The Upper Kiamichi River Wilderness in southeast Oklahoma encompasses 10,819 acres featuring prominent steeply sloped ridges heavily forested with a variety of species. It can be accessed via a number of trails. My journey started on the "Kiamichi River Wilderness" trail (as it's listed on the AllTrails app) on the north side of Highway 63 and connected to Ouachita National Recreation Trail just a few miles west of the Arkansas border.
The Kiamichi River Wilderness trail was about 2.2 miles long. According to Alltrails, it contains a short bushwhack over a ridge, but later on the hike I discovered the bushwhack could be avoided altogether by taking an existing forest road. (Check out my video at 12:18 to see the route that avoids the bushwhack.) At the river, I cut through the woods to the north and connected to the Ouachita Trail.
Following the blue blazes of the OT, I walked east along the Kiamichi River toward the Arkansas state line. About 4 miles after the turn to the east the OT curves northward up the south side of Rich Mountain. There are two overlooks listed on the Ouachita Trail map I was using (listed in the links below) on the side of Rich Mountain, but they were mostly overgrown at the time of my visit in mid-September. I suspect they would be great at leaf off, though. Once I made it to the second vista I turned around and took mostly the same route back to the trailhead. Rather than repeating the bushwhack I tried continuing along the primitive road I was already on. I followed it south and soon I came to an intersection. The direction I needed to head was to the right so I took the option that led right (west) and it turned out to be the road that you begin the trail on, making the bushwhack unnecessary.
All in all, it was a nice way to check out the Upper Kiamichi River Wilderness. I enjoyed the flat terrain along the river, even though it was a fairly straightforward walk in the woods. Going up Rich Mountain was a nice way to cap off the route, too, as it gave me the exertion I really want out of a hike, even if the extra 4 miles (round trip) didn't quite pay off in the views department. For the curious, this route is about 16 miles long and has just over 1,500' in elevation gain.
And I'd regret if I didn't mention this exciting tidbit: I saw both black bear tracks and scat directly on the trail. Take this into consideration when you are hiking or backpacking in the area and have a plan for proper food storage for the entirety of your journey.
Links:
Oklahomo Hiker on IG: / oklahomo_hiker
Osprey Daypack: www.osprey.com/us/en/product/...
North Face Hiking Shorts: www.thenorthface.com/shop/men...
Merrell Trail Runners: www.merrell.com/US/en/nova-2-...
Goodr Sunglasses: goodr.com/collections/circle-...
Trail Buddy Trekking poles: www.amazon.com/dp/B01N46UYTL?...
Garmin GPSMAP 66st: buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/p/598408
Ouachita Trail map: www.amazon.com/OUACHITA-Trail...
Ouachita Trail Guide book: timernst.com/Products/OT.html
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