Arkansas · Trail 2000

Ozark Highlands Trail

Ozark Highlands Trail is a 132.1 miles trail in Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, Arkansas. The Forest Service rates it trail class 2 to 3, moderately developed to developed. It is open to hiking. It enters Hurricane Creek Wilderness.

Trail conditions, closures and hazards are not tracked here. The Ozark-St. Francis National Forest official page carries current alerts and closure orders.

Map

One end Other endLine simplified to about 100 metres. Basemap from the USGS National Map.

One end35.6972, -94.0251 · Directions ↗
Other end35.8976, -92.9282 · Directions ↗

The ends are the two ends of the longest connected chain of segments. The record does not say which is the usual start. The trail is recorded as 16 segments.

The trail

Length132.1 miles
Trail class2, moderately developed; 3, developed
Typeland trail
Surfacenative material
Typical grade12-20 percent
Typical tread width18-24 inches
Motor vehiclesClosed to all motorized use year-round
AccessibilityNot evaluated
National designationNational Recreation Trail or other national designation
Trail numbers2000
ForestOzark-St. Francis National Forest (unit 0810)
StatesArkansas
Detail publishedmanagement level, with uses

Values are the set across all segments. Class 1 is minimally developed and class 5 is fully developed. Grade and width are the forest's typical values, not measured extremes.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Ozark Highlands Trail30°40°50°60°70°80°90°January: 3.70 inches of precipitation, 0.9 inches of snowFebruary: 3.36 inches of precipitation, 0.6 inches of snowMarch: 4.89 inches of precipitation, 0.6 inches of snowApril: 5.32 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowMay: 5.83 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 3.97 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 4.23 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 3.82 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 4.17 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 4.46 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowNovember: 5.02 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowDecember: 4.02 inches of precipitation, 0.2 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 37.9°F averageFebruary: 42.2°F averageMarch: 50.2°F averageApril: 59.4°F averageMay: 67.8°F averageJune: 76.0°F averageJuly: 80.3°F averageAugust: 80.0°F averageSeptember: 72.6°F averageOctober: 61.6°F averageNovember: 49.9°F averageDecember: 40.9°F average0 in2 in4 in6 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Clarksville 6 NE, 10 miles from the trail midpoint at 850 feet, station USC00031457 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 53 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 2 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Allowed uses

HikingAllowed year-round

A use is listed when the Forest Service records it as managed, accepted or discouraged on any segment. Discouraged still means legal. Uses marked restricted are left out. Where the forest publishes a Motor Vehicle Use Map, that map governs motorized use.

Wilderness

Inside a designated wilderness, bicycles and motor vehicles are prohibited by law regardless of the trail record, and permits or group limits may apply.

Trailheads

No season published
0 mi

Distance is from the point to the nearest part of the trail line. Season text is what the forest wrote and is often a season name rather than a date.

Camping nearby

Campsite Atlas cards carry site counts and booking links from Recreation.gov. Forest Service cards come from the recreation layer and link the agency page.

Explore

Reference

Questions people ask

How long is the Ozark Highlands Trail?

132.1 miles, the sum of the 16 segments the Forest Service records under this name in Ozark-St. Francis National Forest.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

What is allowed on the Ozark Highlands Trail?

hiking. The trail is closed to motor vehicles year-round.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Where does the Ozark Highlands Trail start?

The line begins at 35.6972, -94.0251 and ends at 35.8976, -92.9282. The nearest recorded trailhead is Fairview Trailhead, 0 miles from the line. The record does not say which end is the usual start.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Is the Ozark Highlands Trail in a wilderness area?

Yes. It enters Hurricane Creek Wilderness. Wilderness rules ban bicycles and motor vehicles and often limit group size.

Source: Hurricane Creek Wilderness Wilderness

Where can I camp near the Ozark Highlands Trail?

Haw Creek Falls Point of Interest (0 mi), Ozone Campground (0.1 mi) and White Rock Mountain Recreation Area (0.2 mi) are within five miles of the trail. Site counts and booking links are on Campsite Atlas.

Source: Campsite Atlas

How developed is the Ozark Highlands Trail?

Trail class 2 to 3, which the Forest Service describes as moderately developed to developed. Class 1 is a minimal, unimproved route and class 5 is fully developed, often paved.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

How steep and how wide is the Ozark Highlands Trail?

The typical grade is 12-20 percent. The typical tread is 18-24 inches wide.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Is the Ozark Highlands Trail a national trail?

Yes. The record marks it as a National Recreation Trail.

Source: Forest Service trail layer

Who manages the Ozark Highlands Trail?

Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, Forest Service unit 0810. The trail is in Arkansas.

Source: Ozark-St. Francis National Forest official page

Source

This page is built from 16 segments named OZARK HIGHLANDS TRAIL in the Forest Service TrailNFS_Publish layer, administrative unit 0810. Wilderness overlap is tested against the National Wilderness Preservation System layer from Wilderness Connect. Trailheads and Forest Service campgrounds come from the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer. Data refreshed September 17, 2026. The methodology page explains how segments become trails.