Cavanal Hill rises west of Poteau and is the town's most photographed landmark. A narrow paved road climbs to the summit, where a viewing platform looks east across the Poteau River Valley to Sugar Loaf Mountain and south to the Winding Stair range. On a clear evening you can see for a long way; on a hazy day you can at least see why the early settlers laid the town out where they did.
The drive up is short and easy in a regular car. There are a couple of picnic tables at the top, and a small flat trail near the summit. It is not a wilderness experience — there is a radio tower, and houses on the lower slopes — but for sunset over the Ouachitas it is the best spot in town.