Traveling from Harrison to Hot Springs Arkansas, this route takes you through two national forests and one national park. You may also want to take a few side trips to be able to see more of the countryside. The scenery along this route includes great views of the rugged Ozark Mountains, canyons, lakes, rivers, forests and ample wildlife. This road trip is a perfect illustration of the fact that Arkansas is a state that does have some outstanding scenery.

There's not much urban scenery along the way. The focus here is natural scenery!

This route starts out in the town of Harrison with its nice craft shops and museums. Heading south, you can take a tour of Mystic Caverns. You can view unusual rock formations including some that resemble a giant pipe organ and a crystal dome. A side trip off highway 7 onto Rt. 74 will lead you to the town of Ponca. From here you can travel to Buffalo River, one the nations National Rivers offering lots of fun water activities. North of the town is a trail that you can take to Hemmed-in-Hallow and view a collection of beautiful waterfalls that travel down huge limestone cliffs. Further south you will see Arkansas' version of a Grand Canyon - the gorge comprised of towering red rock bluffs carved by the Buffalo River. Here you will get a good view of the Boston Mountains in the distance. While you're in the area, make sure you check out the Cliff House Inn named after its position hanging over the canyon. Down the road veer off Rte. 16 and you will see a huge 130 ft. natural bridge carved out of sandstone. It is known as Alum Cove Natural Bridge Recreation Area If you want to see Pedestal Rocks, a large collection of rock formations, just take a detour east on Rte. 16. Further on, the route 7 will take you by many antique shops all the way to the entrance to the million plus acres of the Ozark National Forest. Here you will find beautiful streams, caves, waterfalls and numerous trails through the forests and prairies. You can spend a week-long vacation just exploring this one park! Traveling south along the route you will pass through Dover and then the town of Russellville. When you reach Dardanelle, you can visit the Lake Dardanelle State Park. Heading west on Rte.155 you'll find yourself at Mount Nebo State Park. There are some fun zigzag roads on the way. Further south you can take another detour and go down Rte.154 through the Arkansas river valley all the way to Holla Bend National Wildlife Refuge or further up to Petit Jean State Park where you can see the 94 ft. tall Cedar Falls waterfall. If you head further south on route 7 you will travel through the Ouachita National Forest where you'll find plenty of hiking trails and camping opportunities. The road trip ends in the city of Hot Springs with its mineral-laden hot springs available at the Hot Springs National Park. The city also has a number of art and craft shops, coffee houses and places to eat and stay at. This area offers many roads with great zigzags. While there, make sure you take the road up to the observation tower at the summit of Hot Springs Mountain.