Recommended Rides
By TIM Weddle
are looking at a full day’s ride
out of Iron Mountain with a
variety of roads and scenery. Do your-
self a favor; take a weekend getaway,
come rent a cabin on Iron Mountain
and enjoy this ride. Or if you get to
Colors Rally a little early and have a day
to spend riding you just may want to
check this out.
We start routinely enough heading
towards Fort Smith on Highway 71
North for 75 miles. Then take a right
onto the ramp for l-49, blast the quick
six miles to the end and hook back to
the right underneath I-49 and at the
light take Arkansas 59 North. In about
9 miles turn right on Twin Circle Drive
which will put you on the ramp for I-
540 North, in 9 miles take Exit 2B and
catch US-64 East, in 8 miles you can
turn right on Arkansas-162 W and find J
We
Total Miles
365
Average Riding Time
7.5 hours
Recommended Food
J & J Restaurant
Pirates Cove
Wild Horse Mountain Bar-B-Que
Attractions
Iron Mountain
Boston Mountains
Lake Fort Smith
Ozark National Forest
& J Restaurant on the right. You’ve been
at it about 2 hours so it could be time
for a good ol’ home cooked breakfast
at a reasonable price.
Well, whether you ate or just got gas,
head back north through the traffic
lights and under I-40 as AR-162
becomes US-71 North. OK, the routine
part of the trip is over and it is time to
have some fun. A little ways out of
Alma as the road begins to rise and fall
you will encounter some tar snakes in
the curves. This area is usually shady so
they aren’t normally a problem but if it
is a warmer day, be cautious until you
get a handle on how slimy they might
be. Over the next 45 miles or so you will
face high speed sweepers, downhill
decreasing radius; left and right, apexes
at the crest of the hills and quite an
interesting variety of challenges. Enjoy
the ride or sight-see. You can’t do both!
If you are in sight-seeing mode,
there is a scenic overlook of Lake Fort
Smith just out of Mountainburg and the
obligatory photo stop at Artist Point
about half-way through. As you go
through Greenland, you will see the
Pirate’s Cove on your left; another
home-style café highly recommended.
If your motorcycle seat needs work
you will find the best guy in the busi-
ness by following the Fullbright
Expressway to I-49 North and getting
off at Exit 66. Take AR-112 left at the
end of the ramp and another left at the
T. As you come to the sharp right curve
you will bear left and onto W Howard
Nickell Rd. First left and you will see TS
Custom Sales on the right. Tom
Simmons is a great guy and can build
one heck of a seat for anything. He has