Two Mountains

Mountain Home, AR to Mountain View, AR

“A 59-mile drive starting at Mountain Home, traveling south to the scenic river hills of the White River, and ending at Mountain View. This area of the eastern Arkansas Ozarks has a lower elevation than its western counterpart. The White River and its tributaries have been carving into this region of the Ozark uplift for more than 100 million years, exposing prominent dolomite cliffs, sandstone outcrops, rugged wooded hills, and canyon-like valleys. Special attractions: Blanchard Springs Caverns, Ozark Folk Center State Park, Norfork National Fish Hatchery, Norfork Lake, North Fork and White rivers, and Ozark National Forest; scenic views, hiking, canoeing, swimming, fishing (including trout), hunting, cave tour, camping, and horseback riding.” —Trails.com

Scenic 7 Byway

Harrison, AR to Russellville, AR

“With its sweeping vistas, natural wonders and local color, National Scenic 7 Byway awaits you, to suprise and delight at every turn. Widely know as one of the 10 most beautiful drives in the U.S., Scenic 7 is recognized nationally for its charm and natural splendor. Extending from Camden, through Arkadelphia, historic Hot Springs, and Russellville, Scenic 7 winds gracefully through the beautiful Ouachita and Ozark Mountains to Harrison, joining Highway 62 to Eureka Springs and Highway 65 to Branson, MO.” —HotSprings.org

Buffalo Hills

Harrison, AR to Jasper, AR

“The rugged hills of the Buffalo River offer scenic views and places to hike along the northern edge of the Ozarks’ Boston Mountains. Of the four scenic drives in the Boston Mountains, this drive offers the most dramatic transition from one major landform to another. The drive starts on the southern edge of the Springfield Plateau, with elevations varying from 500 to 1,500 feet. The bedrock is primarily limestone. The road then climbs onto the northern edge of the Boston Mountains, with a pronounced elevation ranging from 1,500 to 2,300 feet. Composed of sandstone and shale, much of the area is very rugged, with several sections reaching more than 1,000 feet in local relief. Relatively level land is confined to the valleys and to the mountaintops, which are remnants of the old plateau surface. Special attractions: Baker Prairie, Gaither Mountain, Boxley Valley, Buffalo River, Lost Valley, Buffalo River Trail, Ponca Access, Steel Creek, Kyles Landing, and Ponca Wilderness Area; scenic views, hiking, canoeing, camping, fishing, and hunting.” —Trails.com

Mountain Gateway Scenic Byway

Heavener, OK to Hon, AR

“This drive isn’t short on spectacular views of the Ouachita Mountains as it winds along with the Mountain Fork, Black Fork, and Glover Rivers. In the spring, the area is covered in wildflowers, which can inspire virtually anyone’s inner photographer to emerge. With heights reaching 2,600 feet above sea level, there are several areas to pull off and survey the landscape for miles on end.” –YourMechanic.com

Talimena Skyline Drive

Talihina, OK to Mena, AR

“Beginning in Talihina and crossing over into Arkansas toward the end, this drive through the Ouachita Mountains is full of scenic views and recreational opportunities. The road is quite curvy and there aren’t any opportunities to fuel up in between, so preparation is vital before setting out, but the effort is more than worth it. The route passes through a lush array of evergreens and hardwoods with lots of overlooks at high altitude, and Horsethief Spring – named for the outlaws that used to camp there – is a good place to stop and hit trails or enjoy a picnic spread.” –YourMechanic.com

Talimena Alternate

Talihina, OK to Mena, AR

While this is probably not as exciting as the Talimena Scenic Drive above, it’s still a fun stretch of road to drive, and tends to have a lot less traffic.

Crystal Trail

Page, OK to Hot Springs, AR

“A 91-mile drive beginning at Hot Springs; traveling westward through the heart of the Ouachita Mountains where beautiful quartz crystals abound; and ending at Page, Oklahoma. While the Ozarks are flat-topped mountains, the Ouachitas are long, narrow ridges running from east to west. Both mountain regions began forming during the Paleozoic Era, about 300 million years ago, when the continents of South America and Africa collided with the southern end of North America. The Ozarks were uplifted into a high, flat plateau, while the Ouachitas, being closer to the point of collision, were wrinkled and folded into long ridges. This mountain-building process occurred over millions of years and added a couple of inches of height per year, then abruptly stopped. Since then, the mountains have been eroded by rain and wind to their present shape. This east-west trending chain of mountains is unique in the United States. Most mountain ranges, like the Appalachians, Rockies, and Sierra Nevada, have a north-south alignment due to past continental collisions from the east (forming the Appalachian mountains) or from the west (forming the Rocky and Sierra Nevada Mountains). This tour takes you through the heart of the Ouachitas and provides excellent opportunities to see the results of this ancient mountain-building process.” –Trails.com

Caddo Gap West via Arkansas Highway 8

Mena, AR to Glenwood, AR

“A 52-mile drive beginning at Glenwood, traveling west through Caddo Gap, and featuring crystal country, scenic overlooks, mountains of Arkansas Stone, and Little Missouri Falls. This region, known as the Central Ouachitas, offers dramatic views of mountains that have been pushed and folded over on themselves creating narrow ridges, steep slopes, and deep valleys. This drive will explore the Crystal and Caddo mountains and their beautiful views, interesting rocks, clear-flowing streams, and unusual plants and animals that are characteristic of this region.” —Trails.com

Note: If you look up this route most places, it will direct you from Glenwood, AR to Langly AR. The road from Highway 8 to Langley, although scenic is not paved.

Caddo Gap North via Arkansas Highway 27

Glenwood, AR to Mt. Ida, AR

A 22-mile drive beginning at Glenwood, traveling north through Caddo Gap, and featuring crystal country, scenic overlooks, mountains of Arkansas Stone, and Little Missouri Falls. This region, known as the Central Ouachitas, offers dramatic views of mountains that have been pushed and folded over on themselves creating narrow ridges, steep slopes, and deep valleys. This drive will explore the Crystal and Caddo mountains and their beautiful views, interesting rocks, clear-flowing streams, and unusual plants and animals that are characteristic of this region.

Note: Some guides recommend making a trip to the Crystal Mountain Scenic Area. Again, this route, although scenic is not paved.

2016 Fall Tour Route (Amended)

Mena, AR to Mena, AR

This is the Day 2 Route from the 2016 Fall Tour. Only alteration was to avoid the unpaved portion of County Road 260 through Zafra, OK. The portion between Waldron, AR and Rover, AR was not quite as fun as I had hoped. It’s not bad, just not as twisty as the map made it appear.

Southeast Arklahoma Via Krebs

Oklahoma City, OK to Mena, AR

This route is from Day 1 (and in reverse, Day 3) of the 2016 Fall Tour, and is intended to get from Oklahoma City to Mena, AR. A fun drive in its own right, and well worth stopping in Krebs for some Italian food.

Hot Springs National Park West

Hot Springs National Park Visitor’s Center to Summit Drive

“A 5-mile drive in Hot Springs National Park with scenic views, historic sites, interesting rock outcrops, and hot springs. Hot Springs National Park is located in the middle of a series of mountains called the Zig-Zag Mountains. These long, linear mountains, spaced from 1 to 3 miles apart, are the result of giant folds produced during the mountain building of the entire region. The angle of these tilted layers of bedrock and the type of rock itself account for the unique occurrence of hot springs in this area. Although hot springs are found in a few locations in the Appalachian Mountains and are much more common in the West in places such as Yellowstone, in the Midwest they occur only at Hot Springs, Arkansas.”–Trails.com

Hot Springs National Park East

Hot Springs National Park Visitor’s Center to Goat Rock Trail

This route covers the east side of the park. There is an error on Google Maps, which prevents me from adding the north loop to Goat Rock Trail.

“A 5-mile drive in Hot Springs National Park with scenic views, historic sites, interesting rock outcrops, and hot springs. Hot Springs National Park is located in the middle of a series of mountains called the Zig-Zag Mountains. These long, linear mountains, spaced from 1 to 3 miles apart, are the result of giant folds produced during the mountain building of the entire region. The angle of these tilted layers of bedrock and the type of rock itself account for the unique occurrence of hot springs in this area. Although hot springs are found in a few locations in the Appalachian Mountains and are much more common in the West in places such as Yellowstone, in the Midwest they occur only at Hot Springs, Arkansas.”–Trails.com

Mount Magazine

Paris, AR to Havana, AR

“A 28-mile drive from Paris, to the top of Mount Magazine, and down to Havana. Mount Magazine, at 2,753 feet above sea level, is the highest point in the Midwest. Only the Appalachians to the east, the Rockies to the west, and mountains in western Texas attain higher elevations. Standing approximately 2,300 feet above the surrounding valley floor, it is truly an impressive site. From the top of the mountain there are scenic views of the surrounding Arkansas River valley, the Boston Mountains to the north, and the Ouachita Mountains to the south. Because of its exceptional scenery, the highway that takes travelers up and over Mount Magazine was designated as an Arkansas Scenic Byway in 1994.” —Trails.com

Eastern Ouachitas Scenic Route

Little Rock, AR to Holla Bend, AR

“A 75-mile drive from Little Rock along the eastern edge of the Ouachita Mountains to the Arkansas River valley and Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge. The drive, which begins just west of Little Rock, is on the extreme eastern edge of the Ouachita Mountains. These mountains began to form more than 300 million years ago, when the continental plates of South America and Africa began pushing from the south, uplifting the Ouachitas and the Ozarks at the same time. This uplifting, folding, and faulting lasted millions of years, producing the dramatic shapes and sizes of mountains unique to the Midwest. Over the last half of the drive, the road follows the Arkansas River valley, which is considered part of the Ouachitas. Here, backwater areas provide habitat for more “southern” plants and animals such as bald cypress trees and alligators.” —Trails.com

Arkansas Highway 16

Baldwin, AR to Ozark, AR

I will admit I have yet to do this drive, but it came highly recommended from a group of Fayetteville locals I met at the Brits in the Ozarks Car Show.

US Highway 71

Fayetteville, AR to Alma, AR

I will admit I have yet to do this drive, but it came highly recommended from a group of Fayetteville locals I met at the Brits in the Ozarks Car Show.

War Eagle Mill Tour 2017

Fayetteville, AR to Rogers, AR

War Eagle Mill Tour 2016

Fayetteville, AR to Springdale, AR

Pig Trail – Highway 23

Eureka Springs, AR to Ozark, AR

“A 78-mile drive from Ozark north across the rugged Boston Mountains to Eureka Springs. Climbing out of the Arkansas River valley, the route scales the rugged Boston Mountains, offering breathtaking views of a densely forested, seemingly never-ending landscape. This region is the highest and most deeply dissected of the Ozarks, with local relief sometimes exceeding 1,500 feet. Sandstone bedrock forms bluffs and rocky slopes that favor shortleaf pine, the Ozark region’s only native pine. In sheltered deep ravines, moist, cool conditions provide habitat for such uncommon trees as American beech and umbrella magnolia. In the lush understory, ferns, orchids, and spring wildflowers carpet the ground.” —Trails.com

Ozark Highlands – Highway 21

Eureka Springs, AR to Clarksville, AR

“A 95-mile drive beginning at historic Eureka Springs, crossing the Boston Mountains, and ending at Clarksville. The northern part of the drive is in a region underlain by limestones and dolomites. For over hundreds of thousands of years, water seeping into cracks in the bedrock dissolved minerals in the rock, creating caves, sinkholes, and springs. This type of region is named “karst,” after a similar area in the former Yugoslavia near the Adriatic Sea. The Ozarks are one of the best-known of karst regions worldwide, with over 7,000 caves. Leaving the karst region, the highway just beyond Kingston climbs into the Boston Mountains, the highest part of the Ozarks. Composed of sandstone and shale, this rugged landscape offers great variations in elevation (from 1,500 to 2,300 feet) creating panoramic views and deep, moist valleys rich in wildflowers and crystal-clear streams.” —Trails.com