The Great River Road National Scenic Byway of Arkansas serves as a fantastic way to explore the heritage and traditions of Arkansas’s eastern border. Following the Mississippi River and traversing the entire eastern border of the state, the byway offers travelers a glimpse into the rich history and culture of the Delta region and the agricultural lands that have been undeniably shaped by the river.
Great River Road National Scenic Byway – AR
Local Visitor Information
Discover more ways to experience this byway — photos and local partners.
Arkansas Delta Byways and Joe Bonnette
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Explore Resources
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Byway Overview
Great River Road: Scenic Drive Along the Mississippi River
The Great River Road is one of America’s most iconic scenic byways, following the mighty Mississippi River from its headwaters at Lake Itasca, Minnesota, all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.
The Mississippi — America’s second-longest river — winds through 10 states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Louisiana. This historic route played a vital role in westward settlement, logging, and riverboat culture.
Today, travelers enjoy breathtaking limestone cliffs, scenic overlooks, wildlife viewing, parks, and charming river towns. Discover rich heritage, blues and jazz music, Cajun-Creole cuisine, and unforgettable Americana along this legendary drive.
A must-do road trip for history, nature, and culture lovers.
Quick Facts
- Designation
- All-American Road (2002/2021)
- Intrinsic Qualities
- Historic, Cultural
- Location
- AR, IL, IA, KY, LA, MN, MO, MS, MO, TN, WI
- Total Length
- 391 of 3292.5 total miles
Visitor Information & Byway Partners
Contact Details
For personalized travel assistance and local recommendations, please reach out to our regional visitor center.
Local Byway Partners
Arkansas Delta Byways Tourism Association
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The Great River Road spans all ten Arkansas counties that border the Mississippi River from north to south. The 362-mile route consists of portions of 13 highways, forest service and county roads, and city streets. Most of the scenic byway in Arkansas crosses agricultural lands and sections of the route pass through remnants of the original wetlands as well as towns whose identities and economies are intrinsically tied to the river. From Marianna to Helena, however, the route infiltrates part of the nation’s largest alluvial plain, the woodlands of the St. Francis National Forest on Crowley’s Ridge, allowing travelers to relish in both the wonders of the Mississippi River and its legacy of molding surrounding landscapes.
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Crowley’s Ridge
Unusual geological feature that covers more than 15,000 square miles of eastern Arkansas and was formed by the ancestral Mississippi and Ohio rivers eroding the land on each side of the remnant ridge
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Lake Chicot State Park
The largest natural lake in Arkansas and the largest oxbow lake in North America, with fantastic angling, birdwatching, and boating opportunities
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Big Lake National Wildlife Refuge
One of nation’s oldest refuges for native and migratory birds located in northeast Arkansas adjacent to the bootheel of Missouri
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Lakeport Plantation
The Lakeport Plantation house was built in 1859 in the Delta of the Mississippi River. Retaining many of its original architectural features, the house’s exhibits tell the stories of slavery, sharecropping, and the Johnson family.
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The Rohwer Japanese American Relocation Center
The WWII Japanese American Internment Museum at McGehee explores the history of both the Rohwer and Jerome internment camps.
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Historic Dyess Colony: Johnny Cash Boyhood Home
Exhibits tell the story of this resettlement colony for impoverished farmers during the Great Depression, and the Cash home has been restored and furnished as it existed in the 1930s and 1940s.
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Cultural Tour of Arkansas’s Delta
Starting from Helena, heading south along the Great River Road, enjoy a cultural heritage tour of what the Delta region of Arkansas has to offer. In Helena, visit the Delta Cultural Center, housed in a 1912 train depot, to learn about the history, art, and culture of the people of the Delta from the 1800s through the 1940s. Heading south along Highway 44, to Highway 20, to Highway 316, to St. Charles and the White River National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center, you will enter the territory of the elusive Ivory-billed Woodpecker. Again, heading south to Lake Village, located on Lake Chicot, you’ll find a 20-mile-long abandoned channel of the Mississippi River with several options for accommodations. Spend time soaking up Lake Chicot State Park, home to the largest natural lake in Arkansas and the largest oxbow lake in North America, with great fishing, birdwatching, and boating opportunities.