OHT itinerary
Every mile marker on the OHT route, in order, with the distance and elevation change between each one, and which permit each stretch needs. To set alerts for your dates, go to the Ozark Highlands Trail permit page.
Which permit covers this route
The OHT. One reservation is a trailhead or zone plus an entry date; you roam after that, issued by walk-up.
- Stops mapped
- 23
- Across the markers
- 253.0 mi
- Published route length
- 290 mi
- Ascent, at least
- 5,380 ft
How long it takes: 10-14 days for the 164-mile Boston Mountains section alone; longer end to end. That is the figure the permit publishes. This page does not divide the route into days, because no source records which stop you sleep at.
The stops below are the route's published mile markers, in order, with the elevations recorded against each one.
Distance and elevation change on each leg are the difference between the two published figures either side of it, so the legs are arithmetic on the markers and nothing more.
The OHT route, stop by stop
Mile 0.0
981 ft
Lake Fort Smith State Park (Western Terminus)
Western terminus of the Ozark Highlands Trail, on Arkansas 71 in Crawford County.
17.4 miles · 1,307 ft up to White Rock Mountain
Mile 17.4
2,288 ft
White Rock Mountain
17.9 miles · 499 ft down to Cherry Bend
Mile 35.3
1,789 ft
Cherry Bend
19.8 miles · 765 ft down to Lick Branch
Mile 55.1
1,024 ft
Lick Branch
14.8 miles · 1,045 ft up to Arbaugh Road
Mile 69.9
2,069 ft
Arbaugh Road
14.8 miles · 213 ft down to Ozone Campground
Mile 84.7
1,856 ft
Ozone Campground
19.1 miles · 1,120 ft down to Fort Douglas (Big Piney Creek)
Mile 103.8
736 ft
Fort Douglas (Big Piney Creek)
20.0 miles · 1,448 ft up to Fairview Campground
Mile 123.8
2,184 ft
Fairview Campground
19.4 miles · 1,154 ft down to Richland Creek Campground
Mile 143.2
1,030 ft
Richland Creek Campground
20.8 miles · 364 ft down to Richland Creek / Woolum ford (end of Boston Mountains section)
Mile 164.0
666 ft
Richland Creek / Woolum ford (end of Boston Mountains section)
Eastern end of the 164-mile Boston Mountains section, at the mouth of Richland Creek near the Woolum ford of the Buffalo River; start of the Buffalo River section.
4.0 miles · 210 ft up to Dave Manes Bluff
Mile 168.0
876 ft
Dave Manes Bluff
8.6 miles · 15 ft up to Tyler Bend – Collier Homestead
Mile 176.6
891 ft
Tyler Bend – Collier Homestead
2.0 miles · 286 ft down to Grinders Ferry – US-65
Mile 178.6
605 ft
Grinders Ferry – US-65
6.1 miles · 264 ft up to Zack Ridge Road
Mile 184.7
869 ft
Zack Ridge Road
4.5 miles · 26 ft down to Red Bluff Road
Mile 189.2
843 ft
Red Bluff Road
6.0 miles · 137 ft up to South Maumee Road
Mile 195.2
980 ft
South Maumee Road
5.3 miles · 167 ft down to Spring Creek Road
Mile 200.5
813 ft
Spring Creek Road
5.9 miles · 289 ft down to AR-14 / Dillard's Ferry (end of Buffalo River section)
Mile 206.4
524 ft
AR-14 / Dillard's Ferry (end of Buffalo River section)
Downstream end of the 43-mile Buffalo River section, which coexists with the NPS Buffalo River Trail along the Buffalo National River.
15.6 miles · 189 ft up to Spring Creek Trailhead (start of Sylamore section)
Mile 222.0
713 ft
Spring Creek Trailhead (start of Sylamore section)
Start of the 32-mile Sylamore section; the roughly 14-mile Lower Buffalo Wilderness gap between AR-14 and Spring Creek is not yet built as continuous trail.
8.9 miles · 452 ft up to Moccasin Springs
Mile 230.9
1,165 ft
Moccasin Springs
4.7 miles · 158 ft down to Cripple Turkey
Mile 235.6
1,007 ft
Cripple Turkey
4.1 miles · 313 ft up to Brush Creek
Mile 239.7
1,320 ft
Brush Creek
13.3 miles · 643 ft down to Matney Knob Trailhead, AR-341 (end of Sylamore section)
Mile 253.0
677 ft
Matney Knob Trailhead, AR-341 (end of Sylamore section)
End of the Sylamore section and start of the 72-mile Norfork Lake section, which runs to the Missouri state line.
Getting a OHT for the dates you want
Planning the route is the easy half. OHT dates go fast, and the ones that come back are cancellations. They return to the booking system without warning and are gone again quickly. PermitSnag checks OHT around the clock and alerts you the moment a date opens.