8 of the Most Walkable Towns in Arkansas

As a densely forested and mountainous state that contains much of the Ozarks, Arkansas may not initially seem very walkable. Yet tangled in its brambles and clinging to its crags are small towns that have surprisingly walkable features. Historic tours, hiking trails, quaint downtowns, sprawling colleges, art exhibits, and spectacular street fairs ensure that you can enjoy your time in those towns without wheels. Lace up and venture out to walkable Arkansas.

Siloam Springs

Siloam Springs is a community of over 18,000 on the Arkansas-Oklahoma border. It presents a scavenger hunt of scenic, commercial, and historic wonders, ranging from Siloam Springs City Park, Bob Henry Park, the Creekside Taproom, Fratelli's Wood Fire Pizzeria, the American Legion Community Hall, and John Brown University. Such sites and many others can be found along the Dogwood Springs Walking Trail, which cuts across town for approximately 6.6 miles, and via the Walks through History tour, which is a self-guided survey of the Siloam Springs Downtown Historic District. Brochures of both are available online.

Jasper

Jasper has a tiny fraction of Siloam Springs' population but almost as many attractions. This 550-ish-person "city" sits in the Ozark Mountains and hosts the Ozark Cafe, which has been serving delicious food and drinks since 1909. A few steps from the cafe is another highly rated eatery in a historic building, Jasper Pizza Company and just a few more steps from there are such joyous Jasper joints as Peggy Sue’s Coffee and Bubba's Buffalo River Store. An additional short walk will take you to the Bradley House Museum, which comprises not just the titular 19th-century abode but an even older log cabin and an assortment of other relics. Moreover, Jasper connects to numerous trails that take hikers into Ozark oases like Hemmed-In Hollow Falls and the Arkansas Grand Canyon.

Clarksville

Another small Ozark community, Clarksville, claims walkable streets and nature trails. There are many top spots to stop in the downtown district, such as the Piney Bay Coffee Company, a cafe that offers flavors from Colombia, Brazil, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. Additionally, the Delicíoso Cupcakery -n- Coffee shop makes custom cakes and specialty desserts; Johnson County Courthouse is a grand, historic building listed on the National Register of Historic Places; and the University of the Ozarks, a private 45-acre college that dates back to 1834. Downtown Clarksville is bisected by the Spadra Creek Nature Trail, which winds along Spadra Creek and then spreads out for miles into Clarksville's corners.

Magnolia

Magnolia has the name of a flower and the colors of a flower. This southwestern AR community boasts a walkable downtown with colorful businesses like the JavaPrimo Coffee House, Cafe & More, and several colorful history-depicting murals, including one that is allegedly the "world's only mural autographed by actor Charlton Heston." Adding to Magnolia's walkability is Southern Arkansas University, whose 1,491-acre campus contains beautiful nature and a bevy of historic buildings. You can have the most fun on your feet at the Magnolia Blossom Festival and World Championship Steak Cook-Off, which began as an art show in 1950 and is now an annual extravaganza full of art, entertainment, and savory steak.

Mountain View

You can spend all year on foot in Mountain View thanks to its abundance of folksy festivals where shoes are optional. Mountain View's festival schedule is jam-packed with fantastic events, starting with the Spring Bluegrass Festival in March, Folk Fest, Junk Fest in April, the Iris Festival in May, Community Olympics in June, and Independence Day Weekend in July. But it does not stop there; there is also Mountains, Music, & Motorcycles in August, Off the Beaten Path Studio Tour in September, Bean Fest and Junk Fest in October, Fall Bluegrass Festival in November, and Christmas on the Square in December. You can fill the time between those events with forays into historic haunts like the Stone County Museum and scenic haunts like the Blanchard Springs Caverns in the nearby Ozark-St. Francis National Forest.

Hope

We hope you take a stroll through this stately and seedy southern settlement. Hope is known for two things: watermelon and Bill Clinton. You can see the former at the Hope Watermelon Festival, a multi-day event featuring art, crafts, entertainment, and 200-plus pound melons. You would have seen the latter icon if you attended the festival in 1980 when the then-governor was a guest of honor, but today, you will have to settle for seeing the President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site, where the 42nd US President spent the first few years of his life. Depictions of both Hope hallmarks are displayed at the Hope Visitor Center & Museum, which is in the restored 1912 Iron Mountain/Missouri Pacific Freight and Passenger Depot.

Mountain Home

Located north of Mountain View and the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest Mountain Home is another mountainous Ozark city with a range of walkable retreats. The Rabbit Hole Coffeehouse and Brew, Rapp's Barren Brewing Company, and Petite Patisserie can fuel you up before you take a tour of heritage buildings like the Casey House (c. 1858) and Baxter County Courthouse (c. 1941). Mountain Home also offers an art walk on a three-mile trail that is filled with sculptures. Approximately 15 new pieces are to be unveiled in August 2024.

Eureka Springs

You cannot write a list of walkable Arkansas towns without mentioning Eureka Springs. This quirky Victorian-style community generates income specifically from walking tours. Chief among them are the 70-Minute Guided Downtown Eureka Springs Walking Tour, which covers historic buildings, natural landmarks, shopping and entertainment spots, and locations that are not accessible by bus or car. Additionally, the Downtown Walking Ghost Tour focuses on Eureka Springs' array of supposedly haunted locations, such as the Ellis House, and the Underground Eureka Walking Tour begins at Basin Spring Park and takes tourists downtown and then actually down underground into historic tunnels. Spring for a trek through Eureka Springs.

Whether it is via a historical tour in Siloam Springs, an open-air museum in Jasper, a nature trail in Clarksville, a magnificent college in Magnolia, a folk fest in Mountain View, a presidential property in Hope, an art walk in Mountain Home or an underground tunnel in Eureka Springs, you can experience small-town Arkansas on foot. Let your soles meet the soul of The Natural State.