Appaloosas Chase and Chester enjoy the sunset from their “room with a view.”

During the summer of 2005, my husband, Terry, and I made a bold decision to sell our home in Southern California and go on the road full time with our horses. We sold our living quarters trailer, bought a motor home, and had a horse trailer custom built with two tack rooms and enough storage for horse feed, water and portable corrals to "hit the trail" full time. We dubbed our adventure "Riding America – One Trail at a Time."

We rode in the forests of south-central Oregon and along the Oregon coastline. We rode on the Petersburg Battlefield in Virginia, then headed into North Carolina where we rode in Love Valley and the Uwharrie National Forest. Next, we headed to Florida, where we rode in Florida Caverns State Park and Blackwater River State Forest. In spring, we rode along Mississippi’s historical Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail and Arkansas’ lower Ouachita Mountains.

From Arkansas, we headed to southeast Oklahoma. We were surprised to find captivating mountains, lush, rolling hills, blue skies, and panoramic views. We felt so tranquil and awed that we were excited about reaching our destination, Horse Heaven Ranch, a 100-acre horse camp that offers direct access to endless miles of trails.

The camp lies in the western portion of the Ouachita Mountains, off Highway 63, about seven miles east of Talihina. The Ouachita National Forest, with more than 1.7 million acres of pristine beauty, is the oldest and largest national forest in the southern United States. The Ouachita National Recreation Trail stretches 192 miles from Talihina to Little Rock, Arkansas.

Grand Entrance

You can’t miss the entrance to the horse camp: a grand circle-drive entry decorated with a well-manicured green lawn, white-wood fencing, and a magnificent stone wall built from natural rock and adorned with the camp logo.

It’s about a one-mile drive to the actual camp, along a smooth, well-graded gravel road. Trees towered above us on both sides. As we entered the campground, we saw a very large arena with steel railing on our left. We parked at the office, which was built into the end stall of a large, steel breezeway barn with a gable roof.

Owner Dudley Black was there to greet us and check us in. Dressed in Wranglers and a straw Stetson hat, he was very polite and accommodating. He allowed our stay to be open-ended. His girlfriend, Elfie, who manages the camp, collected our money and brought us a trail map. The map showed five different trailheads leading from the campground into the forest. Then Dudley showed us to the campsites, so we could pick the best spot for our massive, 55-foot rig.

A ‘Masterpiece’

As though the "grand entrance" weren’t enough, the campground was a masterpiece. A well-lit, smooth gravel road runs through the middle. Several one-way roads branch off and loop through the campsites.

At the end of the center road, at the northerly end of the camp, there are six cabins with horse facilities for rent. Trash cans are plentiful throughout the camp, and you can either bag your manure or scatter it. At the camp center is a large bath house built of stone. The restrooms are immaculate, and the showers offer plenty of hot water.

Campsites vary in size and are comfortably spaced throughout the camp. Each of the 32 recreational-vehicle sites has a level concrete pad to park your rig, and offers shade trees, green grass, and a gravel picnic area. The picnic area has a table, barbeque grill, and campfire ring. For your horses, there are two white 10-by-10-foot corrals.

Along with water and electric hookups, there’s a central dump station — and some sites even have a septic station right there at your pad! We’d never seen a horse camp like this one.

Forest Trails

We tacked up the "big" boys, Chase and Chester (our 6-year-old and 12-year-old Appaloosas), packed water for the "little" boys, Doc and Cody (our two Australian Shepherds, trail dogs extraordinaire), and headed into the forest.

We took the "A" trail and found ourselves close to the camp’s cabins, so we decided to check them out. Six adorable log cabins with stone fireplaces and metal roofs were tucked along the forest boundary. In between each cabin were a barn and a large, open paddock area. Each cabin also had an outdoor barbeque grill, a campfire ring, and a front-porch swing. Inside were all the amenities, including cable television.

After our brief detour, we headed back into the forest. The trails close to the horse camp are level and wide enough for two riders. Deeper into the mountains, the trails narrowed and became rockier. If you shoe your horses, make sure they’re freshly shod; if your horse is barefoot, take along hoof boots if his hooves haven’t yet toughened up.

Along the trails are numerous ponds and water crossings, mostly large creeks lined with river rock. In spring, water is plentiful, but the creeks can disappear in the drier months. We packed water for the dogs until we got to know the trails.

One day, we went riding with Elfie, who’d recently found a new trail she wanted to upgrade and add to her map. It was a gradual climb up the mountain. At the top was a nice grassy area with a spectacular panoramic view of the Kiamichi mountain range.

Another day, we rode with Elfie again. We went all the way up to the Talimena Scenic Drive and came back down the mountain on a different trail, making a great loop back to camp. Some trails have good, steady climbs and switchbacks, but not one trail has ledge; all the climbs are gradual. You can also find sections good enough to lope on, if you choose.

We found the most scenic trails to be the Southface, Black Jack, Lords, Outrider, and the upper section of the "A" trail. They climb up the mountains through lush, green forest with views at the top.

Our Slice of Heaven

We enjoyed the area so much that we decided to buy property there. With Elflie’s help, we found a nice piece of property on a hill. We were mesmerized by its beauty. There are oak and cedar trees, grassy pasture areas, and beautiful red, pink, and gold rocks and boulders. Our view is of the Kiamichi Mountain Range. To the north and east are the Ouachita Mountains.

While the land was in escrow, we stayed at Horse Heaven Ranch. Then we moved our rig onto the property. We’re now living in our motor home on a slice of God’s country and building a home.

For more information on Horse Heaven Ranch, call (800) 51-HORSE [514-6773] or (918) 567-4200; or visit www.horseheavenranchresort.com.