OUACHITA MOUNTAINS

a rugged range of large hills that continues the Ozark Plateau in the United States. The Ouachita Mountains extend approximately 225 miles (360 km) east to west from Little Rock, Ark., to Atoka, Okla., and north to south, approximately 5060 miles (8095 km) from the Arkansas River Valley to the northern margin of the Coastal Plain. The ridges trend generally eastwest and are approximately the same height.The highest elevation (2,950 feet ) in the range is Rich Mountain in Le Flore County, Okla., near the Arkansas line. Hot Springs National Park lies in the Ouachita Mountains. The word Ouachita is derived from an Indian tribal name. Oak and pine forests cloak the hills, and cultivation is restricted to the more favourable valley bottoms.