Scenic Fall Drives in Central Arkansas

Fall was made for scenic drives and Arkansas’ roads deliver the color.

From Little Rock, driving toward Lake Maumelle on Arkansas 10 is a pretty drive year-round, but it's a standout experience in the fall months. In the Ouachita foothills, rolling terrain and forested slopes shape much of the scenery you’ll encounter. Arkansas Highway 10 ends at Arkansas Highway 9, and if you head north from here, you’ll come to the town of Perryville.

About 45 miles from Little Rock, Perryville is home to attractions like the Camp Ouachita Girl Scout Camp District, which was built between 1936-1941 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It stands out as the only surviving WPA and CCC-constructed Girl Scout facility in the nation. You can access the Lake Sylvia Recreation Area from here, too. The Perry County Historical Museum in town is on the National Register of Historic Places, and the building is a former American Legion hut built in the 1930s.  

Be sure to visit Petit Jean State Park near Morrilton while you’re in the area. Arkansas’ first state park is the perfect spot for a scenic drive and a standout to view fall colors from vantage points like Stout’s Point.

For something a little different, U.S. 165 southeast out of Little Rock takes you through the farmlands of Scott and Keo. You’re in the flatlands, so it’s a different type of scenic drive. The crops take on a color all their own and the fields stretch out before you. At Scott, you can stop at the Plantation Agriculture Museum, Plum Bayou Mounds Archeological State Park, formerly Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park, and Scott Plantation Settlement to get in some history, along with the beautiful scenery.