Talimena National Scenic Byway

The Ouachita Mountains are unusual among American ranges for running east to west rather than north to south. They formed hundreds of millions of years ago when ancient continents collided, folding and thrusting layers of sandstone and shale into the long, parallel ridges the byway follows today. Long weathering has worn them down, but they remain rugged, forested, and genuinely mountainous.

The byway climbs to some of the highest ground between the Appalachians and the Rockies, topping Rich Mountain near the state line. Along its route, the folded rock, the sweeping views, and the mixed hardwood and pine forest give a sense of true mountain country rare in a state better known for plains, a landscape more like the Appalachians than the American West.

This corner of Oklahoma is the heart of the Choctaw Nation, whose people were removed here along the Trail of Tears in the 1830s and who remain centered in southeast Oklahoma today. The mountains and valleys the byway crosses have been Choctaw homeland for generations, and the tribe's presence is woven through the towns and history of the region.

The scenic road itself was built in the 1960s specifically to open these ridgetops to travelers, one of a number of scenic byways created in that era to showcase America's mountain landscapes. It runs through the Ouachita National Forest, the oldest national forest in the southern United States, established to protect and manage these rugged, timbered mountains.

The byway is dotted with overlooks and pullouts where travelers can stop to take in the long views across the ridges, and several offer picnic areas and interpretive signs. Trailheads along the route give access to hiking in the national forest, including the long-distance Ouachita National Recreation Trail, which crosses the byway on its way across the mountains.

The surrounding forest is a rich mix of shortleaf pine, oak, hickory, and maple, home to white-tailed deer, black bears, wild turkeys, and a wealth of songbirds. Clear mountain streams run down the slopes, and the whole landscape has a wild, remote character that makes even a short drive along the crest feel like a journey into deep mountain country.

Autumn is the byway's signature season, when the hardwood forests turn gold, orange, and red across the ridges and the drive becomes one of the finest leaf-peeping routes in the southern plains. Peak color usually comes in the second half of October, drawing the year's largest crowds to the overlooks.

Spring brings dogwood and redbud bloom and fresh green woods, a quieter but lovely time to drive. Summer is warm and hazy with deep green forest and long days, while winter strips the trees bare and opens the longest views, though the crest can turn foggy, icy, and cold, so winter travelers should watch the weather closely.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.