Leatherwood Wilderness

Leatherwood Wilderness is a 16,792-acre federally protected wilderness area in Arkansas managed by the Forest Service. It offers backcountry hiking and backpacking in a primitive setting where motorized travel, mechanized equipment, and roads are prohibited. Visitors come here to experience solitude and untrammeled landscape on foot, far from developed infrastructure.

Access is limited to non-motorized means—hiking and backpacking are the primary ways to explore. The wilderness operates under strict Leave No Trace principles; visitors must pack out all waste, camp responsibly, and travel with minimal impact. Spring through fall offer the most reliable conditions, though weather can shift rapidly in any season. This is genuine backcountry: come prepared for self-sufficiency, navigation, and the reality that help is distant.