Why Your Next Adventure Getaway Should Be to the Ozark Mountains

The Ozark Mountains sweep across five states, but some of the grandest parts can be found in Arkansas and Missouri, where hikers will find jagged limestone cliffs, hollowed-out caves, rolling valleys, and pristine lakes. In Arkansas, a 40-mile trail system connects parks, restaurants, museums, and music venues with rugged nature. On the Missouri side of the border, the sheer diversity of outdoor experiences, from floating along tree-lined waterways to exploring backcountry trails, makes the area feel like a year-round summer camp. There’s far more to do here than any single weekend would allow for.

(See all 25 of the destinations that made our list of the best places to visit in 2027.)

When to Go

When it comes to seasons, you can’t go wrong. In fall, the leaves turn crimson, fiery orange, and golden yellow, peaking around mid-October. Winter does get cold, but temperatures lean mild, only occasionally dipping into the 30s. Spring is all about the flowering dogwood—the Missouri state tree—whose flowers turn the forest ceiling into a pink and white canopy from mid-April to mid-May. In summer, visitors dive into local lakes to rinse off the thick humidity; if crowds or serious heat aren’t your thing, choose a quieter, cooler time of year.

What to Do

Bike the Trails:

The USA Cycling National Mountain Bike Team trains in Bentonville, Arkansas, the self-professed “mountain biking capital of the world,” where members of the Waltons, the family behind Walmart, have invested millions in a network of trails. But cyclists of all levels flock here, especially to Oz Trails Bike Park in Bella Vista, Arkansas’ first chairlift-served park, with 20 miles of “gravity trails” that function like ski runs—ride the lift up then point your bike down. 8th Street Gateway Park has miles of beginner mountain bike trails and paved greenways, while the Razorback Greenway links Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville, and Bella Vista via a 40-plus-mile trail system.

View World-Class Art:

Another gift of the Waltons, the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Bentonville houses a permanent collection spanning five centuries, including work by Norman Rockwell, Andy Warhol, and Georgia O’Keeffe. Newly expanded and redesigned, it also features a splash pad, a boon for families looking to cool off during Arkansas’s sticky summers.

Get Into Nature:

The 10,000-acre Dogwood Canyon Nature Park is dotted with trails, fishing holes, and wildlife. All year long, open-air trams offer up-close viewing of free-roaming bison, elk, and longhorn, and in winter visitors can spot bald eagles drawn to rushing waters stocked with rainbow trout.

Check in at a Wilderness Resort:

In Ridgedale, Missouri, Big Cedar Lodge sits beside Table Rock Lake, a 43,000-acre reservoir with 800 miles of undeveloped shoreline offering ample opportunities for boating and water sports. The resort also operates Top of the Rock, where you can look out from the highest elevation in Taney County, visit the Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum, and watch a Civil War–era cannon fire each evening at sunset.

Getting Around

To reach Bentonville, fly into Northwest Arkansas National Airport, which has direct routes from more than 20 U.S. cities. The drive into the city takes around 20 minutes. If you enjoy cycling, you won’t need a car: Bentonville has plenty of bike lanes, and the hotel The Compton even has a cycling concierge.

You’ll need to rent a car, however, to explore outside the city. Big Cedar Lodge is about two hours from Bentonville but only an hour from Springfield-Branson National Airport, a convenient option for exploring Southern Missouri.