Ouachita National Forest
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I became aware of the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail from an article in Backpacker. Although the trail is largely a point to point affair, the western edge goes around a peninsula, offering a potential loop. Contrary to the Backpacker article, I parked at the Joplin Methodist Church, and walked westward along AR-270 to the westernmost part of the trail. The landscape was excellent, sparsely wooded southern pine, without extensive undergrowth foliage. Because the peninsula was significantly higher than the lake, and the woods did not have undergrowth, there was often extensive views of the lake. Throughout the hike, there were numerous scenic stops with benches. The mileage went pretty quickly, and I reached Tompkins Bend Campground on the northern tip shortly after Noon. During the afternoon, I skirted the eastern side of the peninsula, and continued to have frequent views of interior coves. The weather was very good. Slightly cold, but very comfortable once you were hiking. Although numerous creeks had trickling water, the path was very dry and smooth to walk. I covered the afternoon distance pretty quickly, and was nearly back to the start of the day. Therefore, when I saw the vista at the cove with Irons Creek, and it had a bench I decided to stop.
I setup my tent at the only place with reasonably flat ground, the top of the hill. Dinner was nice, and I went to bed early. Unfortunately, I planned for a warmer night. So at 5am, with the temperature around 35' and with 8 hours of sleep, I decided to head back to the car. Navigation by headlamp on the trail wasn't too bad. A couple of stops to recheck where the trail was going, and I was back at the car. Finally, I ate some doughnuts in Arkadelphia, and then back home.