Buckeye Mountain Trail
Ouachita National Forest /Buckeye Mountain Trail
This is one of the prettiest trails in the Ouachita Mountains. It is totally within the Caney Creek Wilderness area and is pretty at any time of year. Buckeye Trail generally follows a ridge offering many vistas before winding down to the Caney Creek bottoms.There are many buckeye trees on the ridges and a sharpeyed person can find a buckeye that the squirrels missed. As the trail circles around Katy Mountain, a tough old pine tree with a large horizontal branch grabs your attention and admiration for its tenacity. Just prior to intersecting the Caney Creek Trail, a short trail takes you back up Katy Creek to the beautiful Katy Falls. This is one of the beauty spots in the Ouachita Forest. After intersecting the Caney Creek Trail, most hikers go back east toward FS 38 to exit at the trailhead about a mile downhill from the Buckeye Mountain trailhead. See the Caney Creek Trail for a description of the Caney Creek portion.

Planning notes:
         Long drive no matter how approached. It is helpful to park one car at the end of the hike to avoid walking a mile on FR38.
        This can be combined with other hikes in the Little Missouri River/Cossatot River area for an overnight.

Access Notes:
        East end: FR 38. Can be reached from Athens (CR 246 to Shady Lake turn off / FR 38) or from Albert Pike (FR 106 to FR 38). From Athens it is 10.5 miles up FR 38 from 246, on left. From Albert Pike, go to the end of FR 106 turn right on FR 38. TH is about 1.5 miles on the left.
       

For additional info:
        Tim Ernst "Arkansas Hiking Trails" (p. 172)
        USFS map available
       

Recent Hikes:

November 11, 2010          Leader:   Glen McClain     7 Hikers           
Route:   From Buckeye Trailhead to Caney Creek Trailhead
       
        The hike started at the Buckeye Mtn trailhead and ended at the Caney Creek trailhead. The trail is overgrown with weeds and needs to be blazed. The vistas were great, with beautiful fall colors. The hikers found several buckeyes. Lunch was at Katy Falls, which had a fair amount of water flowing. The walk through Caney Creek Wilderness was beautiful.

January 12, 2012          Leader:   Glen McClain     7 Hikers           
Route:   From Buckeye Trailhead to Caney Creek Trailhead
       
        The hike started at the Buckeye Mtn trailhead and ended at the Caney Creek trailhead. The trail is overgrown with weeds and needs to be blazed.