Pig Trail Scenic Byway - Ozark National Forest, Arkansas

Pig Trail Scenic Byway

With college football back in play, weekend traffic is once again heavy on the Natural State's famed Pig Trail Scenic Byway.

The beautiful two-lane highway cuts through the Ozarks, providing a short cut from Interstate 40 at Ozark to Fayetteville, home of the state's beloved University of Arkansas Razorbacks (affectionally known as the Hogs or Pigs). Because of the large number of fans decked out in Razorback Red and the University of Arkansas banners, flags and decals that adorn the lines of cars that pass up and down the highway on football weekends, it has been affectionately (and officially) dubbed the Pig Trail.

Pig Trail Falls

Part of State Highway 22, the Pig Trail actually has a long and colorful history. It originated as an Indian trail that wound its way down out of the mountains to the present site of Ozark on the Arkansas River. Early French trappers and fur traders likely gave the region its Ozarks name (corrupted from the French expression Aux Arcs, which is thought to have referred to the great bend of the river at Ozark). They likely followed this same route up into the mountains as long ago as the 1600s.

It later became an important trail and then road for early settlers of the region and during the Civil War was used by both Union and Confederate troops.

Now part of the Ozark National Forest, the Pig Trail is one of the most beautiful fall drives in the state and is known for its stunning scenery, waterfalls and as an access route to the famed Mulberry River.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/pigtrail.

Ozark National Forest is rich in Historic Sites

Sweeping across much of the northwestern quarter of Arkansas, the Ozark National Forest preserves some of the most scenic and historic land in the Natural State.

Not only is the forest home to sweeping mountain vistas, rugged hills and valleys, waterfalls and the famed Mulberry River, it is rich in historic sites and landmarks. At unexpected places in the forest, hikers come across long-forgotten stone fences and traces of old home places, many of which date back to before the Civil War.

The Ozark National Forest was the scene of untold numbers of skirmishes and raids during the war. Not only did regular troops move back and forth along the roads leading through the mountains, the hills of the Ozarks provided shelter and hiding places for the guerrilla bands that ravaged much of the state. These men - some of whom supported the Union and others the Confederacy - in many cases employed increasingly brutal tactics against both military and civilian targets alike.

The forest is today accessed by such famed Arkansas highways as Scenic Highway 7 and the Pig Trail Scenic Byway. Both take visitors past beautiful scenery and through some of the most stunning country in the South. There are numerous parks, recreation eras, overlooks, campgrounds, picnic areas and landmarks.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/ozarknf.