Horsethief Spring Trail

Hike Name: Horsethief Spring Trail Location: southeast OK Length: 11.2 Submitted by: Alan Rhodes Date Submitted: 0/0/00 Rating:	more Oklahoma trail reviews Oklahoma national parks Oklahoma state parks
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Description
The Horsethief Spring Trail is located in the mountains of the Quachita National Forest. The Quachita Forest in Oklahoma and Arkansas has over 700 miles of trails to be explored. The Trail begins at the Cedar Lake campground. You will hike 1.0 mile through the woods before you cross Holson Valley Road. From there it is 5.0 miles to to the top of Winding Stair Mountain. You can see the mountain through and over the trees as you get closer to it. The trail does get a little steep torwards the top. At that point you meet up with the Quachita Trail. You will take the Quachita Trail east for 1.2 miles to The Horse Thief Spring. I recomend not taking this route. Instead of going east on the Quachita Trail keep hiking up to the top its not very far. You will then be on the Talimena Scenic Drive which is Highway 1. Hike it 1 mile east to the Cedar Lake Overlook its one of the many vistas you can turn off at on the Talimena Drive. The view of the Quachita Mountains is awesome. After soaking up the view keep hiking east on the road and you will be at the Horsethief Spring Picnic Area, which is where the Quachita trail brings you anyway. The Horsethief Spring Trail follows the route horse thieves used in the 1800s. The outlaws made their camp and corrals at the top of Winding Stair Mountain because of the perenial spring found there. There are some informative displays in the picnic area telling the history of it all. There are picnic tables and a restroom there. This is the halfway point so take a break and check out the area. Just behind the picnic area down the hill is the Spring and a overlook of the mountains. The trail picks back up down there. From there its 5.0 miles down the mountain and back to the trailhead. You will cross several streams on the trail. Water levels will vary. Some will be dry. I recommend using treking poles on this trail. They will help with the climb up the mountain and help on the trail down due to it being very rocky at times. The trail markers are White rectangles for the Horsethief Trail and Blue rectangles for the Quachita Trail.

Directions to Hike
From Poteau Oklahoma go south on Highway 59 to the Quchita National Forest. Turn west on Holsen Valley Road. Take a right to Cedar Lake Campground. There is a $3.00 fee for day parking or you can camp there. Its a self-pay campground. See the camp host for any questions.

Contact Information
For a map write or call- Choctaw Ranger Distric
HC 64, Box 3467
Heavener, OK. 74937
(918) 653-2991

Quachita National Forest info-www.fs.fed.us/oonf

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