The Buckskin Nature Trail is one of the best and adventurous loop nature trails in Arkansas, near Mount Ida. It is located on the property of the Corps of Engineers and Ouachita National Forest. The 0.5 km long trail has an elevation of just 6 meters and is kid- and dog-friendly. The trail is most often used for nature trips, hiking, bird watching and walking. Hikers need a permit to access the nature trail but at no fee. The Buckskin Nature Trail gives hikers a view of the magnificent Lake Ouachita, Mount Ida and beautiful wildlife.
The 0.8 km Buckskin Nature Trail, located near Mount Ida in Arkansas, is lightly trafficked and open to all at no entry fee or parking fee. It takes hikers about 40 minutes to complete the Buckskin Nature Trail if no stopovers are made, yet it’s hard to bypass all the beauty in this trail.
The Buckskin Nature trail can be easily accessed through the Hot Springs route. Take Hwy 270 towards Mount Ida and turn on Ouachita Shores Parkway. Continue to Denby Point Recreational area where the Buckskin Nature Trail starts. Once you start hiking, the trail is marked, so simply follow the trail markers. The trail is mostly covered by moss, commonly known as nature’s carpet, due to excess moisture on the soil and low light levels due to the canopy of towering trees.
The hikers enjoy the view of Mount Ida, which stands at an elevation of 643 feet and covers 1.596 square miles. Mount Ida is the home of the great Ouachita National Forest and Lake Ouachita. With so many beautiful and stunning features around it, Buckskin Nature Trail is bound to be the home to exotic birds, wildflowers, and wildlife that make the experience of hikers more beautiful.
Lake Ouachita covers 66, 324 acres, and it is 50 feet deep. The lake has over 700 camping sites and about 200 islands when the water levels are good, and hikers are allowed to camp on these islands as long as they want. The lake contains exotic species of fish like White Bass, Bream, Walleye, Striped Bass, and many others. The hikers can take a dip at Lake Ouachita but their own risk since there are no guards at the lake.
Lake Ouachita was formed in 1953 as a flood control measure by the U.S Army Corps of Engineers during the construction of Blakely Mountain Dam. The lake has also served the purposes of recreation, wildlife management, and the provision of hydroelectric power. Lake Ouachita covers approximately 40,000 acres in counties of Montgomery and Garland. The Avant, Buckville, and Cedar Glades occupied the area before the formation of the lake between the years the 1880s and 1950.
According to marine archaeologists, Lake Ouachita contains evidence of traces of earlier communities dating back to 13,500 years ago.
The Washita, Caddo, Choctaw, and other Native Americans occupied the Ouachita River Valley in the early years through the French were the earlier occupants in the late 1700s. By the early 1800s, other settlers had started moving from Mississippi into the area through the desert and along the Ouachita River.
Mount Ida, which can be viewed from the Buckskin Nature Trail, is very close to the Ouachita National Forest, which is known to be the largest and oldest in the South. During WWII, most of the Montgomery County residents who perished were from Mount Ida. Mount Ida and Lake Ouachita hold so much information on the past, and its historical riches are what make the area stand out from others.
All Trails. (2020). Buckskin Nature Trail. Retrieved February 11, 2020, From, https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arkansas/buckskin-trail?u=m
Encyclopedia of Arkansas. (2019). Mount Ida (Montgomery County). Retrieved February 11, 2020https://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/mount-ida-943/
