Mount Magazine Scenic Byway
Arkansas
Mount Magazine Scenic Byway is a 25-mile stretch along Arkansas state Highway 309 that takes travelers from the town of Paris over the top of Mount Magazine — which is the highest point in the state at 2,753 feet — and then south to the town of Havana.
The drive delivers scenery that ranges from farmland to forest, said Tracy Farley, public affairs officer for the Forest Service in Arkansas. Autumn offers some fall colors, and spring paints everything bright shades of green. And the mountain gives people a bit of breeze and some relief from summer heat, she said.
“But it’s beautiful year-round,” Farley said of the byway.
While in Paris, visitors can see the small Eiffel Tower replica that was installed in November on the town square. The 25-foot tower was painted with the same paint that was used on the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, and sits atop a lighted water fountain base.
As the route winds south through Mount Magazine State Park, travelers can stop at Cove Lake Recreation Area, a forest service facility at the 160-acre Cove Lake. There’s room for buses to park, and the recreation area has picnic facilities, a group shelter, a miniature golf course and canoe and paddle boat rentals.
Up the road in the town of Corley, groups can also stop at Cove Creek Supply Co., a convenience store and restaurant that serves breakfast all day, Farley said.
When guests arrive at the top of Mount Magazine, they’re greeted by several overlooks and state park amenities, including the 60-room Lodge at Mount Magazine and Skycrest Restaurant, which delivers views of the Petit Jean River Valley and Blue Mountain Lake. There’s also a separate visitors center.
Talimena National Scenic Byway
Oklahoma and Arkansas
The Talimena National Scenic Byway showcases the best of the Ouachita National Forest as the road unfurls over the Winding Stair and Rich mountain ranges and crosses the border between Oklahoma and Arkansas.
The 50-mile byway stretches between Talihina, Oklahoma, in the east-central part of the state through the forest and over the border to Mena, Arkansas. Although it’s not a long road, the Talimena byway is popular for its scenery, Stallbaumer said.
“It’s especially popular in the fall for the fall foliage, which, for that area, usually peaks the first weekend in November,” he said.
The byway is also unusual because rather than being down in the valleys with travelers looking up into the canopy of trees, the road follows the ridges of the Ouachita mountains, giving visitors different — and more expansive — vistas.
“You’re looking down on the fall foliage,” he said. “You get views down into the valleys rather than looking up into the trees.”
Several pull-offs and overlooks along the way give visitors great views, and the byway runs through or near several state park and recreation areas, including Talimena State Park, which marks the start of the byway on the Oklahoma end. Near Talihina, one of several historic “gateway towns” along the route, visitors can stop at The Rock House, a restaurant that’s in a renovated historic rock home. The restaurant sits in the middle of the owners’ 280-acre rural property and delivers views of the Kiamichi Mountains, part of the Ouachitas.
At Queen Wilhelmina State Park in Arkansas, the 38-room Queen Wilhelmina guest lodge is slated to reopen this spring following a major renovation. The park’s trails, picnicking areas and other facilities are still open. The byway also runs through the 26,500-acre Winding Stair Mountain National Recreation Area.
