# The Scenic Seven & the Pig Trail A 3-day, ~340-mile Southern road trip from Hot Springs, AR. It chains Arkansas 7: The Scenic Seven and The Pig Trail & Eureka. - **Days:** 3 - **Distance:** ~340 mi - **Starts in:** Hot Springs, AR - **Themes:** Outdoors, Faith - **Routes chained:** [Arkansas 7: The Scenic Seven](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/scenic-7), [The Pig Trail & Eureka](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/pig-trail) Arkansas's two great mountain drives back to back: bathhouse steam and gangster lore, then the Buffalo River highlands and the Pig Trail's tight curves up to Eureka Springs' hillside chapels. ## Why this itinerary works Starting in Hot Springs, AR, this 3-day itinerary connects Arkansas 7: The Scenic Seven and The Pig Trail & Eureka. It suits travellers interested in parks, coast, mountains & water; cathedrals, camp meetings & sacred ground. The day-by-day bases let you split roughly 340 miles into a sequence of visits rather than trying to cover every linked route end to end. Use the daily highlights to decide which places deserve your longest stops. ## Day by day ### Day 1: Hot Springs → Jasper Soak and stroll Bathhouse Row, the Gangster Museum for the Capone years, then Arkansas 7 north over the Ouachitas and Ozarks — the Rotary Ann overlook, the Arkansas Grand Canyon, pie at the Ozark Café in Jasper. Choose a bath or a museum as the longer Hot Springs visit so the mountain drive still happens in daylight. AR 7's curves reward a steady pace, not a schedule based on highway speeds. Jasper is the day-end base for the Buffalo River morning; check lodging before arrival rather than hunting after the overlooks. Rain can change river plans, so keep the next day's paddle or riverside walk conditional. Highlights to consider: - **Bathhouse Row** (Hot Springs) — Eight Gilded Age bathhouses on thermal springs inside a national park inside a downtown. Buckstaff still runs traditional baths; Superior pours beer brewed with the spring water. [Arkansas 7: The Scenic Seven](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/scenic-7) - **Rotary Ann Overlook** (Ozark National Forest) — A 1930s stone overlook on the Ozark climb, often claimed as one of the country's first roadside rest stops. The valley view explains the whole highway. [Arkansas 7: The Scenic Seven](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/scenic-7) - **Arkansas Grand Canyon** (Jasper) — The Big Creek valley drops away for miles below the AR 7 rim. The Cliff House Inn hangs on the edge and serves pie against the view. [Arkansas 7: The Scenic Seven](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/scenic-7) - **Ozark Café** (Jasper) — Feeding the courthouse square since 1909: chocolate gravy, excellent burgers, and every Buffalo River paddler in a 40-mile radius. [Arkansas 7: The Scenic Seven](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/scenic-7) - **Buffalo National River at Pruitt** (Pruitt) — America's first national river (1972), undammed for 135 miles under 500-foot bluffs. The Boxley spur adds a wild elk herd at dawn and dusk. [Arkansas 7: The Scenic Seven](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/scenic-7) ### Day 2: Buffalo River → the Pig Trail Morning on the Buffalo National River at Pruitt, then west and south onto AR 23 — the Pig Trail's canopy curves along the Mulberry, a stop at Turner Bend. Climb toward Eureka Springs by evening. Highlights to consider: - **Buffalo National River at Pruitt** (Pruitt) — America's first national river (1972), undammed for 135 miles under 500-foot bluffs. The Boxley spur adds a wild elk herd at dawn and dusk. [Arkansas 7: The Scenic Seven](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/scenic-7) - **Mulberry River** (Ozark NF) — Arkansas's rowdiest float in spring flow, a swimming-hole necklace by July. The AR 23 bridge pools are the classic cool-off. [The Pig Trail & Eureka](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/pig-trail) - **Turner Bend Store** (Mulberry River) — The river outpost since 1911: canoe rentals, sandwiches, shuttle wisdom and the Pig Trail's unofficial ranger station. [The Pig Trail & Eureka](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/pig-trail) ### Day 3: Eureka Springs Thorncrown Chapel's glass in the woods, the Christ of the Ozarks statue, and a slow morning through the Victorian switchback streets — the Crescent Hotel for a haunted nightcap or the road home. Highlights to consider: - **Thorncrown Chapel** (Eureka Springs) — E. Fay Jones's 1980 glass-and-pine chapel in the woods, routinely ranked among the great American buildings of the century. Forty-eight feet of light; bring your quiet. [The Pig Trail & Eureka](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/pig-trail) - **Christ of the Ozarks** (Eureka Springs) — A seven-story 1966 statue with a 65-foot armspan looming over town, centerpiece of the Great Passion Play grounds. Subtlety was never the assignment. [The Pig Trail & Eureka](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/pig-trail) - **Crescent Hotel** (Eureka Springs) — The 1886 grande dame billing itself America's most haunted hotel, thanks largely to a 1930s quack cancer doctor named Norman Baker. Ghost tours nightly; breakfast unbothered. [The Pig Trail & Eureka](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/pig-trail) - **Downtown Eureka Springs** (Eureka Springs) — An entire Victorian downtown on the National Register, stacked on switchbacked streets with no right angles and no traffic lights. Healing springs built it; stubbornness preserved it. [The Pig Trail & Eureka](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/pig-trail) ## Practical planning Budget an average of about 113 miles per day across the whole trip, or roughly 2.5–3.8 hours behind the wheel at an assumed 30–45 mph back-roads pace. This is a planning estimate, not a measured time for each leg: transfer days can be longer and rest days shorter. Add meal stops, tours, ferries, traffic and hikes separately; use each day's navigation link for current driving estimates. ### Overnight bases - Day 1: Hot Springs → Jasper - Day 2: Buffalo River → the Pig Trail - Day 3: Eureka Springs ### Best season & route notes - [Arkansas 7: The Scenic Seven](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/scenic-7): Buffalo outfitters and Boxley-area cabins book out for spring float season; reserve before you route. - [The Pig Trail & Eureka](https://dixieroadtrip.com/routes/pig-trail): Fall weekends belong to the motorcycles; ride the Trail midweek if you want it to yourself. ## Frequently asked questions ### How many days and miles is The Scenic Seven & the Pig Trail? The Scenic Seven & the Pig Trail is a 3-day trip of about 340 miles. ### Where does The Scenic Seven & the Pig Trail start? It starts in Hot Springs, AR. ### Which routes does The Scenic Seven & the Pig Trail chain together? It chains Arkansas 7: The Scenic Seven and The Pig Trail & Eureka. ### Where are the overnight bases on The Scenic Seven & the Pig Trail? Day 1: Hot Springs → Jasper; Day 2: Buffalo River → the Pig Trail; Day 3: Eureka Springs. ## Related itineraries - [The Ozark & Ouachita Highlands](https://dixieroadtrip.com/trips/ozark-highlands-week) — 6 days, ~780 mi --- Canonical URL: https://dixieroadtrip.com/trips/ozark-scenic Publisher: Dixie Media (Dixie Road Trip, https://dixieroadtrip.com/) Last updated: 2026-10-04