Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[SilverDawg]

As part of our annual Arkansas trip this September, we will be returning through eastern Oklahoma from our stay up in Eureka Springs.  We will leave ES and hit Fayetteville (part of big rally going on ) on the way to OK.   We will need a good place to stay in eastern OK along with some good roads.  Want to stay at a place where we can get back to Dallas the following day around 2-3 p.m. so some of the guys can catch flights back to Chicago.

Anyone have any recommendations of biker friendly lodgings, bars, food joints, etc.?

[LRebel]

I ride quite a bit in western Arkansas and live in Oklahoma, so here are my suggestions:

From Eureka Springs I suggest that you take Hwy 23 South - it's called the "Pig Trail"... it's an awesome ride if you like lots of twisties.  Hwy 23 down to Hwy 412 - Hwy 412 west to Fayetteville.

From Fayetteville take Hwy 71 south all the way down to Mena, Arkansas (If you are in Mena around lunch time, the Chopping Block is a great place to eat).  In Mena take Hwy 271 west - This is the famous Talimena Drive.  Don't know if you have ridden the Talimena Drive before - if not, it's a beautiful ride.  The Talimena Drive is all two-lane with lots of tight turns up one hill and down the next.  Also lots of scenic pull-outs (don't even try to stop at all of them).

At about the halfway point on the Talimena Drive you will come to the Queen Wilhelmina Lodge (nice place to stop and look around - maybe snap a pic or two).  On west from the Queen Wilhelmina Lodge you will come to Hwy 259 (in Oklahoma).  Hwy 259 south is another great ride (The "Three Sticks" scenic pull-out is a nice place to stop and look around and take a few pics).  Hwy 259 will take you on south to Broken Bow, Oklahoma.  Nice area around Broken Bow - Beavers Bend State Park and Broken Bow Lake are back north of town.

It's been a long time since I stayed in Broken Bow.  Back when I was fishing bass tournaments we stayed at the Charles Wesley Inn and a few others, but probably just because they were cheap - thats been about 10 years ago.  There are a few places north of Broken Bow on Hwy 259 that rent cabins - I would do an internet search to check it all out.

If you don't want to spend the night in Broken Bow, you can head west on Hwy 70, which will take you on over to Durant, Oklahoma - several decent motels there... Or you could head on west on Hwy 70 from Durant to Lake Texoma.  At the west end of the Roosevelt Bridge over Lake Texoma you can turn left into the Texoma State Park.  There are cabin rentals there.  There are also a few motels and decent restaurants in the area.  It's a pretty easy ride south from either Durant or Lake Texoma to Dallas.

Well I hope all this gives you a few ideas.  Bubba here on the forum lives in NE Arkansas - he might give you an idea or three also.

If your trip has you in Arkansas September 11 - 14, come on over to Hot Springs... several of us will be there staying at the Best Western Stagecoach Inn.

Enjoy the trip!   

[dreid3667]

LRebel,
I live about 40 miles south of Hot Springs. I will be in H.S. during the rally (Thursday night thru Saturday). If ya'll have trouble with your bikes or any other way I might help, let me know. If you want to send me a PM, I can send you my cell phone number. I do have an inclosed cargo trailer if anything does happen. Have a safe trip and hope you enjoy the rally.
Donnie Reid

[LRebel]

LRebel,
I live about 40 miles south of Hot Springs. I will be in H.S. during the rally (Thursday night thru Saturday). If ya'll have trouble with your bikes or any other way I might help, let me know. If you want to send me a PM, I can send you my cell phone number. I do have an inclosed cargo trailer if anything does happen. Have a safe trip and hope you enjoy the rally.
Donnie Reid

Donnie,

I appreciate the offer to help any of us.  If you want to send me a pm with your phone number, I will store it in my cell phone just in case anyone needs help out of a jam.  We will all be on Harleys and some of them will have 110's, so the likelyhood that anyone will actually breakdown and need help is probably pretty remote

Be sure to come on over to the motel - Best Western Stagecoach Inn - and look us up.

Troy

[SilverDawg]

Thanks LREbel, I appreciate the info. We have actually traveled some of those roads last year. I love that area.