Arkansas 7 Scenic Drive

Arkansas 7 scenic drive begins at Harrison, AR and makes a loop up the mountain and then back down Hwy 374, Hwy 123 and back to Hwy 65. All stops that are listed are not necessarily scenic points but rather they are included to allow you to keep a constant reference point to mileage and routing

If you're like me you are always seeing a road that you want to take in the never-ending quest to see what's down that road. I would never discourage that. You can always get back to this spot to continue or complete the road trip another time. Our route planner is for guidance not to restrict

Our scenic trip is named for the highway that travels through the Arkansas Mountains to Hot Springs, AR. It is a beautiful drive and if you ever have the time and desire to visit Hot Springs this will be a magnificent trip.

We name this trip "Arkansas 7" for the drive up to the destination point at Cliff House Inn looking over the Arkansas Grand Canyon even though it travels only about 26 miles on that highway

Nearly half the total miles on this scenic drive and 1 hour of driving will be on divided highway 65. After that your progress and time depends on you, but allowing 4 hours for this scenic drive will provide you with time for a casual trip with some scenic stops

Remember that mileages may differ slightly and do not include distances for any pull-offs or side trips so adjust as necessary. Allow for some variance in our odometer readings

0.0 Miles - Our Arkansas 7 Day trip begins at the Hwy 65 south ramp from Main St./Hwy 76 in Branson. This is just across and slightly west of the Bob Evans Restaurant

0.8 miles - Crossing over Lake Taneycomo

2.5 miles – Hollister Exit. Hollister, population around 3800 is on the south side of Lake Taneycomo from Branson. The old downtown section of Hollister is a great little downtown area with shops and restaurants. In the shopping center area just east of Hwy 65 is one of the best Pizza joints around this area called "Pizza by the Chef". On the west side of 65 is the campus of "College of the Ozarks" commonly known as "Hard Work U". A tour of the campus is time well spent and the Ralph foster Museum on campus is a museum you don't want to miss. Fine dining and fine accommodations can be found at the Keeter Center at the entrance to the college. You won't believe their Sunday brunch

Continue on Hwy 65 for the Arkansas 7 day trip

6.1 miles – Jct Hwy 265. Traveling west takes you to Table Rock Lake and Dam, The Dewey Short Visitors Center, Silver Dollar City, Shepherd of the Hills Homestead and the west end of the Branson Strip

8.9 miles – Jct. Hwy 86. Traveling west takes you to the entrance of Big Cedar Lodge, the southeastern part of Table Rock Lake and eventually to the junction of Hwy 13 (north to Kimberling City and west to Dogwood Canyon

Continue on Hwy 65 for the Arkansas 7 day trip

11.4 miles – Ridgedale, Rapid Roberts Conoco, Phillips 66, and Wild Bill's Station

11.9 miles – entering Arkansas

Continue on Hwy 65 for the Arkansas 7 day trip

27.4 miles –On the east side is the exit to Bear Creek Springs and trout farm-Devitos Restaurant. This is just south of the hwy 62 exit

28.8 miles – on your right is Parkers RV Park

32.8 miles – Stoplight where you will turn left to stay on Hwy 65

34.2 miles - Turn right onto Hwy 7 at Edwards Grocery. You will be traveling a short ways in the Downtown area of Harrison

34.8 miles – Turn left to stay on Hwy 7

35.6 miles – veer left

36.3 miles – Crooked Creek bridge

39.5 miles – Shady Oaks RV on left, Daisy Queen Hi Boy, Jct Hwy 206

41.0 miles – Entrance to Mystic Caverns

41.4 miles – site of the old Dogpatch USA Park. From this point on you will drive some winding mountain roads

42.2 miles – old rock building

43.0 miles – Historical marker commemorating the marble used from this hill for the Washington Monument









44.7 miles – Harp Creek-Mill creek Campground, canoe rentals



45.4 miles – Buffalo National River Area







46.3 miles - Buffalo National River Bridge, Pruitt Ranger Station. This is a stop you might want to make.





Behind the ranger station is a picnic area with restrooms.

A short walk to the river reveals a great swimming hole against a backdrop of cliffs. This is a beautiful area with numerous picture taking spots. Pruitt Landing is on the other side of the road




Buffalo River from Picnic area


47.8 miles – Ozark Mountain Cabins

48.9 miles – Little Switzerland Cabins, Crafts

49.8 miles – Great views on your left to the east

50.6 miles – Jasper AR

51.7 miles – Hwy 74 to Ponca, AR. Stay on Hwy 7

51.9 miles – turn left through downtown Jasper to stay on Hwy 7

54.4 miles – somewhere in this area might be a place to pull over and take in the view and maybe take a few pictures

55.6 miles – Scenic Point Gift Shop. I'm not a photographer nor do I possess a top of the line camera so my pictures just don't do the view here any justice. It's a great view though with a nice little gift shop to wander through

58.3 miles – Cliff House Inn (Restaurant, Motel, Cabins and Gift Shop)

The canyon below the Cliff House Inn is known as the Arkansas Grand Canyon. You might just want to make a day and night of the trip with your destination here. Good food, good accommodations with a spectacular view. Check out their website for more information and pictures at cliffhouseinnar.com



Note: There are numerous drives from this point and we will add pages on some of these in the future. You can continue south on Arkansas 7 on one of the best scenic drives in the country, all the way down to Hot Springs, AR which is another 135 miles. For this page however, we will turn back north and make our way back to Branson, but still through some beautiful country

From the Cliff House Inn, turn back north on Hwy 7. Our mileage will be at 58.3 miles where we left Cliff House Inn





60.0 miles – Hwy 374, Turn right. This is a gorgeous road from the top down into the valley. It can be steep and curvy so be alert







67.5 miles – Junction Hwy 123. Turn left (north) toward Hasty

71.8 miles – Start steep downhill grade toward Buffalo River

72.5 miles – cross Buffalo River

74.7 miles – Hasty, AR

83.6 miles – Hwy 65 at Western Grove, AR, turn left (north)

92.0 miles – Jct 412/62 East, continue north on Hwy 65 to stay on Arkansas 7 Day trip

93.2 miles – Jct 206 to Mystic Caverns, continue north on Hwy 65 to stay on Arkansas 7 Day trip

97.5 miles – Jct Hwy 7 South in Harrison where you began the Hwy 7 portion of the trip. Continue north on Hwy 65 to stay on Arkansas 7 Day trip

99.5 miles – Hwy 65 turns right at intersection In Harrison

104.6 miles – Jct 412/62 west to Eureka Springs, AR

116.3 miles – On your left to the west is a road to Lacey Michelle's Castle called Crickett Cutoff. This is a one man's work in progress dedicated to his daughter, Lacey Michelle. Check out the website, laceymichelescastle.com for more information about the site. There is also a YouTube video with the story behind the project. Tours are 11 AM – 3 PM. Call 870-426- 4330 to schedule

119.0 miles – Jct Hwy 14 to Omaha, AR

119.9 miles – Missouri State line

131.6 miles – Hwy 76, Branson, MO

Return from Arkansas 7 to Scenic Drives