When it comes to great motorcycling, we always hear about certain areas: the Tail of the Dragon, the Back of the Dragon, the Black Hills of South Dakota, the Million Dollar Highway, the White Mountains of New Hampshire… Another place I’ve heard about occasionally, but not too loudly, is the Ozark Mountains of northwest Arkansas. It’s the home of the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest, as well as the Pig Trail Scenic Byway, the one named motorcycle road that many riders have likely heard of. Some pleasant changes in my life have led to an extended stay in this area since April. Naturally, I’ve been exploring the area on my motorcycle and have discovered what may be one of the better-kept secrets of excellent riding in the US.

The Pig Trail

Photo: Justin Hughes

Let’s start with a road you may already be familiar with. The Pig Trail Scenic Byway is a 19-mile section of Highway 23, running through the Ozark and Boston Mountains between the south boundary of the Ozark National Forest near Interstate 40 to the intersection with Highway 16 in Brashears. The forests are thick, enclosing the road in a leafy tunnel much of the time. This leads to great foliage in the fall and an opportunity to escape the sun on a hot summer day. It’s hilly, curvy, and not too difficult, aside from a few sharp hairpin turns. This is no Tail of the Dragon speed run, just a scenic ride through a beautiful area.

With all that in mind, I would not recommend riding the Pig Trail right now. Everything I wrote is true, but there is a great deal of construction taking place during the spring and summer of 2024. Many sections are down to a single lane, with passage controlled by very long traffic lights that clump traffic together and completely interrupt the flow of the ride. No doubt the Pig Trail will return to being an excellent ride once all the construction is done, but for the moment, I actually try to avoid it.

There Are No Bad Roads

Photo: Melissa Leger

In many well-known places with good riding, you have to take a series of highways to get to “the good part,” ride it a few times, then take more highways to get back to civilization. That’s not the case in Arkansas. There are no straight, flat roads. Anywhere. Even Interstate 49 is hilly, curvy, and scenic. The Pig Trail is just one of numerous numbered highways crisscrossing northwest Arkansas, any of which are fun to ride. Some roads are more challenging and technical than others, but all of them offer a pleasant experience, only slowing down from their 55 mph speed limit to pass through occasional towns along the way.

For example, branching off the south end of the Pig Trail is Highway 215, also known as the Mulberry River Road Scenic Byway. As its name suggests, it runs for 15 miles alongside the Mulberry River. It’s a pleasant mix of terrain, with a few tight and twisty sections leading into wide sweepers between them. Roads like this are my favorites because, like the rivers they run along, they follow the flow of nature. I think Mother Nature is the best civil engineer when it comes to fun motorcycle roads. At the east end lies the small town of Oark, home of the Oark Cafe and General Store. This is a popular destination for bikers of all kinds. The food is great, and the pie is excellent.

Photo: Justin Hughes

If you have a friend who is familiar with the area, even better. Glen Comeaux of Tenere Across the USA took my significant other and me on an amazing ride from Jasper down some back roads along the Buffalo River, then down Highway 123 over Mt. Judea, finishing at Hilbilly Slim’s and tasty BBQ for lunch. That ride down Highway 123 was the most challenging I’ve ever done two-up, including the Tail of the Dragon on a KLR.

But really, to plan a good ride, simply look at a map, create a loop for a day trip, or a point-to-point route if you’re on your way somewhere, and that’s it. Any route you choose will be a good one. You can certainly refer to websites like Ozark Rides for suggestions about which roads are better than others, but they’re all good. If you see one of Arkansas’ unique road signs that says “Very Crooked and Steep,” that’s a very good sign that you’ve found one of the better roads in the area. Just keep in mind that practically everything is an hour away, no matter where you are or where you’re going.

Leaving Pavement Behind

Photo: Justin Hughes

The paved roads of northwest Arkansas can keep you quite entertained. But as adventure riders, we’re not limited to paved roads. Northwest Arkansas delivers here as well, with extensive networks of well-maintained dirt county roads. These range from two cars wide to narrow double-track, and surfaces vary from hardpack to rocky to loose gravel, but any adventure bike can handle them. My V-Strom 650, which is far from optimized for dirt with 80/20 tires, has had no issues on any road I’ve found so far. Just watch out for rain, which turns the red clay road surface into a slippery goo, especially if you aren’t running knobby tires. It rains frequently between March and May, adding flooding and ground saturation to the mix. At other times of the year, like now, the ground is rock solid. It can soak up a surprise thunderstorm without getting too mushy. Also, never trust the weather forecast. It changes frequently and is often still wrong.

These county roads are the way to go if you want to get away from it all. They are absolutely everywhere outside the major cities. I’ve been here for two months so far, and I’m still exploring the network of county roads close to where I’m staying. Seeing more than one other vehicle on the road is a traffic jam. Everyone waves, not just riders. Some of these roads get so small and rustic that it seems like someone’s driveway rather than a public road. Occasionally, I feel like the road is going to dump me into Farmer Bob’s cow pasture where, hopefully, he won’t shoot me for disturbing his cattle. That hasn’t happened — yet.

“Gotta Get Down to Arkansas”

Photo: Justin Hughes

On top of all that, I’ve found northwest Arkansas to be a very motorcycle-friendly place. Every rider waves at every other rider, no matter what they ride. Plenty of places offer reserved motorcycle parking. I arrived just in time to check out the Spring Fling Rally this past April in Eureka Springs. It’s more of a Harley fest than the sort of event that would interest adventure riders, but it does show how welcome bikes are here. Combine that with the amazing riding, both on and off the pavement, and the spectacular scenery of the Ozarks, and the end result is one of the overall best places for riding that I’ve visited. I could stay a bit longer…

Gotta get down, gotta get down to Arkansas
Havin’ so much fun that it’s probably a little bit against the law

Arkansas, Chris Stapleton