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THE MOUNTAINS AND THEIR COATS OF MANY COLORS

© Bertha Sutliff

The sun rises in the east, casting its brightness over the mountains of northern Arkansas. Farmers out working before dawn, commuters on their way to their jobs and the school children waiting on the side of the roads feel the change coming. Fall is in the air. You can smell the crispness that lingers on the rising mists coming from the valleys between majestic mountains. Soon the sun will burn away the effect that early morning has brought and the heat will take over, reminding everyone that summer is trying to hold on as long as she can.

The trees seem to know that it's time to let go. Summer heat can't fool them. They have felt it coming for a while now and are showing it in the turning of their leaves. Soon the mountains will glow in the sun with oranges, reds, yellows and browns. People far and near make plans for a scenic trip through these mountain chains of the Ozarks. It's the ideal time to get out and explore the beauty of the mountains. The colorful foliage will reach its peak between mid-October and early November.

Scenic Byway 7 is just about everyone's favorite Arkansas roadway. It runs north to south, from the Missouri border to the Louisiana border, crossing rivers, passing lakes, and climbing the mountains that run through both the Ozark and Ouachita National Forests.

Another favorite is State Highway 309. This State Scenic Byway climbs up and over Arkansas's highest point, 2,753-foot Mount Magazine. This byway leads to Mount Magazine State Park, now under development at the summit of the mesa-like mountaintop.

A Scenic Byway that is almost as well known as Scenic 7 is the Talimena Scenic Byway, a 55-mile route that reaches the distances between Mena, Arkansas, and Talihina, Oklahoma. It passes over Mount Rich, the second highest point in Arkansas, as well as Winding Stair Mountain in Oklahoma. Several viewpoints along the route provide breathtaking views of the color changes in the Ouachita National Forest.

The Arkansas Razorback fans have a byway of their own, the Pig Trail. This famous highway leads the way for the many football fans of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks. State Highway 23 runs from Ozark north to its junction with State Highway 16, and if you notice there will be trees of every description meeting overhead along much of the route.

A new state scenic highway was created in eastern Arkansas by the 1997 Legislature. It takes in a series of federal and state highways and has been named the Crowley Ridge National Scenic Byway. The hilly, forested route is especially colorful as fall casts its magic on the trees along the ridge.