The Ouachita National Forest is a National Forest that lies in the western portion of Arkansas and portions of eastern Oklahoma. This article is on national forests in the United States. ... State nickname: The Natural State Other U.S. States Capital Little Rock Largest city Little Rock Governor Mike Huckabee (R) Official languages English Area 137,732 km² (29th)  - Land 134,856 km²  - Water 2,876 km² (2. ... Oklahoma is a South Central state of the United States (with strong Southern, Western, and Midwestern influences) and its U.S. postal abbreviation is OK; others abbreviate the states name Okla. ...

The Ouachita National Forest is the oldest National Forest in the southern United States. The forest encompasses more than 1.6 million acres (6,500 km²) including most of the scenic Ouachita Mountains. Six locations in the forest, comprising 65,000 acres (263 km²), have been designated as wilderness areas. The forest stretches from the central part of Arkansas into southeastern Oklahoma.  ?Ouachita? is the French spelling of the Indian word Washita which means "good hunting grounds". Ouachita National Forest from US Forest Service Report Cover File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Ouachita Mountains The Ouachita Mountains are a mountain range located in west central Arkansas and east central Oklahoma. ...

The area including the forest nearly became a 165,000 acre (668 km²) national park during the 1930s but a last-minute veto by President Calvin Coolidge ended the effort. Yosemite National Park in the United States. ... // Events and trends The 1930s were spent struggling for a solution to the global depression. ... John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. ...

The forest contains a number of hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding trails. The most extensive hiking trail is the Ouachita National Recreation Trail which traverses 192 miles across the region. Beautiful natural scenes are common hiking destinations Hiking is a form of walking, undertaken with the specific purpose of exploring and enjoying the scenery. ... Mountain biking is an exciting sport that involves riding bicycles anywhere off paved roads. ... horse, see Horse (disambiguation). ...

In the Oklahoma section of the forest the 26,445 acre (107 km²) Winding Stair Mountain National Recreation Area and six other designated areas offer visitors a full range of activities with more than 150 campsites, a 90 acre (0.4 km²) lake, and an equestrian camp.

The Talimena Scenic Byway in Oklahoma and the Highway 7 National Scenic Byway in Arkansas meander through the forest providing amazing vistas and excellent photo opportunities.

Canoeing and fishing are popular activities on the Caddo River, Little Missouri River, and Ouachita River within the bounds of the forest. The Cossatot River, said to be the most difficult whitewater river between the Smoky and Rocky Mountains also passes through the forest. Canoeing is the recreational or sporting activity of paddling a canoe or kayak. ... Fishing is the activity of hunting for fish. ... The Caddo River is an 80 mile long river that flows through the US state of Arkansas. ... The Little Missouri River, or Little Mo, is a river which runs from the Ouachita Mountains of southwest Arkansas into the rolling hills area in the surrounding countryside. ... The Cossatot River is a river in the U.S. state Arkansas. ...

Rockhounds frequent a belt several miles wide containing large amounts of quartz crystals. Visitors and rock collectors are free to pick up loose crystals within the belt for personal use and may dig for quartz with the permission of the district ranger. Rockhounding is the recreational collecting of rocks and/or mineral specimens from their natural environment. ... Quartz is the most abundant mineral in the Earths crust. ...

Points of interest

• Kerr Arboretum and Botanical Area