Flatside Pinnacle

Standing in the long line to early vote last Saturday, I thought my time would be better spent taking pictures instead, so I left the line and went to get the camera(I did end up voting Tuesday night after work, when there wasn't any line at all). Since it was mid-afternoon, it would be too late for a drive to the Ozarks. Luckily there is a great place located close to Little Rock, with one of the best views in the state.

That would be Flatside Pinnacle, located about 50 miles to the west of the city. It takes about an hour to get there - part of the way is on a bumpy dirt road that you have to drive slow on.


The fall colors looked really great out there...


From the road, it is just a short .25 mile hike to the top of the mountain. The view there is amazing, with rolling hills in every direction. Of course, it was really sunny out there...


Flatside Pinnacle sits within the Flatside Wilderness of the Ouachita National Forest. For the most part, there are hardly any traces of civilization, except for the dirt road leading up there. Sadly there has been some clear-cutting on a nearby hill, so the view now includes a brown patch of dirt where there used to be trees. Now the Ouachita National Forest is huge, containing land in two states. Why they had to choose this spot to log, when there are trees located elsewhere is beyond me. Of course, why so much logging is allowed in our National Forests is also a mystery to me. Who needs scenery anyways?

Oh well, the view is still awesome from there...


Also, it was really hazy out there. Apparently the haze was thanks to the smoke from controlled burns the Forest Service was conducting in the Ouachitas.


It was really sunny too, so I sat and waited for the sun to pass behind a cloud, hoping for better light for pictures...






A cool thing about the Ouachitas is there is a nice mix between oak and pine trees. The green from the pines adds a nice bit of color to the scene. A few pines were growing up on the exposed rock on the top of the mountain, which must not be an easy place to live.






One of the best places in the state to watch the sunset is at Flatside. But I didn't want to wait around three hours for sunset, so I decided to leave and hit up a few other places before it got dark. With one last view, it was time to take the short hike down the mountain...


Of course I made a few stops on the way. Here is a shot taken along the trail, of a fallen leaf resting on a bed of moss.


Getting back to the car I did a quick check to make sure I didn't get a flat tire on the bumpy road, and started the drive back. I stopped just down the road and got one last shot, looking back up at the top of Flatside Pinnacle....