Ouachita National Forest hike around the North Fork Saline River and Bills Branch
3/26/22
I moved to Arkansas in 1980 and this was one of the first areas that I explored upon arrival. I entered the woods at 4:30 with clear skies and 40°. It was now that I returned to see what was new. I crossed the river, which is a creek at this point, and moved up the mountain. A rocky outcropping was mounted and the sun was observed rising. Then, the nearly mile long ridge I was on was followed to the opposite end. It was there that I began my descent. The start of Bills Branch was encountered at a point where a vein of rock protruded from the ground. A nice little waterfall occurred there. This was Nibweasle Falls. This creek was followed for a time and then abandoned. I cut across a low ridge and hit another tributary and followed it to the North fork. There are a couple of long pools in this area. I camped there a few times in the early 80's and enjoyed that ever so much. I crossed a log to get back to the other side. A rocky shoal was stopped at for lunch. It was damned tasty. I then moved back up the hill to my starting point and drove away. Two OHV's were bumped off the road and sent down the slope with a flick of my steering wheel. bastards! Upon exit it was 70°. This hike was of a rugged nature and covered 7.4 miles.
