Crowley's Ridge Parkway is a National Scenic Byway in northeast

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the O ...

and the

Missouri Bootheel The Missouri Bootheel is a salient located in the southeasternmost part of the U.S. state of Missouri, extending south of 36°30′ north latitude, so called because its shape in relation to the rest of the state resembles the heel of a boot. ...

along

Crowley's Ridge Crowley's Ridge (also Crowleys Ridge) is a geological formation that rises 250 to above the alluvial plain of the Mississippi embayment in a line from southeastern Missouri to the Mississippi River near Helena, Arkansas. It is the most pro ...

in the United States. Motorists can access the parkway from

US Route 49 U.S. Route 49 (US 49) is a north–south United States highway. The highway's northern terminus is in Piggott, Arkansas, at an intersection with US Route 62/Highway 1/ Highway 139 (US 62/AR 1/AR 139). Its southern terminus is ...

(US 49) at its southern terminus near the

Helena Bridge The Helena Bridge is a cantilever bridge carrying U.S. Route 49 across the Mississippi River between Helena, Arkansas and Lula, Mississippi. The main cantilever span was modeled on the similar Benjamin G. Humphreys Bridge which had been bui ...

over the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it fl ...

outside Helena-West Helena, Arkansas, or from

Missouri Route 25 Route 25 is a highway in south-eastern Missouri. Its northern terminus is at Business Interstate 55/ U.S. Route 61/ Route 34 in Jackson. Its southern terminus is at U.S. Route 412/ Route 84 in Kennett. Route 25 was one of the original 1922 s ...

(Route 25) near

Kennett, Missouri Kennett is a city in and the county seat of Dunklin County, Missouri, United States. The city is located in the southeast corner (or " Bootheel") of Missouri, east of Arkansas and from the Mississippi River. It has a population of 10,932 accor ...

. The parkway runs along Crowley's Ridge, a unique geological formation, and also parts of the St. Francis National Forest, the

and the

Mississippi Alluvial Plain The Mississippi River Alluvial Plain is an alluvial plain created by the Mississippi River on which lie parts of seven U.S. states, from southern Louisiana to southern Illinois (Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Mississippi, Lo ...

. Along the route are many

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

properties,

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

battlefields, parks, and other archeological and culturally significant points. Crowley's Ridge Parkway is not a separately designated route, but a collection of

United States highways The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways) is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States. As the designation and numbering of these hi ...

, Arkansas state highways, Missouri state routes,

Missouri supplemental routes A supplemental route is a state secondary road in the U.S. state of Missouri, designated with letters. Supplemental routes were various roads within the state which the Missouri Department of Transportation was given in 1952 to maintain in additio ...

, Arkansas state highway business routes, county roads, and city streets. The route also briefly overlaps the Great River Road in Arkansas. The parkway was designated as an

Arkansas Scenic Byway Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage la ...

in 1997 as a motor route which allowed the traveler to experience the Southern heritage of the area. The National Scenic Byway designation came the following year, with an extension into Missouri in 2000.

Route description

Arkansas

The majority of the route is in Arkansas, and the parkway begins in

Phillips County, Arkansas Phillips County is a county located in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Arkansas, in what is known as the Arkansas Delta along the Mississippi River. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,568. The county seat is Helena–West ...

, in Helena-West Helena very near the

over the

. Beginning at US Route 49 (US 49) and running north with US 49 Business (US 49B), the route passes historic properties including the

Delta Cultural Center The Delta Cultural Center in downtown Helena, Arkansas, is a cultural center and museum of the Department of Arkansas Heritage. It is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the culture of the Arkansas Delta. They also partner with other cultura ...

, the

Jerome Bonaparte Pillow House The Jerome Bonaparte Pillow House (sometimes the Thompson-Pillow House) is a historic house at 718 Perry Street in Helena, Arkansas. Architect George Barber designed the house, and it was built by Jerome B. Pillow in 1896. The building was dona ...

, the Perry Street Historic District and the site of the

Battle of Helena The Battle of Helena was fought on July 4, 1863, near Helena, Arkansas, as part of the American Civil War. Union troops had captured the city in July 1862, and had been using it as a base of operations. Over 7,500 Confederate troops led by Li ...

, an

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

battle fought in 1863. Upon entering the center of Helena, the byway splits from US 49B and winds along city streets before again following US 49B to West Helena. The parkway turns onto Highway 242 (AR 242) headed north out of town into the St. Francis National Forest, where it turns onto Storm Creek Road (County Route 217, CR 217). Winding through the forest as a narrow two-lane road, the parkway passes Storm Creek Lake and enters Lee County (now following CR 217). AR Crowley's Ridge Parkway

The route continues north onto CR 221 and later CR 239 when it meets Highway 44 near Bear Creek Lake. Following Highway 44 northwest into Marianna, Crowley's Ridge Parkway continues along Highway 44 (Martin Luther King Jr. Drive) until Poplar Street, where it turns north onto Chestnut Street. Near this intersection the byway passes the Marianna Commercial Historic District, the Lee County Courthouse, and a

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, hist ...

for

Confederate Confederacy or confederate may refer to: States or communities * Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities * Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...

General Robert E. Lee. Chestnut Street becomes Highway 1 Business before turning north onto US 79/ AR 1. Crowley's Ridge Parkway follows Highway 1 north into Haynes and St. Francis County. Just south of

Forrest City Forrest City is a city in St. Francis County, Arkansas, St. Francis County, Arkansas, United States, and the county seat. It was named for General Nathan Bedford Forrest, who used the location as a campsite for a construction crew completing a rail ...

, the parkway turns onto Highway 1B to downtown Forrest City. The route turns onto Front Street at the St. Francis County Museum, then onto Izard Street as it passes the First United Methodist Church and has a junction with US 70. Crowley's Ridge Parkway follows US 70 for two blocks before turning left onto Forrest Street. Now facing north, the parkway passes the historic

Campbell House Campbell House, or The Campbell House or variations, may refer to: ;in Canada * Campbell House (Toronto, Canada) ;in the United States :(sorted by state, then city/town) * Campbell House (Palmer, Alaska), in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, listed on t ...

and the

Stuart Springs Stuart Springs is a city park in Forrest City, Arkansas. The park is located on the northeast side of the city, at the end of East Arlington Avenue. The park's main features are three springs, which were developed as a spa around the turn of th ...

before joining with Highway 284 and crossing over Interstate 40/ US 63 (I-40/US 63). Continuing north, Crowley's Ridge Parkway passes

East Arkansas Community College East Arkansas Community College (EACC) is a public community college in Forrest City, Arkansas. EACC provides higher education at its main campus in Forrest City as well as one satellite location in Wynne, Arkansas?Wynne. EACC is accredited by t ...

before forming the western boundary of Village Creek State Park and entering Cross County. Crowleys Ridge State Park Lake Ponder Trail Paragould AR 10

Crowleys Ridge State Park Lake Ponder Trail Paragould AR 10

The parkway travels among many different unique species of animals and plants, and meets historical sites such as the

Parkin Archeological State Park Parkin Archeological State Park, also known as Parkin Indian Mound, is an archeological site and state park in Parkin, Cross County, Arkansas. Around 1350–1650 CE an aboriginal palisaded village existed at the site, at the confluence of ...

, Chalk Bluff Battlefield and the Battle of Helena Battlefields. The Parkway also runs through

Lake Poinsett State Park Lake Poinsett State Park is a List of Arkansas state parks, Arkansas state park on Crowley's Ridge in Poinsett County, Arkansas, Poinsett County, Arkansas in the United States. The park was formed after the damming of Distress Creek to create a ...

, which offers numerous campgrounds to travelers. The parkway runs through numerous parks, including Chalk Bluff Battlefield Park,

Crowley's Ridge State Park Crowley's Ridge State Park is a Arkansas state park in Greene County, Arkansas in the United States atop Crowley's Ridge. Located on the former homesite of pioneer Benjamin Crowley, the park contains many excellent examples of the work done by ...

, Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center,

Lake Frierson State Park Lake Frierson State Park is a Arkansas state park on Crowley's Ridge in Greene County, eastern Arkansas. Containing a reservoir built by the Soil Conservation Service, the park entered the system in 1975. The park skirts the Crowley's Ridge ...

Louisiana Purchase State Park The Louisiana Purchase Historic State Park, located in eastern Arkansas, commemorates the initial point from which the lands acquired through the Louisiana Purchase were subsequently surveyed. The park encompasses of forested wetlands, a landf ...

, Parker Pioneer Homestead,

, Southland Greyhound Park, and the Village Creek State Park. In Missouri the route runs past Morris State Park. Cities along the Arkansas portion of the route include

Piggott Pigot, Pigott or Piggott may refer to: People * Pigot (surname), including a list of people with this name * Pigott (surname), including a list of people with the surname Pigott or Piggott Places * Piggott, Arkansas, United States, a city * ...

Paragould Paragould is the county seat of Greene County, and the 19th-largest city in Arkansas, in the United States. The city is located in northeastern Arkansas on the eastern edge of Crowley's Ridge, a geologic anomaly contained within the Arkansas delta ...

, Jonesboro,

Wynne Wynne is a surname of Welsh origin. This is a list of notable people with the surname, sorted by profession: Art, literature, and music * Bill Wynne (1922–2021), American photographer and writer * David Wynne (composer) (1900–83), Wels ...

, Marianna, West Helena and Helena.

Missouri

Crowley's Ridge Parkway continues through unique countryside and

era battlefields in the

. It terminates at Business Route 25 in Malden after in the state.

History

The route was designated a state scenic byway in Arkansas in 1997 and a National Scenic Byway in 1998. The Missouri scenic byway designation was granted in 2000.

Major intersections

References

{{Reflist

External links

Delta Byways Brochure
National Scenic Byways Roads in Arkansas Roads in Missouri Transportation in Phillips County, Arkansas Transportation in Lee County, Arkansas

Cross A cross is a geometrical figure consisting of two intersecting lines or bars, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of the Latin letter X, is termed a sa ...

Transportation in Poinsett County, Arkansas Transportation in Craighead County, Arkansas Transportation in Greene County, Arkansas Transportation in Clay County, Arkansas Transportation in Dunklin County, Missouri 1997 establishments in Arkansas 1997 establishments in Missouri

Route description

Arkansas

Missouri

History

Major intersections

See also

References

External links