September 2023.
US Highway 71, Arkansas.

On our way to Branson, Missouri, we transited Arkansas from Acorn to Fayetteville. The journey’s midpoint was Fort Smith, where we visited the historic fort. In a future post, I’ll share more about our tour of the fort. The first part of our journey from Acorn to Fort Smith was through the Ozark Mountains. Along the way, we saw rolling hills, dense forests, and small farms, with remnants of old roadside attractions.

Our route on US Highway 71 featured good roads and scenery alternating between forests and farmsteads. There was not much traffic on the highway that day. It’s a much slower and more enjoyable drive than the Interstate route.

Our drive out of Acorn took us through the Ouachita National Forest. It is the oldest and largest national forest in the southern United States, covering 1.8 million acres in Arkansas and Oklahoma.

We picked up a scenic byway between Winslow and Fayetteville, Arkansas. Part of the route winds through the highest parts of the Ozark Mountains in the Boston Mountain Range on US Highway 71. The Boston Mountain Scenic Loop has two routes: US Highway 71 and Interstate 49.

A typical drive through the loop can take about an hour, depending on stops and traffic conditions. It could take longer if you plan to explore scenic overlooks, hiking trails, or local attractions like Devil’s Den State Park. We just passed through the area on Highway 71 on this trip, enjoying the scenery, but not stopping at any attractions. The return loop is along I-49.

The Boston Mountains are located in northwestern Arkansas and northeastern Oklahoma, forming the highest section of the Ozark Mountains. They stretch east-west for about 200 miles (320 km) and are bounded by the White and Arkansas Rivers. Some of the tallest peaks, like Turner Ward Knob and Brannon Mountain, rise above 2,400 feet (730 meters)

The transition between the Ozark National Forest and the Ouachita National Forest occurs near the Arkansas River, which serves as a natural boundary between the two regions. The Ozark National Forest lies north of the river, while the Ouachita National Forest extends southward. As we traveled north on US 71, we noticed a shift in landscape—from the rolling, pine-covered hills of the Ouachitas to the rugged, limestone-based terrain of the Ozarks.

We were just south of Fayetteville when I spotted this ivy-covered house in Greenland. The area typifies a small Arkansas town, but in only a few more minutes, we would reach Fayetteville and the end of the Boston Mountain Scenic Loop.

Our drive from Acorn started around noon, with an arrival at Fayetteville about 5 PM. We spent about an hour at Fort Smith exploring the fort, so doing the math, we spent about four hours on the drive between Acorn and Fayetteville. Stay tuned for our visit to the fort for which the city is named. Coming to a Travel Tuesday post soon.

John Steiner