Need Arkansas info

My husband & I are heading to the Ouachita Mtns. this weekend (we're staying near Washita). He's riding in the Ouachita Challenge Mtn. Bike Race on Sun. How bad of a winter did you have down there? Will the area trails be total mudpits, and are there a lot of tree limbs down? Are the creeks way up? Any dogwoods or wildflowers blooming yet?

We're planning a stop at Devil's Den on Fri., and hiking in the Hot Springs area on Sat. Just curious what the general conditions are right now and need to know how many pairs of shoes to bring, etc.

Thanks for any info.

Angela, my bet is the trails will be pretty muddy based on what I saw last weekend. Devil's Den will offer you many opportunities for pictures even this time of year. The wildflowers may be a few weeks off, again based on my travels last Sunday. Most of the area had snow on Saturday night and temperatures in the high 60's yesterday, so the snow has melted and the ground is saturated.

The creeks and rivers are running pretty well in the Ozarks and Ouachitas right now, so if you plan to hike, plan on wet crossings.

The weather forecast for the Hot Springs area is predicting rain between now and the weekend as well as a good chance for rain over the weekend. According to this handy page from the national weather service, Garland County, where Hot Springs is located, has had 1.5-3" of rain in the last 30 days, which is 2-4" below normal.

http://water.weather.gov

Still, in spite of the recent dry spell, it's probably a pretty good bet you'll encounter water falling out of the sky as well as more water collecting and running on the ground.

We haven't had any significant ice this winter, nor did the Ouachitas suffer any significant ice damage last year that I know of. It was mainly the Ozarks that really got hammered, and there is still plenty of evidence of that lying thick on the ground.

calling for rain tonight, not sure how much though. The creeks will definitely be flowing this weekend and the larger waterfalls should be flowing to. Here in Conway the Redbuds are just beginning to barely bloom. I bet they look pretty nice in Hot Springs. Lots of "lawn" flowers blooming in central Arkansas, as well as the Bradford Pears, Plums and other trees of that nature. The trees in central Arkansas are starting to turn a little green. The early part of Spring is in full swing here in Conway. I bet Hot Springs and the Ouachita's will look great this weekend.

Thanks for the info, guys. That helps a lot. Looks like I better be prepared for water & mud! Still, I'm looking forward to the trip. Arkansas is a beautiful state. You guys are lucky to have such beautiful scenery to photograph.

Not a great map, but Karla and I just returned from the Flatside Wilderness last night and the roads are in good shape. Tonights weather may change that. This is just minutes north of Hot Springs. Tons of vistas and miles of forest roads.

http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/ouachita/maps/documents/Winona_Auto_Tour.pdf or http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/ouachita/maps/documents/RA-22_Winona_Wildlife_Management_Area_002.pdf

Zack has some good pics from a recent trip. Sorry Matt, I couldn't find yours.
http://www.zackandrews.com/2010/02/04/flatside-wilderness/

Pano of mine from a few weeks ago.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2467/3982377073_5d8bcba3c4_o.jpg

my piddly attempt at a sunrise shot from flatside

I cannot believe you guys are getting blooms already. Up here we don't even have a bud on the trees yet. It still looks like winter here, I wouldn't expect the dogwoods to start in MO for about another 2wks at least.