Five-Star Trails: The Ozarks: 43 Spectacular Hikes in Arkansas and Missouri 2nd Edition

Growing up in Arkansas, Jim Warnock found hiking to be essential to his physical health. His love of hiking has led him throughout Arkansas, Missouri, and the western states. He has thru-hiked the Ozark Highlands Trail and Ouachita Trail in Arkansas, as well as the John Muir Trail in California. Jim has written numerous articles on hiking and travel for Do South Magazine and other publications. When not hiking and writing about trails, Jim might be found maintaining his adopted 4-mile section of the Ozark Highlands Trail from Jack Creek to Dockery Gap.

Lake Alma Trail
Scenery: 5 stars; Trail Condition: 4 stars; Children: 4 stars; Difficulty: 3 stars; Solitude: 3 stars

• GPS Trailhead Coordinates: 35.497033, -94.217961
• Distance and Configuration: 4.3-mile loop
• Hiking Time: 2.5 hours
• Highlights: Waterfall, lake views, historical rock structures, fishing access, and mountain biking options
• Elevation: 588′ at trailhead, 616′ at highest point, 522′ at lowest point
• Access: Open daily, sunrise–sunset; no fees or permits required
• Maps: City of Alma website to download Lake Alma Park that includes trail maps: almaarkansas.gov/trails; USGS Alma and Moutainburg SW
• Facilities: Restrooms and picnic area (restrooms closed in winter). Water available at the mountain bike workstation at entrance.
• Wheelchair Access: No
• Comments: The 1.6-mile out-and-back to McWater Falls is ideal for children and novice hikers. Leashed pets are allowed. Bring water shoes for creek crossing.
• Contacts: City of Alma: 479-632-4110, facebook.com/LakeAlmaTrail

Overview

Whether you’re a parent looking for a family day hike or a trail runner looking for a heart-throbbing good time, this loop hike is for you. With new construction and community support, this trail has added mountain biking options for area riders, so consider hiking and biking while you’re here.

You’ll travel past clear streams, rocky cascades, and a 10-foot waterfall. If you look closely, you’ll see historical rock structures. Since this trail is within a diverse mixed hardwood forest, you may spot deer, rabbits, foxes, great blue herons, and a variety of songbirds and wildflowers.

Route Details

Begin at the parking lot on Mountain Grove Road. On the drive into this area, you’ll pass a marquee for mountain bikers. It has a map, but you’ll drive down the hill to the picnic area where restrooms are located and begin on a paved path. Start by turning right (north) on the paved trail that leads to the Lake Alma Trail marquee. An alternative place to start is at the post at the edge of the woods behind the restrooms. That trail is shared with mountain bikes and is an excellent trail, but more about that later.

A word about trail names: The trail designated for foot traffic only is called McWater Trail. The trail that gives an uninterrupted walk around Lake Alma is called Lake Alma Trail. For this hike, you’re doing a short section of McWater Trail to the waterfall and then following the Lake Alma Trail for the majority of your hike around the lake.

Walk past the marquee and follow the dirt trail with the lake on your left. You might notice hikers or bikers in the distance uphill on your right. That is the multiuse trail. At 0.5 mile, you’ll cross a small bridge over a drainage and, after a short trek, you’ll cross another drainage. If water is running here, McWater Falls should be flowing. You’ll come to a spur trail junction to McWater Falls at 0.6 mile. Orange trail markers point to the right. If it’s wet season, McWater Falls, named for Harry McWater who had the original idea about building a trail around Lake Alma, is definitely worth the fifth of a mile out-and-back.

You might notice a trail crossing above the waterfall. This is the multiuse trail that begins behind the restrooms. Once you’ve done the route for this hike, you might want to take the multiuse trail next time.

After viewing the waterfall, you’ll return to this intersection and turn right (north) on the Lake Alma Trail. If you’re wanting a short hike, this is an acceptable time to turn back and return to the trailhead for a 1.4-mile hike out-and-back.

For distance, add 0.2 mile for the waterfall spur. When you arrive back at the spur junction, turn right and continue on McWater Trail until you come to a post at 1.0 mile that marks the junction of McWater Trail with the Lake Alma Trail. For a shorter loop hike, you can take a sharp right turn at the post and follow the Lake Alma Trail over the top of the waterfall and back to the picnic area parking lot.

For this hike, we’ll continue north (straight) and follow the Lake Alma Trail for the remainder of the 4.3-mile hike. This multiuse trail was designed and built by Rogue Trails, and they did it right. It has good footing all the way.

At 1.3 miles, you’ll walk through a pawpaw grove. You might see fruit in late summer if you’re crazy enough to hike the Ozarks in the warmest season.

At about 1.5 miles, you might notice rock structures to the right of the trail. You can select a social trail and visit this area that includes a small hexagon-shaped house before returning to the main trail. These structures were likely built in the 1940s based on the concrete and fire bricks used.

After passing the historic rock structures, you’ll quickly come to a well-built wooden bridge and continue over a small seasonal stream. This is a favorite water stop for my dog. Leashed dogs love this trail, so expect to see a few.

After making a sweeping switchback down toward the creek, you’ll cross Little Frog Bayou at 1.7 miles. This is usually crossable but can easily be a wet one, so pack sandals if you plan to do the whole loop. Volunteers have built two bridges here, but both were washed out. There are plans to expand the trail and add a bridge upstream in the future. You’ll pass a cedar bench at the creek crossing. If the creek is too high, consider making this hike an out-and-back.

After crossing the creek, you’ll walk a series of S-curves and then climb slightly before following an old roadbed lined with a couple of rock walls. Looking downhill to your left you might spot an old stone-lined well. At 2.1 miles, pass another rock wall on your right with Little Frog Bayou down to the left. Listen for kingfishers feeding in the area. There are plenty of sitting rocks here, so this is a great spot for lunch.

At 2.8 miles, you’ll arrive at another cedar bench. This is what locals call “the point.” It’s a pleasant place for a break and offers views across the lake and back to the picnic area where you began your hike. You might notice several solar-powered water circulators out on the lake. These keep algae under control. Alma has excellent drinking water, having won statewide taste tests for several years. The water treatment plant is south of the dam you’re seeing in the distance. You’ll cross that dam as you complete the trail.

From the point, the trail follows West Creek, a second small creek that feeds Lake Alma. At 3.0 miles, you’ll pass a trail marker post for the McWater Trail. Don’t turn here, but continue straight so you’ll cross a beautiful bridge at 3.2 miles. The bridge crossing is a scenic spot for a breather, a photo, and to enjoy a cascading stream.

At 3.4 miles, you’ll pass another McWater Trail marker, but ignore it and keep going straight on the Lake Alma Trail, crossing a small wooden bridge. This is a favorite water stop for my dog. This stream is fed by a small spring uphill to the west of Hwy 71. I’ve never seen it dry.

As you begin climbing away from the spring-fed stream, you’ll notice a trail to the left, but stay straight on the main trail. This is a tough, but short, climb. Be on the watch for mountain bikes coming downhill through this section.

At 3.9 miles, you’ll pass a milepost on the left and a wooden bench on the right. Continue straight on a level roadbed to a gate at 4.2 miles. This is an alternative access point for the trail. Lake Lane Road comes in from Hwy 71 at the Pizza Parlor, one of several local spots for a post-hike meal.

Turn left through a second gate and cross the dam toward the Alma water storage tanks. Pause on the dam to take in the view of Lake Alma and the distance you’ve traveled. Looking south, you’ll see I-40 in the distance and the Alma Water Park at the base of the dam. You might notice some disc golf nets in this area. Alma has an active disc golf course.

When you get to disc golf pad number 8, follow the trail veering left then passing disc golf pad number 9. From here you can see the parking area where you began this 4.3-mile hike….