Ouachita Trail, Oklahoma - Arkansas

Steve Kirk and Greg Eason hold the FKT, 3d4h34m, in December 2005.

The Ouachita National Recreation Trail stretches 223 miles through the Ouachita Mountains, from Talimena State Park in Oklahoma to Pinnacle Mountain State Park in Arkansas. More information and maps are available from the Friends of the Ouachita Trail (FoOT) and from the U.S. Forest Service Ouachita National Forest site.

Back in 1991, Bill Laster of Bailey, CO, did the the OT in 5d2h23m. The same year, Lou Peyton and Jim Schuler did the route in a slightly slower time, 5d8h7m.

Laster, Peyton and Schuler's times were crushed December 14-17, 2005, by Steve Kirk and Greg Eason of Little Rock, AK, who ran the trail in 3d4h34m. The pair reported sleeping less than 2 hours during their run. They had full crew support and pacers. The Arkansas Democrat Gazette did a detailed story on their trip. Kirk and Eason previously set the FKT for Arkansas' Ozark Highlands Trail.