LOViT Trail Bow Tie Hike

[Snaggleroot]

At least that was the original intent – to park in the middle (Crystal Springs), hike to the east end, then back to the car to resupply, then hike to the west end and back to the car, covering the entire trail twice. I followed the plan for the east half but re-parked the car closer to the west end, allowing for a lighter backpack for the last couple days.

I hiked the ~83 miles (including spurs) in 5 days. The first two of the four nights were spent on ridgetop in primitive conditions. The next night was atop Hickory Nut Mountain at an established campsite (yay – picnic tables and dry toilet). The last night was supposed to be lakeside but I ended up with a less than optimal site up on the hill.

The Lake Ouachita Vista Trail (LOViT) is 40 miles of excellent hiking and mountain biking along the south side of Lake Ouachita – see website and maps HERE


Observations and Recommendations:
Hiking during the last week of October provided quite a bit of fall color, but significant leaf-on did restrict views of the lake. It’s a trade-off, but overall an excellent time to hike.

The trail is very well cleared, well marked, and has lots of benches along the way.

Traffic on the trail was surprisingly light, considering it was gorgeous fall weather and over a weekend - a few day hikers, a couple trail runners and only one biker. Not what I expected.

One mile off the trail is Hickory Nut Mountain Vista. DON’T MISS THIS. Worth every step, or drive there like I did. Nearby Hickory Nut Mountain Fire Tower Spur Trail is a definite skip – no fire tower (just footings) and no view.

Joplin Store is only 200 yards off trail – burgers and pizza, but no beer. The west half of the trail (including Joplin Store) is in Montgomery County, which is dry.

Quartz crystals can be found in several places along the trail – best I found were at mile 7.3.

There’s hunting close to the trail, especially to the west. Glad I was wearing orange.

Best camping spot down by the lake is at mile 4.0, which also has a bench (meaning, picnic table). I passed it during my last day on the trail, so I hung the hammock there for a short rest.


East Trailhead



View from Traildog Vista Bench - Mile 28.1



Great Campsite Along Lake - Mile 4.0



Hickory Nut Mountain Vista - 1 mile off-trail

[sidneyhornblower]

I bet that's even better in November. Some gorgeous views in those photos.

[Snaggleroot]

I bet that's even better in November. Some gorgeous views in those photos.

You're right - I was probably a week or two early and it is a beautiful place. But there's been a couple strong fronts in the last week and I'm glad I went when I did.

Here's a picture of my rig that I forgot to include (first night).