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| Title:
Arkansas At Its Best - Highway 7 |
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State:
Arkansas
Submitted
By: Anonymous
Date Submitted: Mar 00
Motorcycle Type: Yamaha Radian
Motorcycle Road Length: 160 Miles
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Motorcycle
Road Scenery: 
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On
this route you will travel through two national forests
and one national park. The route takes you from Harrison
to Hot Springs Arkansas and you should plan on taking a
few detours if you would like to see more of the countryside.
You’ll be traveling through the rugged Ozark Mountains and
see canyons, lakes, rivers, forests and ample wildlife.
For those of you who never thought of Arkansas as a state
with outstanding scenery, this route may change your mind!
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Motorcycle
Road Quality:
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This
is among the best of motorcycle roads in all of Arkansas.
Plenty of twists and turns, hills and valleys to keep you
leaning and grinning.
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Motorcycle
Roadside Amenities: 
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The
route running from north to south starts out in the quaint
town of Harrison where you will find ample lodging, a collection
of small craft shops and museums. Heading south, many of
you will enjoy a tour of Mystic
Caverns. Two large caves offer visitors a view of subterranean
rock formations including two favorites that resemble a
giant pipe organ and a crystal dome. If you take a detour
off of highway 7 onto Rt. 74 you can travel to the town
of Ponca. From here you can reach Buffalo
River and enjoy floating
and canoeing along one the nations National Rivers (equipment
rentals are available). North of the town you will find
a trail that leads to Hemmed-in-Hallow, and see a collection
of waterfalls that stand 175 feet and travel down huge limestone
cliffs – you won’t be disappointed by this journey. Traveling
further south you will see Arkansas' version of a Grand
Canyon. The Buffalo River carved this gorge, leaving
behind tall red rock bluffs. In the distance you will see
the Boston Mountains. If you care to stay in this area
you may want to try the Cliff House Inn (870-446-2292),
which gets its name from its position hanging over the canyon
itself. Travel shortly down the road and you can take a
detour along Rte. 16 to see a massive 130 ft. natural bridge
carved out of sandstone by a small stream. The place is
known as Alum
Cove Natural Bridge Recreation Area. Take a 4-mile
detour east on Rte. 16 to see a large collection of rock
formations known as Pedestal Rocks because of their unique
structure (large boulders upheld by much smaller columns
of rock). Traveling further along route 7 will lead you
by many antique and craft shops and finally you will enter
the million plus acres of the Ozark National Forest ((501)968-2354).
This National Forest offers visitors caves, waterfalls,
streams and abundant trails through its forests and prairies.
An entire vacation could be spent in this one park. Further
south along 7 you will pass through Dover (more antiques)
and then through the large town of Russellville and make
your way down to Dardanelle where you can visit the Lake
Dardanelle State Park ((501)967-5516). At Rte. 155
you need to head west towards Mount
Nebo State Park. On the way you will travel some great
zigzag roads that will convince you that a motorcycle is
the only way to travel. Another detour you will love is
further south where you will want to take Rte. 154 for a
great tour of the Arkansas river valley that you can take
till Holla
Bend National Wildlife Refuge or further up the road
to Petit Jean State Park home of a the 94 ft. tall Cedar
Falls waterfall. Heading down route 7 further south will
make its way through the Ouachita National Forest that offers
ample camping and hiking opportunities. Finally the route
takes you down into the city of Hot
Springs Arkansas with a number of coffee houses, craft
shops, art and antique boutiques, and many lodging possibilities.
You also will want to experience first hand what the town
is know and named for – hot springs. These mineral-laden
hot springs can be found at the Hot
Springs National Park. There is an operating “bath
house” known as the Buckstaff and the Fordyce that serves
as a museum and visitor center. There are many roads in
this area that offer a great collection of zigs and zags
yet every motorcyclists must travel the road leading up
to the observation tower at the summit of Hot Springs Mountain.
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The
directions to this route are very straight forward. Start
the route in Harrison
Arkansas and simply head south on Route 7 all the way
to Hot Springs Arkansas.
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Additional
Information:
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