Four of us spent four days riding Wolf Pen Gap and other areas around the gap near Mena Arkansas last week. Rode pretty close to 200 miles in four days. Super area. Great trails. For those of you who know the area, the Forest service took a bulldozer in and cleaned up a couple of trails that seemed to have a high accident with injury rate. The Hawkes Overlook trail had some of the big boulders moved off the trail. They supposedly were having to airlift injured riders off that trail almost weekly. It's still a tough trail, but fun. Since this was only our second trip to the area, we were happy to learn our way around the gap a little better. We also learned that a lot of really challenging trails are outside the gap. What I like about the area is the fact that it has everything, lots of water, mud, steep trails, rocks, long straightaways for speed, and good accomodations. If you go, I suggest you plan on riding the gap on weekdays and ride outside the gap on weekends. Wolf Pen Gap proper gets pretty crowded on weekends. The trails are narrow with sharp turns and hills. You are always contending with dirt bikes and other ATV's going the opposite direction.

Ted

 

Nothing like riding straight to the trails without loading up the trailer. I am going back the weekend of Aug 19th and 20th. Will be staying at Bear Lodge at Sugar Creek if anybody wants to ride look us up. We found some new trails Memorial Weekend and I want to explore thema little more.


Ronnie

 

I found the areas around WPG much better to ride on. Never saw anyone on the trails and we found much more technical stuff to ride in.

 

Snoopy & TexMud,

We stayed at the Eagle lodge this trip. Stayed at the River lodge last trip. Looked at the Mountain lodge and Bear Lodge this trip. Bear lodge is neat if you have bunch of kids. That loft will sleep a lot of people.

We will probably go back in Sept. and plan on going to Dallas at Christmas to be with our kids and grandkids. After we spend a few days with them, we will go to Mena and ride until New Years. I hope the weather is cold.

I've had a tough time learning all the trails in and around wpg. I ordered the "Delorme Topo" map program last night. It is supposed to have the lastest satellite imagery incorporated into the maps with all of the trails. I recorded a lot of lat/lon coordinates for places in the area on this trip and will enter the coordinates and names into the program and print a map in either 2d or 3d. I will also be able to download the latest color satellite photos to use with the maps. I'm determined to learn the area. I'm tired of being lost.

I took some good photos this trip including some of the buckeye store and the pickup with the tree growing through the bed. Took a few around the mine shaft, but haven't figured a way to make a hole in the ground look interesting. Be glad to forward some to you if you like.

I think the buckeye store and the pickup would make good windows wallpaper.

We met a couple of sheriffs deputys from Louisiana on top of Hawkes Overlook. One of the guys was doing pretty good. The other one was scared to death. I don't think he had done much riding and no rough riding. I don't think it helped any when I told them its normal to airlift injured people off Hawkes Overlook trail about once a week. They hadn't ridden the rocky side yet.

Snoopy, hope you have a good time on your trip.

Ted

 

Do you have a GPS? I have a Garmin eTrex Vista and all those trails are on the GPS. Have you found Blue Hole? Its a swimming hole. If not I can send you the GPS coordinates. Did you talk to Butch and Faye (owners of Buckeye)?

 

TEXMud,

I have a magellen, but it doesn't have the built in maps. I am going to buy an etrex, but just haven't done it. I want to mess around with the software and see if I can't make some good maps with location names and coordinates. Most of the topo maps have some trails, but they are always fuzzy and not very clear. Hard to follow when you are really riding.

We have been to Blue Hole but forgot the trail route to get there from Sugar Creek. I stopped one of the park rangers and asked him. He said he couldn't help me because it is on private property. We found it anyway. I know people swim and dive in the water, but I'm not sure I want to. I understand that color is from chemicals leaching from the soil. It used to be an open pit mine. They were mining some metal like vanadium. I was told fish, plants, nothing lives in the water.

Yes, we have met Butch and Faye. I like them. Faye likes to talk and Butch doesn't say much. We bought a couple of t-shirts from them this trip. They don't have a lot of stuff in their store, but it is kinda off the beaten path.

I collected a lot of coordinates on this last trip, but I didn't get all I want. I may be asking you for some coordinates when I receive the software and start making maps.

Take Care

Ted

 

Ted,

I highly suggest a GPS with maps for riding ATVs. I cant imagine having one that doesnt map. I got the eTrex Vista since it has 24Mb of RAM. I store a TON of maps on there. I have the Garmin MapSource MetroGuide and the Topo. The Metroguide has trails on government land like the Mena area. It has about 80-90% of the trails up there. It has 95% of the trails in Broken Bow, OK. You would think its only cities, but its a ton of stuff. The topo cd NEVER gets used. I have the maps loaded in the GPS, but they are turned off and dont display. They are so terrible to read while moving. I prefer just seeing the trails on the GPS.

I've never been in Blue Hole. I am leary of just about all the water up there. My friends swim in it, but I know that water aint supposed to be that color. Its just minerals from the mine, but still....that dont look safe.

Butch and Faye are great. They are best at around 11:00-midnight. By that time Butch is lit. We spend about 3-4 hours with them at night each time. Their stories are great. And that place is nice and warm when its 30 degrees out.

 

There will be about 18 of us in Bear Lodge. Mostly littleones so I figure they will be swimming most of the time. I have ridden there a lot so I know my way aroud pretty good but I still take my GPS. I just have the little yellow E-trex(I think)but it gets the job done.
I always thought the pigfarm would be a good picture when they are all sitting on the porch(lol). Deliverance all overagain.

Ronnie

 

Ronnie,

I thought the same thing about the shot of the pig farm. We went through there real early in the morning and they were all on the porch. I don't think they have any air conditioning. Maybe no electricity. They waved as usual. They have a beautiful garden with lots of tomatoes. I thought about offering to buy some tomatoes from them, but didn't. Faye at the Buckeye store said they are nice people and they didn't put the no trespassing signs up until some drunks on four wheelers started racing through there one day. I can't say that I blame them for being a bit perturbed if a bunch of drunks race through about ten feet from their front door. Can you imagine the dust they would have to put up with. I usually slow down to about 10 mph when I go past their house.

I won't say that I envy you if you are taking enough kids to fill that loft (take some prozac with you). Christian at Sugar Creek said they will be adding more beds to the loft in the bear lodge. Sounds like you may need more beds. What do you do about the bathroom, hand out numbered tickets?

Hope you have a great time.

Ted