Attached are photos of some of the ongoing issues faced with the management of the Lake Ouachita Vista on Hickory Nut Mountain. Over the Memorial Day weekend, there were large crowds on the mountain, filling the campground with extra campers spilling out into the nearby woods and many along FS Rd 47 between FS RD 50 and Crystal springs Rd. Two of us traildogs went up the mountain on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, to pick up litter and look for further damage after we received photos of two vehicles parked on at the Vista, one of whom decided it would a great idea to pull the front wheels of his jeep up onto the Vista’s wall. Fortunately, someone took photos of this event and sent them to the sheriff’s office and to our email. We are actively trying to identify the jeep owner and have requested the U.S. Forest …Click to read the full article
Volunteers from the Friends of Lake Ouachita (FOLO) and the LOViT Traildogs met atop Hickory Nut Mountain at the Lake Ouachita Vista parking area this past week, January 19, 2021, for a “Pickup & Clean UP The Mountain” event. The over sixty-year old recreation area atop the mountain includes a large rock-lined vista with a spacious parking area. The north side of the Vista offers unparalleled views of Lake Ouachita and its tree-carpeted islands almost a thousand feet below. The south side of the Vista falls away into a lush valley stretching east to Crystal Springs and west to Mt. Ida. The Vista has once again become a magnet for unique events such as the star watching of the conversion of the planets and annual meteor shower displays brilliantly seen from the mountaintop, unfettered by light pollution. In recent years, the Vista has served as the launching site for rehabilitated Bald Eagles to …Click to read the full article