Ouachita Mountains & National Forest

This map shows cabins and places to stay near the Ouachita National Forest, with prices. Add your dates to see what's open.

The hills around the lake are the Ouachita Mountains. Say it "WASH-i-tah." The Forest Service says the name comes from the French spelling of a Native word meaning "good hunting ground."

The range runs from central Arkansas into southeast Oklahoma. Unlike many U.S. mountain ranges, these ridges run mostly east and west.

Ouachita National Forest

The Ouachita National Forest spreads over almost 1.8 million acres in two states. The Forest Service says no national forest in its Southern Region is older or bigger. President Theodore Roosevelt created the first part of it, in Arkansas, in 1907. The Oklahoma land was added later. Pine and hickory are the main trees, and there are more than 700 miles of trails.

McCurtain County has about 133,000 acres of national forest. The larger block, about 111,000 acres, lies north of Broken Bow around the lake and the Glover River. A smaller block sits southeast of Idabel. Not all the woods are public, though. About half the land inside the forest boundary in Oklahoma is private, so watch for signs.

Wild places nearby

At the north end of the lake, the McCurtain County Wilderness Area protects about 14,000 acres. The state set it aside in 1918. ODWC calls it the largest never-logged forest of shortleaf pine and hardwoods left in the nation. It is home to Oklahoma's last known red-cockaded woodpeckers, a rare bird that federal law protects as threatened. Most of it is closed without written permission, but a self-guided nature trail is open all year.

The Glover River flows its whole length inside McCurtain County. ODWC calls it one of the last rivers in the state with no dam on it. It has small, easy rapids, but in summer it is often too low to float.

For a long mountain drive, the 54-mile Talimena National Scenic Byway runs between Talihina, Oklahoma, and Mena, Arkansas. It is not in McCurtain County. Mena is about 70 road miles from Broken Bow.

For more outdoor ideas, see our Hochatown activities and attractions page.