Eagle Rock Loop is one of the most beautiful and challenging loop trails in Arkansas. This trail remains a great “test piece” for people preparing for longer hikes in the mountains. The trail offers excellent camping throughout with numerous opportunities to camp near water. If you are not up for completing the entire 26 mile loop, doing an out and back hike in any direction makes a wonderful hiking experience.
Here’s some info from the State of Arkanasas website:
This trail offers the longest loop hike in the state. The entire loop is actually a combination of parts of three other trails: the Little Missouri, Athens-Big Fork and the Viles Branch Equestrian Trails (this combination actually provides five trailhead parking areas along the route). The Eagle Rock loop offers hikers a wide variety of resources from the crystal clear waters of the Little Missouri River and Viles Branch Creek to the wide-ranging vistas of the mountaintops along the Athens-Big Fork Trail. The route involves a number of stream crossings both on the Little Missouri and the Viles Branch. It also involves a number of steep hill climbs along the Athens-Big Fork Trail. Refer to descriptions of the Little Missouri and Athens-Big Fork Trails for additional information.
History: This trail was developed along a 100 year-old postal route and old wagon roads in partnership with the Forest Service, the Student Conservation Association, Bayou Chapter of the Ozark Society and the Little Missouri Trails Council.
