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Top 7 Adventure Motorcycle Rides in Arkansas

The Natural State is one of the best-kept secrets of Adventure Riding.

Published on 12.23.2015

4. Mena to Lake Ouachita

Lake Ouachita Arkansas motorcycle rides in Arkansas
Courtesy Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism

Mena Lake Ouachita

Mena Lake Ouachita

As long as you’re in the area, how about a meandering dirt/street route over to the 40,000-acre Lake Ouachita? Pick up Arkansas 375 south just west of Mena and twist your way down to the town of Shady and the Caney Creek Wilderness Area. Keep heading south on county roads until you hit Arkansas 246, then head east. In a few miles you’re going to turn back north toward the Shady Lake Recreation Area, which offers camping, swimming and a good place to rest.

Keep heading north, now on County Road 64, and you’re in for some rocky dirt roads with views of the surrounding Ouachitas Mountains, the only range in the continental United States oriented east-to-west, instead of north-to-south. Turn west on County Road 601 and follow a series of roads—Crooked Creek, Albert Pike, Polk Creek and River—until you come out at pavement on Arkansas 8 west of Norman. From Norman you’ll be on Arkansas 27 north for just a bit until you find dirt at Crystal Park Road on your way to the Crystal Park Recreation Area. Then it’s another series of dirt roads—Owley, Logan Gap and Womble Silver—to US 270, then west to Crystal Springs, a resort town on Lake Ouachita.
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5. The Pig Trail, between Ozark and Brashears


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Pig Trail Arkansas motorcycle rides in Arkansas
Courtesy Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism

Pig Trail

Pig Trail

This one is all pavement, but there are dirt side roads if you crave some off-road action, and the Discovery Channel named it one of the 10 best motorcycle rides in North America, so it deserves a mention here. So named because it is a popular shortcut for Arkansas Razorback football fans to get to Fayetteville from I-40, the Pig Trail is 19 miles of tight, twisty asphalt that follows a trail used by both Union and Confederates troops during the Civil War. You’ll pass scenic overlooks, tall bluffs hiking trails and rivers. A portion of the road cut into a steep slope washed away last spring in heavy rains, but the state has fixed and reopened it, better than ever.
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6. Paris, Mt. Magazine, Blue Mountain Lake, Hot Springs

Blue Mountain Lake Arkansas motorcycle rides in Arkansas
Courtesy Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism

Paris to Hot Springs

Paris to Hot Springs

Start this ride in the tiny town of Paris by finding the main intersection (there’s only one) and heading south on Elm Street until you pick up Arkansas 309, also called the Mt. Magazine Scenic Byway. Hang a right on Robert Hill Road and you’re back on dirt heading south. A left on Greenbench Road points you west through some beautiful, rugged terrain and you’ll eventually arrive back on 309. Follow 309 south to Mt. Magazine Road for a spin around the highest point in Arkansas at 2,753 feet. The Lodge at Mount Magazine offers some of the best views in the state, but it’s spendy and usually booked well in advance. You’re in a state park, however, so there are also campsites available. Jump back on 309 south and then turn west on West Cedar Piney Road and again on Piney Road headed toward Waveland, where you’ll once again pick up 309 on the way to Blue Mountain Lake, yet another fine place to camp, swim or picnic.

Arkansas 309 continues south and will eventually turn into a gravel forest service road leading to pavement again at Arkansas 80. Turn west, and then find Forest Service 18/Cheyenne Road which will take you south toward Gravelly. From there you’re going east on Arkansas 28 all the way to Ola, where you’ll pick up Arkansas 7, a twisty peg-scraping section of asphalt, south to Hot Springs. Stop for a rest or an overnight in this historic town named for the elaborate bath houses built around the naturally flowing (and supposedly healing) spring waters. Plan on six to seven hours for this ride.
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7. Mississippi River and Crowley’s Ridge

Pig Trail Arkansas motorcycle rides in Arkansas
Courtesy Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism

Lake Village to Mississippi River State Park

Lake Village to Mississippi River State Park

The eastern portion of the state is flat, but there is a good ride that loosely follows the Mississippi River and takes you along a geological anomaly called Crowley’s Ridge. Start in Lake Village in the southeast corner of the state, where you’ll pick up Levee Road just on the Arkansas side of the river. Heading north, the gravel road turns into Great River Road north of Arkansas City, then into Arkansas 165 south of Arkansas Post, the site of the first European settlement in the state of Arkansas. From there you are on asphalt until Crowley’s Ridge, just north of Helena. Crowley’s Ridge rises 250 to 500 feet above the Mississippi Delta surrounding it, offering a commanding view. End your trip at the Mississippi River State Park, which offers camping, hiking and swimming.

Author: Bob Whitby

Bob has been riding motorcycles since age 19 and working as a journalist since he was 24, which was a long time ago, let’s put it that way. He quit for the better part of a decade to raise a family, then rediscovered adventure, dual sport and enduro riding in the early 2000s. He lives in Arkansas, America’s best-kept secret when it comes to riding destinations, and travels far and wide in search of dirt roads and trails.

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Author: Bob Whitby
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8 Comments
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Brad
Brad
October 6, 2016 7:02 pm

GPX files to download for import into a GPS would be much appreciated!

ADV Pulse
ADV Pulse
October 21, 2016 11:45 am
Reply to  Brad

Hey Brad, Thanks for checking out the article! Unfortunately we don’t have gpx files for these rides.

65matt
65matt
January 23, 2018 11:05 am
Reply to  Brad

You can find the TAT file on dual sport maps dot com website. I would guess the other ones are on there as well.

Brandon
Brandon
October 13, 2016 10:25 pm

I agree with Brad. Anyway we could get some GPX files? I’m heading out that way next week!

ADV Pulse
ADV Pulse
October 21, 2016 11:57 am
Reply to  Brandon

Hi Brandon, we don’t have gpx files for these rides. However if you are heading that way it might be helpful to check out the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism website as they have many resources for motorcyclists http://www.arkansas.com/motorcycling/ . Have fun, it is a great ADV riding destination!

herbelicious
herbelicious
February 6, 2018 9:40 am

Road The Pig Tail and more in the north half of the state last summer. Did it on the Electra Glide. Yes, it got to be a bit of work steering that thing through the endless curves.
Plan to ride the KLR 650 down there this year, and try out the Adventure Routes.

mark zaar
mark zaar
October 26, 2021 12:14 pm

anyone ever come up with a track for any of these?

Roger N
Roger N
August 8, 2022 5:54 pm

Not really useful.

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