Talimena Scenic Drive
It's more than just a road, it's the destination.
A road has to be special to be designated a National Scenic Byway. They must be examples of the best scenic and historic routes in the United States. The Talimena Scenic Drive is one of these elite highways. It isn't the quickest way to any destination, unless you want to get away from the ordinary and travel a road that is worthy of being the destination.
The Talimena Scenic Drive is all that and more. The drive winds its way through scenic beauty, historic sites, and natural wonders. Few travelers can finish these fifty-four miles in an hour and fifteen minutes. They could, but their curiosity requires several stops depending on their interests. Well planned vistas along the route are an opening to breathtaking views of mountains up to sixty miles in the distance. Trails, scattered along the way, allow the visitor to get up close to the natural world and see the delicate flowers that have so far been blurs of color along the roadside. Five historic sites explore the lives of the early settlers, soldiers, American Indians, and horse thieves that once lived and traveled through the neighborhood.
Stand quietly at the grave of an early settler or walk among stunted 150-year-old trees that are six feet tall. Dip water from a spring where horse thieves watered or hide out from the modern world in a wilderness area beyond the sound of traffic. Spot deer and bear along the edge of the drive or walk down a road where frontier armies once patrolled. Stand with one foot in Arkansas and the other in Oklahoma or stare up into a night sky dark enough to see the milky way. Hike fifty miles down the Ouachita Trail or sit on the front porch of the Queen Wilhelmina lodge and take in the view. The Talimena Scenic Drive can take you to some unique places. It's more than just a road, it's the destination.
When you're ready for dinner enjoy the home cooking style of the Queen Wilhelmina Restaurant.
For more complete information about the Talimena Scenic Drive go to: www.talimenascenicdrive.com.