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Ozarks advice

3K views 24 replies 17 participants last post by  Mopheadama 
#1 ·
Thinking about spending 2-3 days in the Ozarks-I’ve never been there. Is it better to set up “base camp” and make loops or do point to point. Any advice would be great-don’t know what it’s like “on the road” with the corn hole virus either
 
#2 ·
I'm sure it could be done either way. I've only done point to point, but in the Rockies and Smokies I've done it using base camps 2-3 nights at a time. Russellville would be a good base if you go that route. The best roads are in the northwest quarter of the state.
 
#7 ·
Make sure you have good tires before you leave. The Arkansas roads eat tires like a belt sander. They offer fantastic traction, they make for great riding but the tires will pay for it.

The state parks in Arkansas usually offer some very decent and decently priced meals but with the Covid, a lot of that is entirely shut down.
 
#8 ·
All above is good, sound advice.

Branson, Missouri, is within easy striking distance of Harrison or Eureka Springs if you're into that kind of place.

Eureka Springs is more a tourist destination, but if you're just there for the ride I'd choose Harrison.

Are you into guns? If so, the Saunders Museum in Berryville is good for a couple of hours of looking at antique handguns.

Clarksvillle is another good overnight spot.

Bear in mind that Russellville and Clarksville are in dry counties if that matters to you.
 
#9 · (Edited)
Thinking about spending 2-3 days in the Ozarks-I've never been there. Is it better to set up "base camp" and make loops or do point to point. Any advice would be great-don't know what it's like "on the road" with the corn hole virus either
I've done it both ways. I prefer the base camp way and doing loops in different directions each day. Anything west of Little Rock and north of I30 is good. Russellville is a good place for a start because you can hit the Pig Trail and lots of other loops from there. Avoid Hot Springs (traffic/tourist), Little Rock, Branson (slow blue hairs), Eureka Springs (traffic/tourist).

In addition to new tires, stick to the posted limits in parks (tightly enforced and park rangers tickets get "special attention" from judges who have a great leeway with large fines). Never override your sight line. It's a rural mindset and around the next blind curve might be a farm vehicle stopped in the middle of the road.
 
#10 ·
I agree with the above. You can do it either way, but you'll want to stay away from the US highways like U62 and US412... and even some of the bigger state roads like AR7 get pretty crowded with RVs. Get out onto the rural ones (like AR27) and you can find places to feel like you're Adam in paradise. :)
 
#13 · (Edited)
yep we used Harrison...drove 350 miles plus each day up from there...great roads, little traffic, not many patrollers, while not high, elevation wise...still great rides...HA Redfish..to your point; away up in the mounts from Harrison...we stop..my rear tire has a white stripe down the middle...cord showing thru...!!! yikes...I had to leave the guys and drive back down to town to get a new rear tire installed...then back up the mountain for more ridin...we rode from central Fl. and back almost 3000 miles in 6 days...would'nt do it again...But I'm glad I did it once...
 
#15 ·
The farther NW you go in AR, the better. Just remember that those twisty roads get harder and harder to end early if desired. Once up in the twistiest places there are only twisty routes back. More than 1 rally rider has been suckered into consecutive bonuses that lured them to a place where they couldn't get back to the finish in time.
 
#18 ·
Where to begin? Stay away from Branson and probably Eureka Springs too. Harrison is a good base although I very much prefer Yellville and the little Mom and Pop motel, Carolton - Marion Inn 870-449-6203. Nice pool for this time of year. Small place so call ahead. You can walk anywhere in town in under 10 min.
From down around I-40 you can head north on some amazing roads. 23, 123 (lower, middle and upper sections are all very different), 27, 7 but it does get busy like 23. Anything in or out of Jasper. 341 aka Push Mtn. Road up or down from Mountain Home. 27, 14 up to Yellville, 16 runs E to W and merges in and out of many great roads. Great as far E as Clinton. Take 125 north and cross Bull Shoals Lake on the free ferry. Continue north of 160 on 125 for a special treat. Truly a MO style road. Smooth, banked and just follows the contours of the terrain. Further into MO take 181 and look for the Hodgeson Water Mill. AR state maps are free and at most motels or contact the Dept of Tourism. I go up there a lot. Closer than TX Hill country, waaaay better roads and fewer LEO's. Wildlife can be your biggest concern. Watch out for box turtles and try not to hurt the little things. You can PM me if you need more.
 
#20 ·
There's great riding east of Harrison, also. (What tgraybael said... ). One of my favorite loops is to cross the Peel ferry on 125 (there's a wonderful state park right on the other side if you're a camper), head through Protem and ride the Missouri side to 160, east to 5 and then south back into Arkansas. The ferry hours are limited these days so check ahead. I was up there in May and there were huge gaps in service and the last ferry was at 5:30 PM. There was also a LOT of water and many roads were closed. Mountain Home (that's well east of Harrison but just east of Flippin), would also be a nice base. Lots of spots to swim and cool off around those parts.

I never get tired of riding 7. Traffic sometimes, but the FJR makes some sensational passes...

Good Yamaha dealership in Harrison.

Quite the playground. Have fun.

Jim
 
#21 ·
#22 ·
We stayed in Harrison. Did the Pigtail. There are ride maps for the Harrison area at the Harley shop in Eureka Springs (just a shirt shop) and the welcome center at Harrison. Rode them all in three days so blasted down to New Orleans and Bourbon Street. Let the good times roll. Forgot the French words for this.
 
#23 ·
Wow!!! Lots of great advice/ideas thanks a lot. I don’t think I can make it work this year with the time I have available. I’ve made notes and colored my map hopefully next summer things will work out. I think what Iam going to do instead is head down to SE Minnesota,SW Wisconsin, NW Illinois, NE Iowa for a few days of fun. It’s only 400 miles from home instead of the 8-900 to the Ozarks. I’ll definitely keep it on my list. Thanks to everyone that replied it’ll keep me dreaming
 
#24 ·
If you keep an eye open for it, we usually do circuitous routes on the 'Hoon rides' that pop up on this forum. They usually happen in spring and fall... based around Gassville, Clarksville or somewhere around there. We generally avoid anything touristy.
 
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