Hugo Oklahoma TourTalimena DriveMotorcycle riding is not always fun. When you are stuck in bumper to bumper traffic for over sixty miles in the Texas heat, motorcycle riding is not fun. Old RT and old ST hitched a ride in the Champion enclosed trailer from Village creek to the starting point of this ride, Hugo, Oklahoma. The name of the state came from two Choctaw words, okla that means people and homma that means red.There are lots of beautiful places in the US of A to ride motorcycles but, Southeastern Oklahoma is our standard to compare other areas. The area has the Talimena State Park Drive, Ouachita National Forest, Arkansas River, Lake Broken Bow, Kiamichi Mountains and more. We started rolling around 9:00AM heading West on US 271/US 70 then North on US 271 to Antlers. Our tour happened in the first of October but, you can enjoy this part of the country anytime. The winters are mild and this area is always a least twenty degrees cooler than the metro mess DFW in the summer. This rolling farm and ranch land is not as green as normal due to the lack of rain for a season or two.We continue north on US 271 through the Weyerhaeuser forest land just south of Clayton. The area was open to the public and a dirt bike could follow the old logging trails all the way into Arkansas, if you wanted to go that far.US271 follows the Kiamichi River along the foot hills to the Talimena State Park and Oklahoma State Highway 1, Talimena Parkway.Talimena scenic byway and Queen Wilamena Lodge is the destination. The scenic byway takes you on the top ridge of the mountains from Talihina, OK to Mena, AR, a distance of less than fifty twisty miles. The highlight of the beautiful ride is the stop at the Queen Wilamena Lodge at the Arkansas part of the road. The dinning room overlooking the surrounding mountains serves a wonderful lunch buffet. The lodge was named after Queen Wilamena of Netherlands to honor the Dutch investors that built the railroad in the area along with the town of Mena, AR.With all these loud motorcycles at Queen Wilamena Lodge, a nap after lunch is not an option. US 270 east took us to Acorn and US 70 north through more rolling hills and sweeping curves. State highway 23 starts a few miles south of Booneville and goes through Ozark National Forest to the Missouri border. This route does not go through any towns after Ozark north bound until you get to Eureka Springs, so plan your stops, I almost ran out of fuel on a previous tour. This route is all natural and not busy but, well worth the time.We stopped in Booneville for a short break to look at the display of classic cars and tractors at a town festival. State 23 crosses the Arkansas River at Ozark and with locks to make it navigable, it appears to be a narrow lake. There is a change in plans when we get to Ozark. The daylight is running out and it is too far to Eureka Springs. Fort Smith is about thirty five miles and the road is a straight shot so, we headed west on US64.Bob’s Barbeque Pit on US 71 South serves up a well deserved dinner before our overnight stay at the Holiday Inn downtown, both very enjoyable. Breakfast was consumed at hotel café prior to heading south on US271 back into Oklahoma.This part of Oklahoma is very popular with motorcycles so, keep your left hand free for lots of waves. There were several motorcycle friendly convenience stores with gas, food, and drinks around Poteau on US59.US59 south connects to US259 in the middle of the Ouachita National Forest and crosses the Talimena Scenic Byway in the Kiamichi Mountain range. This is the spot you dream about when you think about mountain roads. I have included a photo for your viewing pleasure.South on US 259 goes through more Ouachita National Forest and scenic views near Lake Broken Bow. The town of Broken Bow had several lunch choices and we picked the wrong one.Our choice route back to Hugo was State Highway 3 and south on State Highway 93 to see Hugo Lake State Park. This open area was very wooded and had signs of lumber production. There are several nice lakes in the area and normally they would be full but, the lack of rainfall this year has dropped the lake levels.Old RT and ST get back into the dark Champion trailer for a ride back to the garage. After another safe wonderful run, we start planning our next one. Thank the good Lord for making all this possible.©hiramgj2007
This is a motorcycle ride in the states Oklahoma, Arkansas. This motorcycle route has 10 scenery characteristics and other road conditions to help you plan your road trip. This motorcycle map was created by ST1100 in July. Click here to see other Motorcycle Roads by ST1100