Fall Color Highways Show Off Scenic Arkansas


			~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ FALL COLOR HIGHWAYS SHOW OFF SCENIC ARKANSAS --- by staff writer AR Department of Parks and Tourism ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fall will soon be in the air, and the first hints of the autumn color change will be detected along roadsides all over The Natural State. Many feel that this is Arkansas's most appealing season, the ideal time to get out and explore the beauty of the mountains, river valley, delta, Grand Prairie and timberlands. Here's an overview of the highways and byways where the splendor of the foliage should be peaking between mid-October and early November. Scenic Byway 7 is just about everyone's favorite Arkansas roadway. It runs north to south, from the Missouri border to the Louisiana border, crossing rivers, skirting lakes, climbing mountains, penetrating both the Ozark and Ouachita National Forests. Often listed among the top 10 most beautiful drives in the United States, Scenic 7 is a National Forest Scenic Byway where it traverses the two forests. In 1994, the portion that extends from Harrison to Arkadelphia was named a State Scenic Byway as well. Points of interest along the way include Mystic Caverns, the Arkansas Grand Canyon of the Ozarks, the Buffalo National River, the Ozark Highlands National Recreation Trail, Lake Dardanelle and the Arkansas River, Petit Jean and Mount Nebo State Parks, the Ouachita National Recreation Trail, Lake Nimrod, Hot Springs National Park, Lake Hamilton, and DeGray Lake and DeGray Lake Resort State Park. Another masterpiece of a drive, also named both a National Forest Scenic Byway and a State Scenic Byway, is State Highway 309, which climbs up and over Arkansas's highest point, 2,753-foot Mount Magazine. The byway leads to Mount Magazine State Park, now under development at the summit of the mesa-like mountaintop. The highway winds from Paris to Havana, with numerous opportunities for viewing the valleys below. The Talimena Scenic Byway is almost as well known as Scenic 7. It's a 55- mile route that bridges the distance between Mena, Ark. and Talihina, Ok. The byway was a cooperative effort of the Ouachita National Forest and the highway departments of the two states. It passes over Mount Rich, the second highest point in Arkansas, as well as Winding Stair Mountain in Oklahoma. Queen Wilhelmina State Park, with its skyscraping lodge, lies beside the byway at the summit of Mount Rich. Frequent viewpoints along the route provide spectacular views of the color change in the Ouachita National Forest. A portion of the 225-mile-long Ouachita National Recreation Trail parallels the drive on much of this route. Other National Forest Scenic Byways in Arkansas include the Pig Trail (SH 23 from Ozark north to its junction with SH 16; trees meet overhead along much of the route); Ozark Highlands (SH 21 from Clarksville north to the Buffalo National River); and Sylamore (SH 14 and 5 between Calico Rock and Allison, then west through the Sylamore District of the Ozark National Forest). Iin eastern Arkansas, the St. Francis runs from Marianna through the St. Francis National Forest to Helena on SH 44 and Forest Service Road 1900. A new state scenic highway was created in eastern Arkansas by the 1997 Legislature. It comprises a series of federal and state highways extending from St. Francis and Piggott in the extreme northeastern corner of the state south through Jonesboro, Forrest City and Marianna to Helena. The combined roadways have been named the Crowley's Ridge National Scenic Byway. The hilly, forested route should be especially handsome as fall works its magic on vegetation along the Ridge. The route includes U.S. 62, SH 141, SH 135, U.S. 49, SH 163, SH 284, SH 1, SH 44 and other shorter connecting routes. In the Ozarks, other popular routes for leaf gazing include U.S. 71, 62, 65, 412, and State Highways 5, 9, 14, 16, 27, 59, and 69. In the Ouachitas, highways of choice include U.S. 70, 71 and 270, as well as State Highways 8, 9, 10, 27, 28, and 154. For travelers in the delta, the Great River Road, a series of roadways running north to south paralleling the Mississippi River, is recommended. Green and white pilot wheel markers denote the components of this route. And in the timberlands, U.S. 79, 82, and 167, and SH 4, 8, and 15 are especially beautiful at this time of year. The fall months are prime times for festivals, fairs and special events in the cities and towns that lie along these roadways. #### Web Page - All rights reserved. ©2001-2004 B.W. Lusk - May be used with written permission and reciprocal link to ShopTheOzarks.com. For more information, contact B.W. Lusk. Article reprinted here with permission - All rights reserved. staff writer Department of Parks and Tourism One Capitol Mall, Little Rock, AR 72201