Great River Road Driving Directions
Out-of-state travelers are likely to enter the Arkansas Great River Road via connecting Great River Road segments in Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi or Louisiana. Access points include U. S. 61 South from Missouri, I-55 North from Tennessee, U. S. 49 West from Mississippi, U. S. 82 West from Mississippi, or U. S. 65 North from Louisiana. For convenience, driving directions are given from North to South. But feel free to pick up the byway from any direction and take plenty of time to enjoy the sights.
Begin your North-South journey along the Arkansas Great River Road at the historic concrete arch that spans U. S. Highway 61 at the Missouri-Arkansas Line. Drive South on U. S. 61 through Blytheville, Osceola and Wilson to S. H. 77.
(Sidetrips: The Buffalo Island towns of Manila, Leachville, Monette, Caraway and Black Oak are accessible from U. S. 61 at Blytheville. The Sunken Lands towns of Tyronza, Marked Tree, Trumann, Lake City, Dyess, and Lepanto are accessible from S. H. 77 at Turrell.)
Take S. H. 77 South through Marion.
(Sidetrip: Parkin and Earle via U. S. 64)
Continue on S. H. 77 South to West Memphis. At U. S. 70 in West Memphis, also known as Broadway, head west to S. H. 147. (An alternate is to head east on U. S. 70 through downtown West Memphis to I-55 and the Tennessee State Line.)
Take S. H. 147 south to S. H. 38, then S. H. 38 West to Hughes.
(Side trip: Madison and Forrest City).
At Hughes, take U. S. 79 South to Marianna. Drive through Marianna on S. H. 44 (Chestnut and Poplar Streets in the downtown area) and enter the St. Francis National Forest. Lee C. R. 221, Phillips C. R. 217, and Phillips County 239 will take you through the St. Francis National Forest to Helena-West Helena.
Through Helena, you will be on Holly, Columbia and Biscoe Streets. From Helena-West Helena, take S. H. 44 South to Elaine; S. H. 20 West to S. H. 318; S. H. 318 North to S. H. 316; and S. H. 316 West to S. H. 1.
(Side trip: Brinkley, Clarendon, and Holly Grove)
S. H. 1 will lead you across the White River to St. Charles.
(Side trip: Stuttgart).
Continue south on S. H. 1 to DeWitt. At DeWitt, take U. S. 165 South, crossing the Arkansas River. At this point, travelers can continue on U. S. 165 to U. S. 65 South at Dumas, or turn east onto S. H. 1 at Back Gate.
The Back Gate route on S. H. 1 leads East and South to S. H. 4, which goes South to Arkansas City, then heads back west to rejoin U. S. 65 at McGehee.
U. S. l 65 South takes you from Dumas to Lake Village
(Side Trips: Monticello and Dermott).
At Lake Village, you have the option to continue South on U. S. 65 through Eudora to the Louisiana Line, or head East on U. S. 82 to the Mississippi River Bridge and the Mississippi State Line.
This site is paid for with a combination of state funds, private regional association funds, and a National Scenic Byway grant.