The Upper Dogwood Trail earns its name in April, when the forest canopy erupts in white blooms that make the Ouachita hillsides look frosted. The trail itself is almost conversational — a wide, well-maintained path that rolls gently through second-growth hardwood forest with only the occasional short pitch to remind you you're in actual hills. The footing is consistent and forgiving, which makes this one of the rare trails where you can actually look up instead of down. At a mile out-and-back pace this is more stroll than hike, but tack on the Lower Dogwood loop or push south to Goat Rock and the outing earns some genuine mileage. This trail is built for people who want fresh air without a workout — families with small kids, dog walkers, and anyone who just got off a long drive on I-30.
After heavy rain the trail surface can become slick with leaf litter and clay mud, particularly on the short incline sections — trail shoes with any grip are better than road runners or sandals.
Trail Details
Estimated Time45 min
Trail TypeOut & Back
PetsDogs allowed (leash required)
SeasonYear-round
TrailheadUpper Dogwood Trail
Trail Tips
1
Come the last two weeks of March through mid-April to catch peak dogwood bloom — this is one of the best accessible dogwood walks in the Ouachitas and it fills up on weekends, so aim for a Tuesday or Wednesday morning.
2
The Upper Dogwood connects directly to both the Lower Dogwood Trail and the Goat Rock Trail at clearly marked junctions; grab the free NPS trail map from the Fordyce Bathhouse visitor center before you head up so you can choose your loop on the fly.
3
The trail sits above Bathhouse Row — on clear days you get partial sightlines down toward the historic bathhouses through the tree gaps; the best views open up on the descent back toward the trailhead, so slow down on the return leg.
NPS Photo/Mitch Smith
