Arkansas turns back roads into protected corridors of culture, nature, and history
In a state where a two-lane road can double as a history lesson, Arkansas has quietly built a system to protect its standout drives. The Arkansas Scenic Byways Program, launched after Congress passed the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, gives official status to routes that show off the state’s landscapes and stories—and it does it with local buy-in, not top-down mandates.
The framework is simple but rigorous. The Arkansas Highway Commission set the criteria, and the Arkansas Department of Transportation (ARDOT) manages the process. Communities nominate a route. ARDOT studies it. Residents get a say in a public meeting. Then, if everything checks out, the Highway Commission can stamp it as an Arkansas Scenic Byway and add it to state maps with a distinctive logo and signs.
Today, Arkansas counts 11 state scenic byways. Three of those also carry National Scenic Byway status, a recognition that opens the door to federal attention and, when available, competitive grants. While federal funding for byways has ebbed and flowed since 2012, the national program was revived in 2019, and Arkansas has kept its pipeline ready as new rounds reopen.
What makes a road a byway candidate? Arkansas looks for intrinsic qualities—scenic views, cultural sites, recreation access, and historic significance. It’s not just about pretty overlooks. A byway should tell a clear story and link places that matter. That can mean a winding mountain climb, a main street frozen in time, or a string of state parks tied to one moment in history.
The other requirement is local leadership. The state won’t designate a route unless there’s an active organization behind it—city and county officials, park managers, small businesses, historians, and residents. Their job is to preserve what makes the route special, handle marketing, and plan for visitor needs without overwhelming the places people come to see. In practice, that means agreeing on signage, pull-offs, interpretation, and even how to handle future growth.
ARDOT’s study phase is where the rubber meets the road. Staff evaluate whether the route’s scenic, cultural, recreational, and historic features meet the state’s bar. They coordinate with the Department of Parks and Tourism on segmentation—where the byway begins and ends, and what nodes along the route should be emphasized. If the study supports designation, the proposal goes before the Arkansas Scenic Resources Preservation Coordinating Committee (ASRPCC), a cross-agency body that looks at preservation and policy alignment. A public meeting follows, so locals can weigh in or ask questions.
That public process matters. Byway status brings attention, and attention brings visitors. Communities want the upside—tourism dollars, preserved character—without the chaos of unmanaged traffic or haphazard development. That’s why a byway plan often includes wayfinding, parking, scenic overlook designs, and an inventory of features worth protecting. Outdoor advertising, for example, may be scrutinized to keep views intact.
Once a route wins approval, the Highway Commission adds it to official state maps and authorizes the byway signs. That small piece of wayfinding does a lot of work. It helps travelers navigate, strengthens the brand for tourism campaigns, and signals to locals that their place has value worth keeping.
Arkansas’s byway roster stretches across the map. Some routes thread through the Ozarks and Ouachitas; others roll along river bottoms and ridgelines. A handful are household names among road-trippers—think Highway 7’s sweeping overlooks, the Talimena’s mountain views on the state line, the Pig Trail’s hairpins, and the long spine of Crowley’s Ridge. Each of these carries a different mix of scenic and historic weight, which is the point: the program prizes variety as much as beauty.
The state’s three nationally recognized routes sit in that upper tier. National status doesn’t change how Arkansas manages the roads day to day, but it does elevate the storytelling and sometimes helps unlock federal support for interpretation and safety improvements. In practical terms, it puts Arkansas on the map for travelers planning big cross-country drives built around America’s Byways.
Economically, the case for byways is straightforward. Driving is still the most common way to explore Arkansas. Routes that are clearly marketed and well preserved keep visitors in-state longer, spread spending beyond a single destination, and nudge travelers to pull off for a museum, trailhead, or diner they might otherwise miss. Local businesses—from outfitters to bed-and-breakfasts—often build packages around byway traffic once the brand takes hold.
For communities considering a nomination, the playbook has become repeatable:
- Form a local coalition: city and county leaders, parks and heritage staff, businesses, civic groups, and residents.
- Inventory the route’s intrinsic qualities: scenic views, historic sites, cultural attractions, recreation access, and natural features.
- Draft a corridor strategy: signage, pull-offs, interpretation, resource protection, and visitor management.
- Seek local resolutions of support: county quorum courts and city councils signal buy-in.
- Submit to ARDOT: staff review qualifications, segmentation, safety, and maintenance needs.
- Engage the public: attend the ARDOT-hosted meeting, answer questions, and refine the plan.
- Await ASRPCC review and Highway Commission action: if approved, prepare to install signs and launch promotion.
ARDOT keeps the bar consistent across the state. The result is a program that scales: big counties and small towns use the same process, and each byway’s caretakers tailor the plan to local needs. Over time, that steady structure has turned a handful of scenic corridors into a network that tells a statewide story.
A closer look: the Camden Expedition Scenic Byway
The newest example shows how history can anchor a byway. In 2021, Arkansas designated the Camden Expedition Scenic Byway, a route built around the 1864 campaign in which Union Major General Frederick Steele marched from Little Rock toward Shreveport to link up with other Union forces as part of a push into Texas. The expedition stalled and turned violent across south-central Arkansas, leaving a trail of battles and communities forever tied to the spring of 1864.
The byway knits those places together for heritage travelers. It connects the urban core at Little Rock to small towns and rural crossroads where the campaign unfolded. Along the way, visitors can step into preserved battlegrounds and one of the state’s best-known historic towns.
The route touches these communities and surrounding areas: Little Rock, Benton, Malvern, Rockport, Arkadelphia, Hollywood, Okolona, Prescott, Washington, Camden, Fordyce, Sheridan, Leola, and Prattsville. Each stop fills in a different chapter—from logistics and supply lines to the fights that shaped the retreat.
Four Arkansas State Parks anchor the interpretation:
- Historic Washington State Park: a restored 19th-century town that served as the Confederate capital of Arkansas for a time and a hub for context before and after the battles.
- Poison Springs Battleground State Park: site of an April 1864 clash that cut off Union supply lines and shifted momentum.
- Mark’s Mill Battleground State Park: where a brutal ambush cost Union forces wagons, mules, and time they did not have.
- Jenkins Ferry Battleground State Park: the muddy, desperate fight that helped cover the Union retreat back toward Little Rock.
What sets the Camden Expedition route apart is its design as a network, not just a single road with a view. Travelers can choose shorter segments for a day trip or follow the entire sequence over a weekend. Museums, courthouse squares, and trail pull-offs provide stops between battlefields. The combination of parks and town centers keeps the drive varied and accessible, which is exactly what the state looks for when it weighs a nomination.
The byway’s partners reflect that mix. Local historical societies and museums help with research and storytelling. City and county governments coordinate signage and traffic flow. Businesses lean in with Civil War–themed events and itineraries, particularly during spring and fall when driving conditions are ideal. ARDOT supports with route mapping, signs, and technical guidance.
Arkansas has used this template since the 1990s. Seven routes have been designated since 1993, on top of the three that earned national status, and the state continues to evaluate new proposals. Each time, the balance is the same: celebrate and share the route while protecting what makes it special. That means channeling visitors to durable sites, steering heavy traffic away from fragile landscapes, and keeping the storytelling honest and well sourced.
For travelers, the effect is easy to spot. Follow a byway sign and you’re likely to find a scenic pull-off built with safety in mind, a clear marker explaining what you’re seeing, and a nearby town where you can refuel and linger. For residents, it’s a promise that their home turf won’t be overwhelmed and that the views out their windows will still be there in a decade.
Communities interested in starting a nomination can contact ARDOT at 501-569-2088 or by email at [email protected]. Staff can explain the criteria, share examples from existing routes, and outline the study and public meeting process. The paperwork is real, but so are the payoffs: a protected corridor, a stronger local brand, and a piece of Arkansas that’s easier for visitors to understand and respect.
As more travelers seek trips built around nature and history rather than big attractions, Arkansas’s byways offer something steady: well-marked routes that bring the state’s most meaningful roads into focus, one curve and one story at a time.
