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“An IMBA Epic on the south shore of Lake Ouachita. Climbs lead to great views.”
— Joe Jacobs
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Overview
Description
Built over the last 10 or 15 years on both Corps of Engineers and US Forest Service land, the Lake Ouachita Vista Trail (LOViT) covers 40 plus miles of shoreline and ridge top tiding. A favorite for both mountain bikers and distance runners alike.
Start at either end or one of several trailheads in the middle. The western end is lower lands with rolling hills between Joplin and Denby. The middle includes tough climbs to the top of Hickory Nut Mountain where riders can take in breathtaking views of Lake Ouachita and the Ouachita Mountains. The eastern section is dominated by a long ridge ride with more beautiful views.
Nearby are the towns of Mount Ida (home of the Womble Trail - IMBA Epic ) to the west and Hot Springs to the east. Various campgrounds and resorts dot the area near the trail giving visitors plenty of options to stay overnight.
FYI - The western section of the trail is in a dry county so byob if you would like an after libation.
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Lake Ouachita Vista Trail - IMBA Epic
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Mena, AR
Trails in great shape from Denby to Joplin anyway. Mountain Bike Arkansas - www.mtbark.com Mar 13, 2016
Unknown Hometown
For folks wanting to shuttle this trail, I recently stayed at Echo Canyon Resort, www.echocanyonar.com, and highly recommend it. The cabins are located a few miles from the far eastern terminus of the LOVIT, and the trail is just a few hundred yards from the cabins. Best of all, they have a van and a sweet rack that will hold 6 bikes (seriously, check out this rack, http://www.northshoreracks.com/photo%206bike20.htm) and will shuttle you to any TH on the LOVIT (for a fee) and you just ride the trail back to the cabin. I stayed in a 3-BR cabin that was practically brand new. Also Hot Springs was only about a 15 min drive away. Sorry for the infomercial, but the folks at Echo Canyon seem passionate about catering to the MTB crowd, so I want to make sure the word gets out (they even installed bike wash stations at each cabin). As far as the trail itself, well it is indeed Epic. The climbs up Hickory Nut and Bear Mtn are no joke. Lots of flow on the west end, and some white-knuckle downhills on the east end. Jun 2, 2016
Unknown Hometown
Rode from the start on the eastern end going west (for 7mi out and back - total). Some serious climbing but the scenery and long downhills are worth it. The trail was in great shape. Some short sections are single track on old fire road. The rest is single track and great! Some switchbacks and climbing but not technical in terms of drops and boulders in this first 3.5mi eastern end. Jan 2, 2017