Lake Ouachita Vista Trail (LOViT): End to end hike complete ✔

It has taken me three attempts to knock out an end to end hike of the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail (LOViT), but I finally managed to complete it this past weekend. This post will mainly be focused on my experience hiking the trail on this trip, but before I get started, I want to briefly share links to some of the other LOViT content I have posted in the past.

This post includes some general information about LOViT, published before I ever attempted to hike the trail. If you don't know anything about the LOViT trail, it's a good introduction to the trail with links to resources, etc.

What's Next?

I didn't publish anything here about my first attempt to complete the LOViT trail, but I bailed the attempt because of severe weather and storms. In hindsight, I don't think the storms were as bad as the radar made it look. I probably could have pressed, but I erred on the side of caution and pulled the plug after a night on the trail.

Here is my post about the second attempt. That trip failed because of heat exhaustion and poor water planning.

Compounding Bad Decisions on the LOViT Trail

On with the story of this recent successful attempt...

LOViT 3.0 Attempt

This trip began on Friday, 31st January, 2025 at 5pm and finished on Sunday, 2nd February. This was also my first time hiking the trail since the trail guide for LOViT was published in the FarOut app. Having the FarOut resource for this trail dramatically changed my experience for the better.

Day 1, Friday

My son helped me with logistics (thank you!). We left our house a little after 3pm on Friday, dropped my car at the Eastern terminus, the Avery Day Use area, then drove out to the Denby Bay Trailhead where I started.

Rains all day Thursday resulted in very high lake levels. The trailhead was submerged.

I was able to bushwhack about 30 yards around the water to get to the trail. I later learned that there is a high water alternative route that exists. It starts about 50 yards back on the road that leads up to this trailhead. The LOViT map published by the Army Corps of Engineers doesn't show that route, but it is on the FarOut app.

The blue trail is the high water alternative route.

I would have taken that route had I known it existed. I wasn't consulting FarOut at this point because I've done this section of the trail multiple times now. It didn't occur to me that there might be an alternative route. Even so, I made it to the trail and got started. I knew daylight was fading. I have camped at mile 1.6 a couple of times. That's a nice spot. There was flowing water there, but I wanted to check out a campsite that was designated on the FarOut app to see if it was better.

The spot at mile 1.6 doesn't have views. There is a small creek. I have actually been to this spot a total of four times now (camped twice, passed through on this trip and once on a day hike with Mrs. Gavagai), but this was the first time I have seen water flowing in the creek. It is a quiet spot in a valley away from the lake. In the summer months, there can be some traffic noise from the road above, but it's never been terrible the either of the times I camped there in the past. If you get a late start on the western end of the trail and want quick access to a campsite, I like that spot.

There isn't much to the "campsite" at mile 2.9 as far as I could tell, but I didn't explore below the hill. It was dark when I got there and also dark in the morning when I left, so I didn't want to try to figure out a way down the hill in the dark. I set up camp near the top of the hill by the bench. There was no fire ring there. I had trees near the top that were good enough for me to hang my hammock, so that's really all I needed. Nor do I know if you can access the water from that point. The lake isn't always accessible, even if you can see it because the shoreline can be very steep in some places and super swampy in other places. This spot wasn't swampy, but it looked like a fairly steep drop from my vantage point at the top of the hill. I can say this campsite has great views of the lake. Sunset that night was stunning, and the moon, stars, and planets put on quite a show for me.

You can see a waxing crescent moon in the upper left corner. Venus was hovering just out of frame.

Dinner at camp that night was a favorite of mine; Peak Refuel Chicken Coconut Curry. They nailed that meal. It might be my favorite backpacking meal. Not only are the flavors and textures excellent for a freeze dried meal, they really have their water measurements down perfectly. Just enough to rehydrate the meal without turning it into a soup nor does it leave unhydrated crunchy bits. It's a balancing act, and Peak Refuel has it down to a science.

I struggled to find a good branch to do my bear hang at that campsite. I have used this style of hang once before and it worked out well. It worked again here.

Keep the critters out of your food and away from your campsite by hanging your food.

Sorry for the bad photo, but I think you can at least get an idea of how it works. I didn't have a sturdy branch that extended far away from the trunk of any of the nearby trees. There was a high branch on the tree at the height of the line. I tossed my rock bag over that branch, then ran the line through my carabiner that is clipped to my food bag. Run the bag up the line like a pulley system until it is more than 6 feet from either tree trunk, and more than 12 feet off the ground, then tie off the end on that second tree. Camp chores done, medicine, teeth brushed, time for bed.

I woke in the night to answer the call of nature. While I was relieving myself, my eyes were looking out over the lake. Near the shoreline in the dark, there were dim lights. I was wondering what they could possibly be. I turned off my headlamp briefly to make sure I wasn't seeing things. There were no boats on the water and no lights across the lake. I finally realized that I was seeing the reflection of the stars on the water below me. Pretty cool.

I was also serenaded by dueling choruses of coyotes and owls in the night. I believe there was one population of coyotes on my side of the lake and a separate group howling on the opposite shoreline. One group not far from my camp must have had a litter of pups. I could hear them scrapping and rough housing with their little yips and yaps.

Speaking of noise, I will mention one last thing about this location. There seemed to be a lot of traffic noise from a busy highway. I thought maybe there was a highway on the other side of the lake, but looking at a map, the only highway I can see near that area is Hwy 270 to the south. Was sound really carrying that far? I guess it's really only about a linear mile from the highway to that campsite. Maybe the acoustical properties of Denby Bay deliver sound from the highway clearly to that spot. I use earplugs, so I was able to sleep fairly well, but there were some loud trucks. If I was more sensitive about those things, it might have bothered me. I don't believe the spot at mile 1.6 picks up the sound from Hwy 270. Just from the Shangri-la road and people coming and going from the resort and Tompkins Bend.

Day 2, Saturday

I woke up around 5am on Saturday. There would not be sunlight until around 7am, but I wanted to get an early start. I also wanted to use the bathrooms and picnic area at Tompkins Bend.

I packed up and started on the trail. Twilight was just beginning when I arrived at Tompkins Bend, at mile 4.7. I boiled my water for my freeze dried breakfast meal, poured it into the packet, then went to use the bathroom while my meal reconstituted. It's always nice to use a toilet instead of a cathole when that's available.

Breakfast that day was Peak Refuel Mountain Berry Cobbler. It's really marketed as a dessert. It's very sweet, but it was tasty. I don't know if I will get it again. If I make a hot breakfast, I really prefer it to be savory. I think I also snacked on a cheese stick that morning.

I had planned to use the water bottle filling station outside the bathrooms. The bathrooms there are heated, and I believe they are open year-round. The fountain and filling station is apparently shut off in the winter. I was able to refill using water from the sink. I brushed my teeth and took care of my morning hygiene routine, then I hit the trail again. I believe it was around 7:30 by the time I got everything packed up again and got going.

My plan for the day was to make it to a campsite at mile 25. That would be a 22 mile day.

None of this section of the trail was new to me. Until mile 6.8, it was lovely trail without much to note apart from the fact that on this particular weekend, all the little mountain creeks and drainages were flowing with water. I was able to rock hop or completely jump over most of it until that low point on the trail. Here is what I saw.

I explain my plan to circumnavigate the swamp in the video clip. I don't recommend crossing via that log. It was very rotten and slick. Bits of it were crumbling away as I walked across it. I am lucky I didn't fall. It would have been better to just jump I think. The other gap was small enough that jumping across it, even with my pack on, was easy enough. The reason I opted for the log, was because I think I wasn't sure I could clear that first gap. I made it anyhow.

There are some very pretty creeks between mile 7 and mile 11.4. Take your time and enjoy it. You can also find some decent spots to make camp in this area.

The creek crossing at mile 11.4 was a wet crossing. I don't think it would have been if those culverts were clear, but almost no water at all was flowing through them. The creek was just overflowing the road. I also might have been able to walk across those blocks on the right side, but I didn't want to figure out how to negotiate through the mess of branches and leaves on the end, so I just walked through. It was only about ankle deep. The water was icy cold, but it felt good on my sore feet.

Between the Joplin trailhead at mile 9.4 and the top of Hickory Nut Mountain at mile 14.1, is where I ran into trouble on my second attempt. I learned my lesson this time. I stopped at the creek at mile 11.4 to camel up and fill up my water. The climb to the top of Hickory Nut Mountain is physically demanding with a loaded pack. 

I saw this on my way up Hickory Nut. Brightest orange fungus I've ever seen.

There is a bench near the top. This was where I nearly passed out from heat exhaustion on my previous attempt. I did stop to sit for a minute to catch my breath this time, but I had plenty of water and wasn't in bad shape at all. Being 50° rather than 90°+ also makes a big difference.

This is also a good time to mention the vast difference in the views when the leaves are off the trees and you are on top of these mountains. During leaf off season, you can see the lake views much more clearly. Hickory Nut Mountain and Bear Mountain (which I don't get to until Sunday) both have some really expansive views of the lake.

At the top of Hickory Nut Mountain, there is a small rustic campsite with grills, picnic tables, and fire rings. There is a pit toilet. I was hoping for a trash can, but there wasn't one that I could see when I was there. This is a trailhead, so there is also parking for the LOViT trail and a spur trail that leads up to the very top of the mountain where there is apparently a fire tower. I did not take that spur, so I haven't seen what is there. I think it's about a quarter mile up hill one way.

From that trailhead, the LOViT continues, descending the mountain to the east. This was one of my favorite sections of the whole trail. There were a lot of moments where I thought, "If I were an Instagram guy, [or good at taking photos] this would be a great place to take some photos." The trail follows along what I believe is an old forest road overlooking a creek and a small gorge below. The water was cascading down the mountain. It was truly beautiful. This is my favorite kind of scenic view. The sound of the rushing water as you walk along and seeing all the different rock formations that have been carved away over millennia. I will definitely be taking Mrs. Gavagai back to this place sometime in the future after a recent rain.

At this point, I was beginning to get hungry. I don't recall exactly where I stopped, but I think I had a lunch break somewhere on this descent. My lunches are typically beef jerky, cheese crackers, and a string cheese. Oh! I remember where I ate lunch now. It was at the bench at mile 15.9. I was a little cold because it was breezy, so I put my poncho on over my hoodie as a windbreaker. The bench was positioned to look back up stream looking back at a series of little cascades. It was a lovely spot to take a break and recharge.

One of the things I did on my lunch break was to look at the trail ahead of me. It was now around 1pm and I had about 9 miles left to the campsite I had hoped to reach for the night. It looked like there might be other options. I wanted Sunday to be a shorter day, but I also wanted to get my sleep system set up and allow my tarp and hammock to dry and air out. The tarp was still very wet from dew on the previous night.

I don't recall much of the trail after lunch. I was trying to hustle to get to camp for the night. There is a spring coming out of a pipe at mile 19.5 and the trail makes a turn. There is a second trail there going in the opposite direction. I wasn't clear on the signage, but took the right turn (heading uphill and south) I second guessed my choice and looked at the FarOut app after about a tenth of a mile. I realized I was going the wrong way. I turned back and corrected my error.

My wrong turn. I went south. Should have gone north. Fortunately, I didn't get too far before realizing.

At mile 22.8, I crossed a creek and decided there were some decent options to set up camp there. I still had a little more than an hour of sunlight. I set up camp, made dinner, filtered water, brushed my teeth, hung my food bag, and crashed. I believe I fell asleep around 6PM and slept soundly until a little after midnight. 

I pitched my tarp high and wide to give it lots of airflow to dry out. I need to learn some basic photography.

Dinner that night was Peak Refuel Beef Marinara Pasta. I didn't care for it and it gave me horrible rank gas. I won't be buying that again. I think that is my least favorite of any of the Peak Refuel meals. 

Day 3, Sunday

I got up to pee after midnight. It felt cold. I checked the temperature. It was 32.8°.

BTW, this screenshot and the thermometer I was using on this trip is a new little gadget that came in very handy. It's a bluetooth thermometer made by a company called Govee. Here's a link. They aren't expensive. They track temperature and humidity. When you open the app, it downloads the data the sensor has recorded.

It came in handy on this trip. I hang it just inside the mesh pocket on my pack.

The water filter I use contains tiny filaments that are tightly packed. If the water in the filter freezes, it can create gaps in the fibers and compromise its ability to filter properly. The solution to this is problem is to put the filter in a ziplock bag and sleep with it in your sleep system. I grabbed the filter from my pack and tossed it into my hammock with me. Good thing I did, because temperatures continued to drop. The overnight low dipped to around 30° that night. My socks and shoes were frozen. There was frost on my tarp and all the guylines and tie out point for my setup. It was hard to find the motivation to get going that morning. I waited until some twilight, even though I was awake.

Putting on my frozen shoes proved quite difficult. I had to pry them open and really jam my foot into them. I try to be a little tidy when packing up, but my hands were going numb as I tried to wrap my cordage into neat hanks of cord. I had to stop in the middle of it to reheat my hands and get my blood flowing. I decided I was going to wait to eat breakfast until later, when the sun was higher and things warmed up a bit.

I made it to mile 25, where I had originally planned to camp on Saturday. I stopped by the creek there to make breakfast. It's funny, I have never done this before on any trips, where I break camp and begin hiking without eating a breakfast, then stop and actually cook something a while later up the trail. I think it's less efficient from a time standpoint because you have to unpack your food and cook kit, then pack it up again. But on these cold mornings, sitting around while you wait for your water to boil and your food to rehydrate, it's definitely more comfortable to sit and wait for the food after the temperatures have climbed a little.

In full disclosure, I made a foolish choice when packing and did not bring my down puffy jacket on this trip. The forecasts I saw for the area showed lows in the 40s. There's a considerable difference between 40° and 30°. I can get by with a hoodie jacket at 40°. If it's breezy, I can supplement with my poncho. But 30° gets chilly in your fingers and toes and it's hard to get the blood flowing. I should have known that the valleys would be colder than the surrounding areas. I just didn't realize it might be 10° colder.

Breakfast that morning consisted of Mountain House Eggs and Bacon. They way overestimate the amount of water. I shorted it by almost a quarter cup and it was still super soupy. The flavor was alright though. It's trail food.

That creek at mile 25 is the last reliable water source until mile 32. I filled up and even carried my dirty bag full of water because I wasn't confident I was going to find water before I ran out. It was a heavy carry up a tough mountain, but I was never worried that I was going to run out of water.

Bear mountain is a long high ridge. It keeps on going and going and going.

The trail follows Bear Mountain for miles and miles.

You get views of the lake there that are great, it's so long. I was ready to be done at this point. My mind was focused on getting to my car, then to find a burger and a shower.

More fun with maps.

LOViT elevation profile in FarOut (the whole thing).

The above image is the compressed elevation profile for the whole trail. It shows the three biggest climbs. They aren't that steep. They are crunched that way because of the compression of the linear distance, but I like this view because it gives you a better relative view of where the toughest parts of the trail are. There is a good reason why Hickory Nut Mountain kicks my butt. In the FarOut app, you can toggle between the elevation profile view and the map overview by clicking that icon in the upper right corner. In the elevation profile view, you can zoom in more to see better details of the topography. When I'm catching my breath on climbs once in a while, I will glance at this view to gauge how much further I have to go before things level off or begin to descend.

I'm pretty sure that third mountain is called Brady Mountain. The dam is called Blakely Dam. Who decided to have Blakely and Brady geographical features so close to each other? Do better, people. That's confusing. The names are too similar.

I had developed some blisters on my heels. I was wearing a new pair of trail runner shoes. They fit well and they are comfortable. They also offer more structure and support than the shoes I have been hiking in, but I will save a detailed review for a future post.

There was water in the creek at mile 32.3, but in the dry season, I'm not sure it would have flowing water. Everything was flowing this particular weekend, so that's not a good gauge for drier times.

There were a couple more significant climbs, but the biggest climbs on the trail were behind me. I had some snacks while I refilled my water at mile 32.3, but didn't make it a real lunch break. This would cause me problems shortly.

I was almost to the top of another mountain and started to feel a little light headed. I found an accommodating rock, had a seat, drank some more water, and opened up my beef jerky and string cheese. After that, I even laid myself down on a bed of leaves and shut my eyes for a few minutes. There wasn't much further to go.

A year or more ago, Mrs. Gavagai and I did a short day hike, walking about a mile or so from the eastern terminus (where my car was parked on this day) up to the overlook of the dam. I think there were probably five miles before I reached that portion of the trail where I was pining to see that familiar stretch of trail. "I bet it's just around that next turn" because I knew that when I got there, my car was close.

Here's a little geography fun. The Ouachita River feeds into Lake Ouachita. It gets stopped by the Blakely Mountain Dam. The river continues and flows into Lake Hamilton, gets dammed again, then it flows into Lake Catherine. All three of those lakes are fed by the Ouachita River.

I only learned this a year or so ago, by looking at maps. Maps are great!

I didn't take long to stop at the dam overlook. It's a pretty hike through this easternmost section. There's a scenic spot with a bench at mile 38.4 that overlooks a cascading creek (when there's a recent rain). It was pretty this day.

I made it back to the parking lot and was very glad to find my car unmolested.

I am smiling.

This was a super dumb photo of me at the eastern terminus, but it was the best I could muster. I was exhausted and ready to get home.

That wraps up this post. I think the LOViT is worth checking out. You don't have to do it all in a weekend like this. And breaking it up into smaller chunks and/or just taking more time to enjoy it, would probably result in a better experience. I like the challenge of cramming it into a weekend, even though it's somewhat painful. I got the checkbox for this one. Maybe sometime I'll got back and go the other direction.

Cheers,

Gavagai