The hidden heroes of Oklahoma’s rugged Ouachita Trail
Oklahoma Living - The morning fog settles thick over the Ouachita Mountains near Talimena State Park in eastern Oklahoma, the kind of fog that Michael Fulks says can leave you “never seeing the sun” for days.
These ancient peaks, running unusually east to west across Oklahoma and Arkansas, have been his home for more than three decades. A transfer with Arkansas State Parks brought him to Queen Wilhelmina State Park in 1990, where an unexpected blind date would change the course of his life.
“I wasn’t expecting the mountains,” Fulks said of his first arrival near Page, Oklahoma. “I was expecting prairie stuff, to be honest.”
Instead, he found himself in one of the most distinctive mountain ranges in North America, located within the Southeastern Electric Cooperative and Choctaw Electric Cooperative service territories. Here he would eventually meet his future wife, Lynn, through her mother, who managed the park’s restaurant.
Together, the Fulks have gone on to become not only staunch advocates of the famed Ouachita National Recreation Trail, but one of the core members of the Friends of the Ouachita Trail (FoOT) organization.
A trail runs through
The Ouachita National Recreation Trail, stretching 223 miles from southeastern Oklahoma to central Arkansas, was already familiar territory for Fulks. As a trails coordinator for Arkansas State Parks, he’d maintained sections of it, and in the 1980s, he completed a through hike of the entire trail.
“Some pieces were wonderful, but pieces needed work,” he said. “Some of the pieces were ‘I hope this is the trail and not a deer trail,’ kind of shape,” he laughed. “But I enjoyed the heck out of myself.”
The vision for the Ouachita National Recreation Trail emerged in the early 1970s, when outdoor enthusiasts and U.S. Forest Service officials dreamed of creating a long distance path through the ancient Ouachita Mountains. The idea was simple but ambitious: establish a footpath that would showcase the unique east-west orientation of the mountain range while providing a wilderness experience distinct from the more populated Appalachian Trail.
Construction began in 1971 with various sections being completed throughout the decade. By 1981, major portions of the trail were finished, though it would take several more years to complete the entire route. The trail was officially dedicated in 1984, establishing a 223-mile corridor that connects Talimena State Park in Oklahoma to Pinnacle Mountain State Park near Little Rock, Arkansas.
The trail’s creation marked a significant achievement in conservation, protecting a continuous strip of wilderness through one of America’s oldest mountain ranges. Unlike many long-distance trails that follow ridge lines, the Ouachita Trail incorporates diverse ecosystems on both north and south-facing slopes, creating unique
microclimates and habitats that support remarkable biodiversity.
What makes the Ouachita Trail special, Fulks explained, isn’t just its unique geography. Unlike other major trails, the Ouachita Trail strays far from communities and away from civilization. It’s also a popular trail for those training to tackle the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail.
The western terminus in Oklahoma presents some of the trail’s most challenging terrain.
“After you get started at Talimena, those first 20 miles are one of the most rugged parts of the entire trail,” Fulks said. “You’ve got boulder fields you have to cross, exposed rock fields, and you’re not climbing up and down — you’re going across them.”
The work of maintaining this wilderness corridor falls to Friends of the Ouachita Trail (FoOT), which formed after a devastating ice storm in 2001. The organization gained momentum after a feature in Backpacker magazine about ten years ago, which brought an influx of younger hikers to the trail.
“We can get 20 to 30 people to show up for a maintenance weekend,” Fulks said. “Heavy trail work is really a younger person’s game, but we get people of all ages who come out here.”
Connecting the trails
Michael and Lynn became officially involved with FoOT in 2012, although their connection to the trail runs deeper. What started as helping three stranded college students at Horsethief Springs in 2010 evolved into a vital shuttle service for hikers.
“We went from maybe one or two calls a month to three or four calls a day,” Fulks said. “At one point, we had two vehicles moving. My wife did the local stuff, and I would do the long runs.”
The work is never-ending. As core members of the FoOT organizations, the Fulks say maintaining a trail like the Ouachita Trail is a labor of love that seems to never end.
The organization coordinates through their website, where volunteers eagerly claim maintenance tasks. From clearing paths and cutting back brambles to building shelters and maintaining primitive campsites, the volunteers come armed with tools, heavy gloves and a lot of enthusiasm.
Though Michael and Lynn may not backpack as much as they used to, they remain connected to the trail community through their shuttle service and volunteer work.
Today, the trail serves as both a testament to public lands conservation and a vital recreation resource, offering everything from day hikes to challenging through-hikes that attract visitors from across the country.
Tips for the trail
The trail sees its heaviest use from September through June, with March being particularly busy during spring break.
Fulks’ favorite times to hike are fall and winter. Not only is the trail less crowded, the views can be better, the water is more plentiful and the ticks aren’t as bad.
Fulks recommends starting at the Winding Stair backpackers camp around mile 20. The trail takes roughly an hour to hike up to where it flattens out, but once you get there, the views are well worth the burning leg muscles.
This section, which he’s guided for everyone from families with young children to hikers with asthma, offers what he calls a “perfect introduction” to what the Ouachita Trail can be.
