Ark. 309 / Mount Magazine Scenic Byway
From Havana, Ark., the Ark. 309/Mount Magazine Scenic Byway quickly begins its ascent through the forests on the slopes of Mount Magazine, the highest peak in Arkansas at 2,753 feet.
Exhibits at the Mount Magazine State Park visitors center focus on the natural and human history of the mountain. Park roads lead to overlooks with expansive views of Blue Mountain Lake and the Ouachita Mountains to the south and of the Arkansas River Valley and the Ozark Mountains to the north. A park trail provides access to the state's high point.
From Mount Magazine, the byway descends more than 2,300 feet to the town of Paris, passing the picturesque Cove Lake on the way. The byway leads through downtown Paris, which played a key role in Arkansas's former coal mining region. North of Paris, the byway travels through rolling pastureland and hayfields, dotted with hardwood shade trees and occasional natural gas wells. Just before reaching Webb City, the byway passes the entrance to Aux Arc Park, a recreation area on the south shore of the Arkansas River.
ROUTE: Beginning at Ark. 10 in Havana, the route travels north on Ark. 309 to Ark. 23 at Webb City (state designation).
Included are 24.9 miles located within the Ozark National Forest designated
by the U.S. Forest Service as the Mount Magazine Scenic Byway.
LENGTH: 45 miles.
MAP
THINGS TO KNOW: Shopping, lodging and dining are available in Paris on the route and Ozark near the
north end. Camping is available on the route at Mount Magazine State Park, in the Ozark National Forest at
the Cove Lake Recreation Area, and at the U.S. Army
Corps of Engineers' Aux Arc Park on the Arkansas River.
South of the route, Waveland Park, a U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers' recreation area on Blue Mountain Lake also offers camping.
MAJOR AREA ATTRACTIONS:
REGIONAL TOURISM INFORMATION: