some of what you will do at Philmont. Some of the views are really nice when the leaves are off the trees. You'll usually have the trail to yourself, unless we're there. You'll need to plan for water, as it's not available on much of the trail. A small store is at Big Cedar for basic supplies. Be sure and take a look at the US flag near the highway intersection and the monument showing where President Kennedy dedicated the highway just a few months before he was killed. We stop off at Beaver's Bend state park on the way home for showers, and generally have pizza or burgers at Broken Bow.
 
Our favorite backpacking trail during warmer weather is the Little Missouri Trail, which is part of the 27 mile Eagle Rock Loop near the Albert Pike recreation area campgrounds, near Mena, Arkansas. The there are many routes you can do, but our favorite starts at the Albert Pike campground, and ends in area called, coincidentally, the Winding Stairs. You have a couple of wet crossings getting to the Winding Stairs, which is where you'll find some of the best swimming holes anywhere, and an abundance of good campsites. Sometimes there will be a number of people there on weekends, but almost none of them camp overnight because it's about 2 miles from the nearest road. It's about 5 miles one way, but you can do other parts of the Eagle Rock Loop if you want to increase the mileage or have a long weekend. The entire loop is doable in 3 days, or less if you're really fit. The Albert Pike campground has hot showers for your cleanup before heading home, and there's a small store nearby if you need any basic supplies. We usually stop at the Pizza Hut in Ashdown, Arkansas on the way home.
 
You're in for a great adventure - enjoy every minute of it. Let me know if I can answer any questions for you.
 
KeithASM, Troop 252
Kilgore, TX
706-T1 (2007) and 5 other Philmont treks (so far)

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Received on Wed Dec 19 09:02:53 2007