Talimena Scenic Drive

We had long wanted to see some of the fall colors in Oklahoma.  A prime location for such viewing is supposed to be the Talimena National Scenic Byway. This road is a combination of Oklahoma 1 and Arkansas 88 between Talhina, OK, and Mena, AR (see map below).  The name of the drive comes from combining the names of the towns at the two ends.

Map of Talimena National Scenic Byway

The 54 mile, two lane road is completely within the Ouachita National Forest, the oldest national forest in the southern U.S., and travels along the ridge line of the Winding Stair Mountains, part of the Ouachita Mountain chain.  Although the winding road mostly follows the narrow ridge line, it does have 13% grades in some locations. The road originally opened in 1969, but was not designated a National Scenic Byway until 2005.

We left about 9 am Friday morning, heading towards Oklahoma via Texas Highway 121. After multiple stops for lunch, gas, and a map at the visitor center at the west end, we headed up the drive starting a little before 2 pm.

With 22 scenic pull outs, there were many easy places to stop and take pictures.

Frog taking pictures at Deadman Vista

 The sky was mostly overcast, so the tree colors were somewhat subdued.  However, it was still beautiful.
  

Looking east near Kerr Botanical Center

 Interestingly, these mountains are among the few in the U.S. that run east and west, leading to dramatically different climate and hence different vegetation on the northern and southern slopes.

Signage describing the different trees on the north and south slopes

  Most noteably, the deciduous trees (and hence the fall colors) are almost exclusively on the northern slopes.

North facing slope

But even the southern facing slopes, with mostly evergreens, looked nice.

A few hardwoods among the pine trees

We had not made motel reservations for the night, so were worried about finding a place to stay.  Everything turned out ok.  The motels in Mena were not upscale, but we did find a room.  Most interesting was the two story log cabin restaurant, The Chopping Block, where we had dinner.  Not only was the food good, but the photographs on the walls were particularly nice.  It turns out the owner is also a local photographer.

We headed out early the following morning for the return trip westward along the Talimena Drive.  It was cold (low 40's) and very windy.  We were early enough to miss most of the heavy Saturday traffic along the road and at the turnouts, but we still saw many motorcycles and multiple special cars, including many Corvettes, by the time we exited.

We made a brief stop at Queen Wilhelmena State Park, which is right along the Talimena Byway.  Unfortunately the lodge and restaurant were closed due to a multi-year renovation.  We did explore the railroad engine at the entrance.  It was so cold and windy on top of the ridge, we did not linger long.

In the engine at Queen Wilhelmena State Park

Kerr Botanical Garden

On the way home about 19 miles south of Talhina, we made a slight (1 mile) detour off highway 271 to visit the Choctaw Nation Museum at the Capitol of the Choctaw Nation.  The museum was closed, but we did see some of the outdoor displays. 

Choctaw Nation Museum

Overall, the trip was great and well worth the drive.  We are especially glad we went when we did.  The foliage was already past its prime on the Arkansas end of the byway.  With the wind and predicted rain, most of the leaves will probably be gone soon.