Join a roadtrip through Arkansas and the offbeat Ozark mountains and discover the best roads and best places to visit. Arkansas is not just worth a stop - it’s a destination. Shady forests , peaceful lakes and hidden treasures. Find out about the best places to visit when touring Arkansas and witness, how I nearly ran out of gas in the middle of the Ozarks. As soon as I arrived in Arkandas the scenery had changed from the endkess plains to beautiful rolling hills and lush green forests. Here are the best places to visit, best roads to ride and things to do when visiting Arkansas and the Ozark mountains: . Sleep at Sky-Vue Lodge. It is a historic and cozy little B&B right on the edge of the Ozark National forest. The property sits near the top of Mt. Gayler in the Boston Mountains, part of the stunning Arkansas Ozarks, and offers rooms with porches, a pizza service, and views, that money can’t buy.
. Explore the White Rock Recreation Area and its amazing dirt roads . Ride the Pig Trail Scenic Byway. It winds through the rugged and forested Boston Mountains region of the Ozark Mountains. This 24 miles on State Highway 23 is one of Arkansas best motorcycle rides and USA Today listed the route as the # 2 of the best rides in America. . If you are looking for a good place to stay in the middle of the Ozarks, Mulberry Lodge, that is right on Highway 23, or Byrd’s Adventure Center are the best options. They offer as well camping - but were completely booked at my time of traveling. . Stop in Oark and visit the famous Oark Cafe to eat a burger. Established in 1890, it’s the oldest continuous-operation store in Arkansas. And yes, people literally drive for miles to eat one of its famous burgers. . Explore Falling Waterfalls. Falling Beauty Waterfall also known as Falling Water Waterfall is is literally next to the dirt road in the Richland Creek area of south Newton county in Arkansas. It's a peaceful little spot to have a picknick, a swim or to put up your hammock and enjoy the calming sounds of the water. . Don't run out of petrol in the middle of the Ozarks ;) . Camp at Barkshed Recreation Area. Barkshed is a primitive camp near a clear mountain stream. It was the old "Barkshed Forest Camp" and is a serene little oasis in the middle of the forest these days.
// A roadtrip that dreams are made of: join my journey through the United States of America. From Los Angeles in California on the westcoast to Miami in Florida on the eastcoast. 9,000 kilometers, 13 states, 28 days, 1 motorcycle
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A motorcycle journey through the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas, highlighting the region's lush forests, rolling hills, and scenic byways. The trip features a mix of paved and gravel roads, visits to historic landmarks and natural wonders, and a tense moment where the traveler nearly runs out of fuel.
Arkansas is not just worth a stop.
It's a destination.
Join a road trip to shady forests,
peaceful lakes, and hidden treasures.
A road trip through the beautiful
and offbeat Ozark Mountains.
Find out about the best places
to visit when touring Arkansas,
and witness how I nearly ran out of gas
in the middle of the Ozarks.
With my brand new tire,
I started from Oklahoma City
to make my way direction Arkansas.
First on Interstate 40,
under Muldrow, where I turned off
and followed Route 64B to Highway 101.
It took me right into Arkansas.
Finally, the first hills and curves
I had seen since days.
Whoops, this is already Arkansas.
Hello, new state.
Wow, I nearly missed the sign.
As soon as I arrived in Arkansas,
the scenery had changed from the endless plains
to beautiful rolling hills and lush green forests.
Guys, you know what is very funny
and completely doesn't make any sense to me
as a not native English-speaking person?
The name Arkansas.
I mean, it's written like the state Kansas,
only there is an A and an R in front of that.
So why the hell do you pronounce it Arkansas,
but not Arkansas?
Please, someone explain this to me.
In West Fork, I stopped to get petrol
and to look for a destination to stay the night.
So I just met a super nice local here at the gas station,
and he gave me a lot of suggestions what to do
and where to stay.
I actually wanted to camp,
but unfortunately the two campgrounds
that he suggested were both full.
And now I found a spot at like a little cabin-like place,
and I'm super excited and will go there now.
So I got the suggestion for a cabin-like place
from a guy that I just met at the gas station.
And the place is supposed to have the best view
in the whole area.
And I'm going there now here on this Scenic Byway 71.
Skyview Lodge is a historic
and cozy little bed and breakfast
right on the edge of the Ozark National Forest
that I came here to explore.
The property sits near the top of Mount Galer
in the Boston Mountains,
part of the stunning Arkansas Ozarks,
and offers rooms with porches, a pizza service,
and views that money can't buy.
Freshly showered, and because it's so nice here,
I'm gonna try to make a little fire now.
So that's a pity now,
because it rained so much the last days,
all the wood and starters are wet.
So I can't get it running.
Instead of a warming fire,
I enjoyed a burning sunset.
It was very nice meeting you.
Thank you so much for having us here.
Yeah, you too.
Hey, thank you so much.
It's a lovely place.
It is time to hit the road today
and finally time to go on some gravel
and off-road stretches here in Arkansas.
I'm going to an area that's called White Rock now,
and I hope it will be fine because it has been raining
basically the last two or three weeks,
and I hope it's not gonna be too muddy.
Good morning, everyone.
I'm starting the day right,
getting from paved roads to some dirt roads
and riding to the so-called White Rock Recreation Area.
And I was told that some of the roads that I hit here
are part of the Tad, Tad,
the so-called Trans-American Trail.
I had only one big plan for this day,
to explore as much of the Ozarks as possible.
The biggest part of the Ozarks
that are also referred to as the Ozark Mountains
or Ozark Plateau,
falls in southern Missouri and northern Arkansas.
The Ozark region is known for an abundance
of sparkling springs, waterfalls, lakes, caves,
caverns, and sinks.
The Ozarks represent the largest area of rock topography
between the Appalachians and the Rockies.
They span over a million acres or 4,000 square kilometers
and offer countless scenic paved and dirt roads
to explore its endless forests.
Getting closer to White Rock now.
The sign just said eight miles
and I really love this area here.
White Rock Mountain is 2,309 feet
or 703 meters above sea level
and received its name from the appearance of the legion
on the sheer bluffs that appear wide from a distance.
White Rock Mountain is the hub
of several national forest hiking trail systems,
including the easy trail around the mountain top rim,
the Shores Lake-White Rock Loop Trail,
and the renowned 170-mile Ozark Highlands Trail.
The White Rock campsite even has a small general store
and seemed to me like the perfect place to pitch a tent.
I am at White Rock now
and this whole area is actually so nice
that I thought I should just stay here and camp a night,
but then in the end I don't have so much time
until I have to be back in Miami.
So I guess I will continue especially
because it's so early in the morning, but it's so nice.
So if you ride through here,
make sure that you camp here at White Rock.
It's really beautiful.
So I'm enjoying a few more gravel roads
here in the White Rock area,
and I have actually not really a clue
where exactly I am at the moment,
but I'm trying to head a little east all the time
because that's my general direction.
I now left the beautiful gravel roads.
I could have done this forever,
but there is one special road here that I have to drive
and this road is route number 23
and it's supposed to be one of the best motorcycle roads
in this whole state and in this whole part of America.
And it has a very funny name
that doesn't sound very flattering.
It's called the Pig's Tail.
The Pig Trail Scenic Byway winds through the rugged
and forested Boston Mountains region of the Ozark Mountains.
This 24 miles on State Highway 23
is one of Arkansas' most beautiful rides
and USA Today listed the route as the top two
of the best rides in America.
So here I turn off from Highway 23,
so I'm not riding the complete length of the Pig Tail
because the guy I met yesterday
suggested another place here to me
and since his suggestions have been so amazing so far,
I will follow them again.
If you are looking for a good place
to stay in the middle of the Ozarks,
Mulberry Lodge that is right on Highway 23
or Bird's Adventure Center are the best options.
They offer as well camping,
but we're completely booked at my time of traveling.
I am approaching the small town Oark now
and yes, it is very small,
but I was told it's as well very famous
because most people traveling
and driving through the Ozark Mountains
stop here to grab some food at this very special place
that you can find here in Oark.
Oark may seem like a small sleepy town,
but it's very well known amongst people
who travel the Ozark Mountains.
Most famous is the Oark Cafe.
Established in 1890,
it's the oldest continuous operating store in Arkansas.
And yes, people literally drive for miles
to eat one of its famous burgers.
The building has still its original floors,
walls, and ceilings,
and the cafe is a great start or end
to an outdoor adventure in the area.
I was just in time though to grab some proper lunch
and to judge if the hype is really worth it.
So this is it.
I'm just doing this for you guys
in the sense of research
to be able to really tell you if it's good or not.
So here from Oark, I plan to continue straight east
and I will ride another gravel road
till I hit asphalt again.
But people at the Oark Cafe said
that these roads here are very well and good,
so I expect to be able to go quite quick.
Is this a gas station?
No, don't think so.
I might need some petrol at one point.
Even though I had planned to follow paved roads
to be able to travel east more quickly,
I again ended up at a nice gravel road
that took me straight to Falling Waterfalls.
Falling Beauty Waterfall,
also known as Falling Water Waterfall,
is literally next to the dirt road
in the Richland Creek area
of South Newton County in Arkansas.
It's a peaceful little spot to have a picnic, a swim,
or to put up your hammock
and enjoy the calming sounds of the water.
I am back on asphalt now
and I guessed that I will stay here on asphalt for now,
but I as well need to find some petrol,
so I will just go to the next gas station
that the map shows me.
So this lovely place here behind me,
which is actually the second gas station
that I'm now going to, is closed as well,
and I'm on reserve since about five miles,
and the next bigger village is 44 kilometers.
I hope I will make it.
I actually have no clue,
but yeah, I guess I have to try.
Oh my God, I think this is the punishment
because I was too cheap to buy petrol at the Oark Cafe
because it was completely overpriced
compared to the normal gas stations.
So now I try to drive stable in sixth gear
in slow and low revolution.
So I try to drive very steady now
to make it hopefully to the next gas station.
I was riding on reserve since about 38 miles,
or 61 kilometers, when I reached the town Marshall.
This is a gas station, finally.
Oh, so happy,
but what the...
How can that be?
It's closed too.
Okay, next try, this time it really needs to work.
I'm literally scared now to stop the engine.
I'm on reserve since 40 miles.
Thanks God, it's running.
Oh my God, that was such a close call.
I'm so happy that we made it here.
It turned out that 3.42 gallons are about 13 liters.
So with a 15 liter tank of the Yamaha Tenere,
I would still have had two liters in reserve
even after riding on reserve since 40 miles.
I think I'm officially leaving the Ozark Mountains now
and I would have loved to stay in the Ozarks,
but with this great weather, I really want to camp today
and all the campgrounds in the National Forest were booked.
So I try my luck somewhere else now.
What's that weird thing there on the road?
I think it's a tussle.
Oh my God, better stop and save it,
not that the car rides over it.
I turned off from State Highway 14
to some more gravel roads
to make my way to the barge ship recreation area
that is hidden deeply in the forest.
Barkshed is a primitive camp near a clear mountain stream.
It was the old Barkshed Forest Camp
and is a serene little oasis in the middle of the forest.
So that was a long day.
I'm actually pretty exhausted.
And as you can see, I am ready to swim now
because there's a creek right here next to the campground.
And how beautiful is this?
This was an absolutely stunning
and beautiful day of riding.
I didn't expect that.
This whole day was just absolutely perfect
from the start to the end now.
I rode much more gravel than I thought
because there were a lot of surprises in this.
And even that the weather is so beautiful
and it's just perfect temperature to camp now.
So I'm very, very happy
that I finally could get out of my tent.
And this right away will be my dinner,
a nice macaroni salad, a cucumber and a pepper.
That's basically the only things that I could buy
before I came here, but I think it will be delicious.
Thank you for joining the ride through Arkansas.
I hope you liked the beautiful surroundings
of the Ozark Mountains as much as I did.
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The next episode takes me through Tennessee
and to the Smoky Mountains.
And it will come with some nasty and unpleasant challenges.
Tune in next Thursday.
