Category Archives: Traildogs

Parks & Tourism Filming at Traildog Vista – June 4, 2013

On Tuesday, June 4, the Traildogs hosted a film crew representing the Arkansas Parks & Tourism Commission for a visit to the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail (LOViT). The Womble Office of the USFS and local Traildogs Al Gathright and Jerry Shields provided logistical support to the seven person crew, leading them up onto Bear Mountain. The crew was lead by Director Chris Cranford, supported by Lyle Arnett and Gary Jones. Chuck Haralson served as the still photographer. Parks & Tourism travel writer Zoie Clift and actors Ben Stone & Alyssa Journey provided the biking and hiking action shots. The new Traildog Vista is located about six trail miles east of the Crystal Springs Recreation Area on Lake Ouachita.  This new vista is located at the highest point of the trail as it traverses the north slope of Bear Mountain.  The slope of the mountain drops sharply away from the rock outcropping that … Click to read the full article

Wonderful Article From Celia Storey of the “Arkansas Democrat Gazette”

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Celia Storey of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette published a wonderful story – “Still On the Path – Trail’s end in sight after dogged decade” – in the Newspaper on Monday, May 6, 2013.  Celia “enjoyed” a trip on Bear Mountain with Traildogs Jerry Shields and Al Gathright and ended up helping remove some large trees that had fallen on the trail. The article is a very good read, and Celia has graciously given us a link that our readers can follow to the article. Celia, THANK YOU for the article and for your interest in the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail. (See more stories by Celia Storey by following this link.) … Click to read the full article

National Recreational Trails Grant Approved – May 3, 2013

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Friday, May 3rd, the Traildogs received notification of approval for our National Recreational Trails Grant in the amount of $95,000, as requested. This grant will provide 80% of the $95K,  or approximately $74,000, needed to complete the final 5.4 mile section of the trail from Brady Mountain Road to the Blakely Mountain Dam. The 20% matching requirement will be covered by in-kind volunteer support and trail donations. This eighth addition to the LOViT, when completed, will extend the Trail to its planned 45 miles of developed mountain biking and hiking trail.  Our current plan is to begin construction of this final phase in the late fall of this year.  We plan to put construction of this section of the Trail out for bids within the next 60 days. Congratulations to all who have contributed to the eight-year-long effort to develop the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail. Jerry   … Click to read the full article

Young Hikers on Hickory Nut Mountain – Mar. 18, 2013

Traildogs are often asked, “Why do you build trails?” We answered that question last Monday, as four seasoned Traildogs – Robert & Georgia Cavanaugh and Gail & Jerry Shields – joined Montgomery County’ s 4-H’ers, lead by County Agent Brad McGinly, at the very popular U.S. Forest Day Use recreation area atop Hickory Nut Mountain for a hike on the LOViT Trail and an old fashioned wiener roast. With spring leaf-out still a few weeks away, the views of Lake Ouachita from the picnic area were inspiring to all who attended.  The weather was typical for mid-March, with sunny skies and a light wind, which seemed to further lift the high spirits of the children who were intrigued to be on top of a mountain.  The moms and dads who came along remarked that it been a while since they had visited this popular gathering spot and were pleased to find that … Click to read the full article

New Crystal Springs Road Parking – Mar. 20, 2013

A big thanks to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Team for the great new Trailhead parking area on Crystal Springs Road. This much needed new parking area eliminates one of the two most dangerous Trail crossings. Due to the narrowness of the roads, both Crystal Springs Road and Brady Mountain Road were areas of saftey concern for users. With this recently-completed parking area on Crystal Springs Road, only the planned parking area at Brady Mountain Road remains to be resolved. The Corps of Engineers laid new tile in the drainage ditch the length of the new lot, which makes entrance and exit easy and safe from both directions. We will soon be constructing a new trailhead sign for this new parking area to support the increasing number of users who are enjoying the ten mile section from Crystal Springs Road to Brady Mountain Road. Stacy and Jason, your efforts … Click to read the full article

Finishing Touches – Feb. 27, 2013

Neither Rain, snow, wind, or even sunshine could chase us off the mountain today.  Four Traildogs met today at the Brady Mountain Road trail entrance to the Bear Mountain trail segment to install a temporary direction sign designating trail mileage, 10.0 miles, from The Brady Mt. entrance to Crystal Springs Road.  Not so surprisingly, we encountered a few rocks digging the post hole but did finally mange to get it installed. We also utilized some of the large stones found at the switchback located in the newly-dubbed “Saddle” of Bear Mountain to create a natural stone bench for users to take a rest from the long uphill climb and enjoy the great view of the valley and lake to the north.  This area of the trail is a great example of trail building through a very rocky ridge.  The trail weaves very naturally through this boulder-strewn area, and, after all … Click to read the full article

Trail Improvements on Little Bear Mountain – Feb. 24, 2013

Al Gathright I hiked up on Little Bear Mountain today to install a bench sponsor’s plaque. It was a crisp February day, just perfect for a nice hike.  The skies were a sharp blue background for the emerald green hills around the Crystal Springs Bay area.  Some early blue wild flowers are already blooming along the edges of the trail with a promise of more to come. We met four hikers who were also enjoying the trail, with one set having hike the entire 11 miles from the Brady Mountain Road entrance to the Crystal Springs trailhead. Unfortunately we observed several ATV’s illegally driving just south of Little Bear Mountain and two more on the south slope of Bear Mountain. There was also evidence that ATV’s have been utilizing the Little Bear Mountain portion of the trail by removing one of the barriers at the bottom of the switchbacks. A … Click to read the full article

Iron Creek Cascade Vista – Feb. 19, 2013

The Traildog rock layers were at work again today.  We had five volunteers assisting installation of the bench and creating the vista overlooking the Iron Creek Cascade at about the halfway point of the third section of the trail. At this spot where Irons Creek flows down from the deep valley between Broken Rock Mountain and Hickory Nut Mountain, the creek drops over five consecutive rock shelves creating a natural stopping place on the trail.   This natural cascade offers hikers and bikers a spot to take a break and enjoy the soothing sounds of the creek as it tumbles over the rocks of the Cascades rushing west to empty into Lake Ouachita. Attached are photos of the entrance onto the very short spur over to the bench site,  the Bench Site, and the view from the bench.   Next week we will be installing two benches on the seventh section … Click to read the full article

Completion of the Bear Mountain Trail Section, Feb. 14, 2013

We had five seasoned Traildogs join us on the trail today.  We were able to finally complete the finish work on the east end of the seventh section;  the “seventh section” runs across Bear Mountain from Little Bear Creek on the west to Brady Mountain Road on the east. The work today included armoring the wet crossing at the east end trailhead on Brady Mountain Road and completing the final finish work of cutting roots and raking out the new tread on the final 1/3 mile of the new tread. The east end of the Trail at Brady Mt. Rd. is seeing a great deal of usage as the word spreads about this new section.  Parking is becoming a safety issue, with folks trying to find a spot near the trail to leave their vehicles.  This road is a very busy road, so all users should especially careful when parking … Click to read the full article

Clearing Storm Damage on Section 4 – Jan. 11, 2013

Friday, Jan. 11, 2013, we had five Traildogs working the storm cleanup on Section Four Between the trailhead at Hickory Nut Mountain and Forest Service Road 47A.  It was good to visit this this 3.2 mile section along the southern face of Hickory Nut Mountain again as it is one of the most scenic sections, especially after a rainfall. Hickory Creek that begins on the summit of the mountain was pure eye candy for our team as we cleared downed trees and limbs.  This deep drainage creek creates one waterfall after another as it rushes down the gorge and empties into Lake Ouachita. The area around the artesian spring was highlighted by a set of twin falls just to the north of the spring a sight well worth a hike. We were able to completely clear this section from the Hickory Nut Mt. trailhead to the intersection of U.S. Forest … Click to read the full article