Heading down to check out the Ozarks for 5 days with some buddies, anyone have any tips, must see sites? Any warnings, places to avoid,,,?

TIA

 

Route 160 and Route 125 are great roads to ride.

 

Probably the best tip is Hwy. 7, starting at the LA/AR border and going north or vice versa. There are many other scenic highways in the Ozarks, so you might want to travel Hwy. 7, stopping along the way and using it as a base for day rides that branch out from it. We frequently ride up from S. LA, take Hwy. 7 all the way to near Harrison, head west to Fayetteville, and then Hwy. 71 to Mena. From there take Hwy. 8 to the peak in Queen Wilhelmina State Park, on top of which is a lodge with a restaurant that offers an excellent buffet.

For us in S. LA this is the best riding that's close, only one day away, and it is indeed very good if you like scenic mountain roads. Check out http://www.motorcycleroads.com/ for specific roads reported by other riders. This is an excellent site for little-known backroads that appeal to bikers.

 

What area? If you go to http://pigtrailhd.com/ they have some ride maps in the store, I couldn't find them on the website but I'm sure they could e-mail them to you. If you like the twisties you will be in heaven around here, not a straight road in sight

 

Where at in the Ozarks?

I haven't ridden much in the Arkansas side, but I have spent some time in the Bagnell Dam area.

 

One of the other guys planned some of it out but I have not seen the routes yet,,, Getting excited! I'm googling and printing!
http://www.arkansas.com/images/ad_tv...sRide_384K.wmv
Weather looks perfect!

 

This is great info. I'm going to AR in late September. staying about 10 miles south of Mena off 71 in Hatfiled. I've been looking at routes too. Already had planned to ride to Queen Wilhelmina State Park. I'll have 3 days riding time there (of course I may spend 1 day on my 4-wheeler though).

 

OK, guys, I've done most of these roads, they are all great motorcycle adventures. Assuming you are coming into Arkansas from the SE corner of Missouri on I-55, take HWY60/160 over to Poplar Bluff, MO. Make your way across the bottom of MO and enter Arkansas at Mammoth Springs. Take HWY 9 in Arkansas to Mtn View (home of the Arkansas Folk Festival, be prepared to spend a little time checking this all out, but if you intend to stay here, you probably should have already made reservations). Here you can scope out the Push Mtn ride back towards Mtn Home, AR. (do your internet research, you'll find it). Take US62 over to Eureka Springs. Check out War Eagle while your in the neighborhood (more research). Take HWY 23 out of Eureka Springs (the PIG TRAIL) thru Ozark to hwy 309 over to Paris, AR and MT. Magazine State Park. Next, over to Mt. Nebo State Park, then take HWY7 to Hot Springs. Hwy 70 to Glenwood, Hwy 8 to Mena and the Talimena Drive over to Talihena, OK. By this time, you will have ridden some of the best roads in Arkansas (and the edge of Oklahoma and Missouri) that exist. Don't forget to stop and check out the scenery, enjoy all the offerings that Arkansas has for bikers and spend a little time checking out some of these places. You'll want to come back and spend much more time the next time. You can only scratch the surface in 5 days. Check it out on the map, you'll be able to do a pretty good circle witht he info I have given you. You will finish up in the NW corner of Arkansas, just outside of Fayetteville. Hope you enjoy....PACO PS: check out EGLIDEKID's opening forum page write ups about the Talimena Drive and the Petit Jean Mtn Ride.

 

Check on my site, I have some information about NW Arkansas ( lower part of the Ozarks ) http://www.virtualhale.com/cruzn
and http://www.virtualhale.com/cruzn/arkansas.php
I'd check out Roaring River State Park and Mark Twain National Park in Missouri.


Then south into Arkansas Hwy 62 east into Euerka Springs, from there your in some good riding. Hwy 23 south from there all the way down to interstate I40 is good.

Euerka Springs has city ord's about loud pipes.

 

Just got back last weekend from my latest 3 day, 1000 mile ride thru Arkansas. I've been about a dozen times in the last 2-1/2 years. Arkansas does have some mighty fine motorcycling roads.

Anything north of i-40 is the Ozarks. South of I-40 and west of I-30 is the Ouachitas. Both have great roads and scenery, however, the Ozarks are a little more special.

Hwy's 21, 23, 16, 123, 7, 27, 28, 43, 74, 215 are all excellent roads. Get an Arkansas state map and pick a start and a destination and loop thru as many of these roads as you can. You won't be disappointed!!

Soem are higher speed than others. For example, a part of 123 is nothing but very tight low speed corners, while 7 is mostly high speed sweepers. It's all good!