Sylamore Scenic Byway
26.5 miles - Take 1.5 hours to view the byway.
The Sylamore Scenic Byway is made up of a 26.5 mile portion of Arkansas State Highways 5 and 14 and Forest Service Road 1110. The route traverses 16.5 miles of Arkansas State Highway 5 from Calico Rock to Allison, joining Arkansas State Highway 14 for 6.7 miles to its intersection with Forest Service Road 1110, and continuing 3 miles to Blanchard Springs Caverns.
This 26.5 mile paved corridor goes through a beautifully scenic portion of the Ozark National Forest which has been carefully managed for many years as a scenic approach to heavily visited Blanchard Springs Caverns. This route is the major link between Mountain View to the south and the mountain community of Calico Rock to the north.
This byway provides visitors with a changing landscape of rugged limestone bluffs and cedar glade outcrops, and offers glimpses of rushing water and calm pools as it follows streams along the route.
Located at the eastern edge of the Ozarks, this scenic byway provides the visitor with a splendid example of the rugged beauty for which the Ozark Mountains are famous. Characteristics of this land include lengthy limestone bluffs, numerous creeks and rivers, waterfalls, and panoramic views of Oak/Hickory forest and short leaf pine stands.
Included along this scenic byway are a variety of cultural, recreational and educational opportunities which include Sugarloaf Fire Tower and Stone House, of 1930's Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) vintage. National Forest pasture land and wildlife fields are scattered along the byway. They provide early age soft mast vegetation for small game habitat. Near Allison, the highway hugs the side of the wide-flowing White River, deeply entrenched below high limestone cliffs. From there, the byway rapidly climbs the mountain and becomes a ridge-top highway winding its way to Blanchard Springs Caverns.