Boston Mountains Scenic Loop


The Boston Mountains Scenic Loop is one of ten Arkansas Scenic Byways. There are two different paths that constitute the loop, Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 71.

Route description

I-49

The route runs through the Boston Mountains in Arkansas for in Crawford and Washington Counties. The route begins at Alma and runs north to Fayetteville. The route includes the Bobby Hopper Tunnel, the only road tunnel in Arkansas. This portion of I-49 was completed in 1999, when it was part of I-540, to bypass the aging US 71.

US 71

Also part of the loop, of US 71 is designated as part of the route. The US 71 segment allows the traveler to go at their own pace through the area. There are many areas to stop and explore along the US 71 segment, opposed to the bustling interstate segment. The route also passes through a number of small towns that the interstate bypasses. It also begins in Alma and ends in Fayetteville.

Points of interest

The first routes through the area were Native American Trails, later formalized into the Ozark Highlands Trails. These rough roads became obsolete with the establishment of the Butterfield Overland Mail, a stagecoach route from St. Louis, Missouri to San Francisco, California that traversed the Boston Mountains in Northwest Arkansas. This route has been preserved in part as Arkansas Highway 265 and is well marked throughout Fayetteville and other Northwest Arkansas cities. US 71 replaced the stagecoach route when the United States Numbered Highways system came to Arkansas in 1926.
U.S. Route 71 in conjunction with Arkansas Highway 23 served the Northwest Arkansas area for many years, but as the area grew the routes became congested. The need for a limited-access highway became apparent, and Interstate 49 was completed through the area by 1999.