U.S. Route 62 (US 62) is a

U.S. highway 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 h ...

running from El Paso, Texas northeast to

Niagara Falls, New York Niagara Falls is a City (New York), city in Niagara County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the city had a total population of 48,671. It is adjacent to the Niagara River, across from the city of Niagara ...

. In the U.S. state of Arkansas, the route runs 329.9 miles from the

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

border near

Summers Summer is the hottest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, the earliest sunrise and latest sunset occurs, daylight hours are longest and dark hours are shortest, wi ...

east to the Missouri border in St. Francis, serving the northern portion of the state. The route passes through several cities and towns, including Fayetteville, Springdale, Bentonville, Harrison,

Mountain Home A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher th ...

, Pocahontas, and also Piggott. US 62 runs concurrent with several highways in Arkansas including Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 71 between Fayetteville and Bentonville,

U.S. Route 412 U.S. Route 412 is an east–west United States highway, first commissioned in 1982. U.S. 412 overlaps expressway-grade Cimarron Turnpike from Tulsa west to Interstate 35 and the Cherokee Turnpike from east of Chouteau, Oklahoma, to west of the ...

through much of the state,

U.S. Route 65 U.S. Route 65 (US 65) is a north–south United States highway in the southern and midwestern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at U.S. Route 425 in Clayton, Louisiana. The northern terminus is at Interstate 35 just south of ...

in the Harrison area, and with

U.S. Route 63 U.S. Route 63 (US 63) is a , north–south United States Highway primarily in the Midwestern and Southern United States. The southern terminus of the route is at Interstate 20 (I-20) in Ruston, Louisiana; the northern terminus is at US ...

and U.S. Route 67 (Future Interstate 57) in northeast Arkansas.

Route description

Northwest Arkansas

US 62 west of Highway 59 junction, Washington County, AR

U.S. Route 62 enters Arkansas from Oklahoma and runs by the

Bean Cemetery The Bean Cemetery is a historic African American cemetery in Lincoln, Arkansas. It is located on the east side of the city, on the north side of United States Route 62 just west of Meade Avenue, north of a small roadside picnic area that was onc ...

near Lincoln and the Borden House and

Prairie Grove Battlefield Park The Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park is an Arkansas state park located in Prairie Grove. It commemorates the Battle of Prairie Grove, fought December 7, 1862, during the American Civil War. The battle secured northwestern Arkansas for t ...

in Prairie Grove. The route then enters the Northwest Arkansas metro area, including the cities of Fayetteville, Rogers, and Bentonville. The route concurs with

I-49 Interstate 49 (I-49) is a north–south Interstate Highway that exists in multiple segments: the original portion entirely within the state of Louisiana with an additional signed portion extending from Interstate 220 (Louisiana), I-220 in S ...

/ US 71 through these communities. In Benton County, the route passes Garfield Elementary School near the junction with

Arkansas Highway 127 Highway 127 (AR 127, Ark. 127, and Hwy. 127) is a designation for four state highways in Northwest Arkansas. One route of begins at Madison County Road 3345 (CR 3345) and runs northwest to Highway 23 at Aurora. A second route of ...

in Garfield before exiting Rogers. The route continues east near the Pea Ridge National Military Park and the Missouri state line before entering Carroll County. US 62 near Busch, Arkansas

The Ozark Mountains

US 62 winds through the Ozarks, passing through sparsely populated scenic country and small towns. US 62 passes the

Thorncrown Chapel Thorncrown Chapel is a chapel located in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, designed by E. Fay Jones, and constructed in 1980. The design recalls the Prairie School of architecture popularized by Frank Lloyd Wright, with whom Jones had apprenticed. The ch ...

, the Tall Pines Motor Inn, and the historic

U.S. 62 White River Bridge The White River Bridge is a five-span Warren deck truss bridge located near Beaver, Carroll County, Arkansas. It carries U.S. Route 62 over the White River for ."White River Bridge.Bridge Profile.Retrieved June 13, 2010. Each span is about i ...

near Eureka Springs. The route begins a concurrency with

in Alpena that continues west to Imboden. Also, US 62/US 412 meet

in Harrison. In Marion County, the route meets US 62S in Pyatt and the

US 62 Bridge over Crooked Creek The US 62 Bridge over Crooked Creek is a historic bridge near Pyatt, Arkansas. It carries US Highway 62 (US 62) and US 412 across Crooked Creek, which flows through the center of Pyatt to the northwest before converging into the ...

outside of town. During this stretch, US 62 crosses two of the nine Arkansas Scenic Byways, the Pig Trail and Scenic Highway 7. Continuing east, the route passes a former alignment of US 62 before entering Yellville. East of Yellville, the route enters

in Baxter County and crosses over Norfolk Lake to enter rural Fulton County. US 62 over Leatherwood Creek near Eureka Springs

After passing through Fulton County, US 62/US 412 enters Sharp County. In Ash Flat, US 62/US 412 serves as the northern terminus of

U.S. Route 167 U.S. Route 167 runs for from Ash Flat, Arkansas at U.S. Route 62/US Route 412 to Abbeville, Louisiana at Louisiana Highway 14. It goes through the cities of Little Rock, Arkansas, Alexandria, Louisiana, and Lafayette, Louisiana. Some of the high ...

. After passing around Cherokee Village, Arkansas, the route enters

Hardy Hardy may refer to: People * Hardy (surname) * Hardy (given name) * Hardy (singer), American singer-songwriter Places Antarctica * Mount Hardy, Enderby Land * Hardy Cove, Greenwich Island * Hardy Rocks, Biscoe Islands Australia * Hardy, Sout ...

. In Hardy, US 62/US 412/ US 63 Business passes four properties on the

National Register of Historic Places in Arkansas This is a list of properties and historic districts in Arkansas that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are more than 2,600 listings in the state, including at least 8 listings in each of Arkansas's 75 counties. Num ...

: the Carrie Tucker House, the

Sherman Bates House The Sherman Bates House is a historic house at the northeast corner of Echo Lane and United States Route 63 in Hardy, Arkansas. It is a -story fieldstone structure with vernacular Tudor Revival styling. Its prominent features include a fieldst ...

, the Fred Graham House, and

Web Long House and Motel The Web Long House and Motel is a historic former motel complex on the north side of United States Route 63, just east of Springwood Road, on the outskirts of Hardy, Arkansas. The complex includes three buildings: a single-story stone house, whi ...

. US 62/US 412 also meets

, which is mostly a patchwork of concurrencies throughout the state. The routes continue together to Imboden, when US 63/US 412 break and continue south, where US 62/AR 115 continues over the

St. Louis-San Francisco Overpass The St. Louis-San Francisco Overpass is a pony and deck truss bridge built in 1937 located in Imboden, Lawrence County, Arkansas. It carries U.S. Route 62 and Arkansas Highway 115 over the Spring River and the former St. Louis-San Francisco R ...

headed north into Randolph County and Crowley's Ridge.

Crowley's Ridge

In Randolph County, US 62 passes by cotton fields until Pocahontas, when the route meets US 67 (Future I-57).Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department
AHTD Randolph County map
Retrieved on June 17, 2010. The route concurs with US 67 east until Corning in Clay County.Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department
AHTD Clay County map
Retrieved on June 17, 2010. The route runs east through Crowley's Ridge to Piggott, and enters Missouri near St. Francis.

History

The route was originally a trail known as the Ozark Trail, which was the main series of routes in the area prior to the construction of U.S. Route 66. The

Ozark Trails Association The Ozark Trail was a network of locally maintained roads and highways organized by the Ozark Trails Association that predated the United States federal highway system. The roads ran from St. Louis, Missouri, to El Paso, Texas, and Santa Fe, ...

was responsible for maintaining and marking the routes, with William Hope Harvey in charge. Harvey wanted an auto trail from Oklahoma to his resort town Monte Ne, which he established after retiring from the railroad business. He had grand visions of trails connecting Monte Ne with St. Louis,

Kansas City The Kansas City metropolitan area is a bi-state metropolitan area anchored by Kansas City, Missouri. Its 14 counties straddle the border between the U.S. states of Missouri (9 counties) and Kansas (5 counties). With and a population of more ...

, Wichita, Kansas, and Oklahoma City, and points west. U.S. Route 62 from Gateway to Eureka Springs was also designated part of The Jefferson Highway, although the highway was not really marked and frequently shifted. The highway was listed as a "Proposed Primary Federal Aid Road" on a state map in the first issue of "Arkansas Highways Magazine" (1924), but not numbered. The road brought much traffic through the hills of Arkansas, previously resistant to development. Eureka Springs was a popular stop on the route, with many motor inns and a vibrant downtown. Nearby Arkansas Highway 23 (The Pig Trail) further added tourists to the community. Further east, cities of

Cotter Cotter may refer to: * Cotter pin (disambiguation), a pin or wedge used to fix parts rigidly together * Cotter (farmer), the Scots term for a peasant farmer formerly in the Scottish highlands * Cotter (surname), a surname (including a list of peopl ...

, and Flippin grew significantly with US 62's traffic.Arkansas. (1981). "The Effects of ferry replacement and bypass construction on U.S. 62 in Baxter County. Little Rock, Ark." Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department. Rough terrain interspersed with large waterways caused the need for large bridges, including the

Cotter Bridge The Cotter Bridge, also known as the R. M. Ruthven Bridge and the White River Concrete Arch Bridge, carries U.S. Route 62 Business across the White River west of the city of Cotter in Baxter County, Arkansas. Upon completion, the bridge opened ...

(which replaced a ferry system) and the

.Arkansas. (1981). A Corridor study U.S. 62 Harrison to Hardy. Little Rock, Ark: The ASHTD. A 1981 study indicated a need of 31 climbing lanes from Harrison to

(approx. ) necessary for safety purposes, indicative of the rough terrain. Some historic alignments of the old road still exist with original pavement. One section, built between 1932 and bypassed in 1952, is located between Busch and Eureka Springs on either side of the White River. On the north side of the river Carroll County Route 109 follows the alignment to the former river crossing, where only concrete bridge piers remain to be seen. On the south side County Route 107 continues southward, eventually rejoining the modern alignment. This section was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008.

Major intersections

References