Mount Magazine Scenic Byway
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What to know
Scale to the state's highest point
From Havana (35.110110, -93.530237), the Arkansas State Highway 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.
At the top you'll find Mount Magazine State Park, which includes a full service lodge, conference center, restaurant, indoor pool and hot tub, plus fully-equipped cabins with fireplaces and hot tubs on the deck overlooking the river valley. 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' 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 the end of the route at Highway 23 in Webb City (35.468030, -93.831622), the byway passes the entrance to Aux Arc Park, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recreation area on the south shore of the Arkansas River.
Route: 45 miles (24.9 miles of which are located within the Ozark National Forest)
Arkansas State Highway 309 is designated as a state scenic byway beginning at Ark. 10 in Havana, north to Ark. 23 at Webb City.
From Havana (35.110110, -93.530237), the Arkansas State Highway 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.
At the top you'll find Mount Magazine State Park, which includes a full service lodge, conference center, restaurant, indoor pool and hot tub, plus fully-equipped cabins with fireplaces and hot tubs on the deck overlooking the river valley. 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' 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 the end of the route at Highway 23 in Webb City (35.468030, -93.831622), the byway passes the entrance to Aux Arc Park, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recreation area on the south shore of the Arkansas River.
Route: 45 miles (24.9 miles of which are located within the Ozark National Forest)
Arkansas State Highway 309 is designated as a state scenic byway beginning at Ark. 10 in Havana, north to Ark. 23 at Webb City.