Music Mountain and West Mountain via Sunset Trail in Hot Springs National Park, AR

Hike Music Mountain and West Mountain via Sunset Trail Hot Springs National Park, AR

Class 1 5.8 miles 1300 gain 2-4 hrs Out + Back Aug 5, 2017
Effort
Beauty
Personality
Solitude

Music Mountain and West Mountain via Sunset Trail GPX Track

I need to offset my substantial website costs somehow! You can download a hike/drive GPX to assist you here. Before sharing my GPX tracks with others, please remember my site is otherwise a free resource.

I started from a parking lot on Blacksnake Road, where I followed a wide trail that led up to just below the forested summit of Music Mountain. An short bushwhack led off the Sunset Trail to reach the high point. After summitting, I headed east to the fairly nice West Mountain overlook, but it was a bit boring overall. The Sunset Trail is wide, straight, and forested. I took a quick detour along the way to bag West Mountain, a quick excursion.

Note that the attached map has incorrect imagery – the contour lines make West Mountain look like it's a saddle rather than a peak, weird.

PEAKS ON HIKE
Elevation (ft) / Prominence (ft)
Peaks on hike
Elevation
Prominence
1
Music Mountain
1400 ft
640 rise
2
West Mountain
1260 ft
n/a rise

Hire me or show me some love!

Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I'm not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!

Image 0 from gallery
Slowly ascend on  wide trail toward the top of Music Mountain. The trail doesn't actually take you to the summit, but you get partial views along the way.
Slowly ascend on wide trail toward the top of Music Mountain. The trail doesn't actually take you to the summit, but you get partial views along the way.
Image 2 from gallery
Image 3 from gallery
After the ascent stops, you uneventfully descend along the straight, wide, boring trail for the duration of the hike.
After the ascent stops, you uneventfully descend along the straight, wide, boring trail for the duration of the hike.
A few views along the way.
A few views along the way.
Image 6 from gallery
Image 7 from gallery
Seriously. Just a wide, straight trail.
Seriously. Just a wide, straight trail.
Eventually, the trail takes you away from the old dirt road converted into a trail and you get some tree-hindered views.
Eventually, the trail takes you away from the old dirt road converted into a trail and you get some tree-hindered views.
Image 10 from gallery
The only true view along the way.
The only true view along the way.
Approaching the West Mountain parking area.
Approaching the West Mountain parking area.
West Mountain overlook.
West Mountain overlook.

Hire me or show me some love!

Hire/refer me as a web developer or send me a few bucks if you find my site useful. I’m not sponsored, so all fees are out-of-pocket and my time preparing trip reports is unpaid. I really appreciate it!