Ozark Mountains

The Ozark Mountains run across the northern third of Arkansas, weathered limestone-and-sandstone uplands cut by clear rivers and dotted with caves, springs, and reservoirs. Elevations stay modest — most peaks under 2,500 feet — but the topography is steep enough to give the region a distinctly different character from the Mississippi Delta to the southeast. Counties anchoring the region include Boone, Marion, Baxter, Carroll, Newton, Searcy, Stone, and Izard, with Eureka Springs, Mountain Home, Mountain View, Harrison, and Jasper as the main towns. The Buffalo National River — the country’s first national river — runs through Newton and Searcy counties; Bull Shoals and Norfork lakes, both on the White River system, hold most of the regional water recreation; and the Blanchard Springs Caverns sit in Stone County. Trips here lean outdoor and traditional-music: float trips on the Buffalo or White, trout fishing below Bull Shoals Dam, the folk music scene at Mountain View, and the Victorian streetscape and walking tours of Eureka Springs. Float trips peak in late spring when the rivers are full; the music and craft circuit at Mountain View runs year-round.