Poteau Mountain Wilderness

Extensive folding and faulting of the terrain in bygone days created the steep east-west ridges of Poteau Mountain, a subrange of the Ouachita Mountains. Erosion from many streams has carved deep slices out of the ridges. The streams feed a typical Ouachita forest of dense pines and hardwoods broken by rocky outcroppings that often provide scenic overlooks. This Wilderness has two distinct sections, east and west, separated by a wide strip of land along the mountain upon which car traffic is allowed. The eastern section is dominated by East Poteau Mountain; the western section rises briskly up two drainages, Rock Creek and Posey Creek, and is accessible from a road on the southern boundary. Within the Wilderness no maintained trails exist, but hikers may find and follow old, overgrown logging roads.