Tag Archives: Cedar Lake

Cedar Lake, Ouachita National Forest ~ Day 1

We just got back from a birthday trip to the Ouachita National Forest!

hotchocolate

We stayed at the Cedar Lake Recreation Area in the Ouachita National Forest for six nights!

Three nights in a really nice wooded campsite with no electricity and three in an electric spot since it was going to get cold and we had a space heater.

oatmeal

Oatmeal.

cook

Nick’s little stove is so nice for cooking on!

lake

We started off our first morning there with an easy hike around Cedar Lake.

It was 3.9miles all the way around after taking a spur.

cedarlaketrail

We saw some blood from a wounded animal on the trail.

The boys of course were set on tracking it.

cedarlake

This is a beautiful lake.

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us

growth

trees

dock

boys

This was a great easy hike to start off our time there.

I had decided we should do two hikes that day.

Of course my second choice was not as easy…

horsethief

The Horsethief Springs Trail is around 11miles and definitely fit it’s “more difficult” rank.

woods

The terrain varied.

Sometimes it was not too bad and sometimes I think it was trying to kill me.

firegrass

climb

It was also overgrown in parts and not always the easiest to follow.

sign

Mostly we ran into fading light more than anything.

It gets dark so early that this should have been our first hike of the day.

beautyberries

American Beauty Berry were everywhere!

silly

We made it back before dark (barely)!

The next day I decided to take it easy and drive the Talimena Scenic Drive.

I will share more picture from our next (and much easier on my feet) day Monday!