About this place

Green Bench Trailhead marks the halfway point between Mt. Magazine State Park and Cove Lake Recreation Area. This trailhead provides a good middle stopping point for hikers. The 9.8 mile Mount Magazine Trail begins in Mount Magazine State Park on the north rim and ends at Cove Lake in the Ozark National Forest. The first 2.6 miles is downhill through the oak and hickory forest common to the Ozarks and Ouachitas. While there may be a few places where the leaf-covered rocks might make footing a little precarious, it is a fairly gentle gradient (easy to say, I was going downhill). At the foot of the mountain, you will cross a gravel road and pass a sign announcing that you just came 2.7 miles from Cameron Bluff. Here you enter the Greenbench Road Trailhead area. The next 3.1 miles will take you to the Corley Trailhead. The first mile is on fairly level ground as the trail crosses a level area underlain by Hartshorne Sandstone. You will notice that the character of the forest has changed to a pine-hardwood mix. Cove Lake Campground is just a short distance away from the trail terminus. From Paris take Arkansas 109/309 south then turn southwest on Arkansas 309 and go 14 miles to Green Bench Rd (FS 1605). Turn right and go approx. 2.5 miles to TH on right.