Our trip up Arkansas Highway 7 takes us through Newton County in the Ozarks. It’s one of the smallest counties in the state as far as population is concerned, but it has a special vibe.

It’s time to leave Russellville and head north on Arkansas Highway 7 to Newton County, the heart of the Arkansas Ozarks.

We cross the Petit Jean River just north of Ola as we make our way out of the Ouachita Mountains and into the Arkansas River Valley. We’ll spend the night on Mount Nebo and have breakfast the next morning at the Old South in Russellville before heading into the Ozarks.

We head north on Arkansas Highway 7 out of Hot Springs and into the heart of the Ouachita Mountains.

As we head north out of Arkadelphia, we stop for the walk to what we simply referred to as The Bluff when I was a boy.

Arkadelphia once promoted itself as the Athens of Arkansas. This college town certainly has a history that can support such a claim.

We cross the Ouachita River at Camden and continue our trek north on Arkansas Highway 7. The woods are thick here, and the road is narrow and curvy.

The oil boom that began in the 1920s along with the timber industry kept Camden hopping for years. These are harder times economically, but the city still oozes history and Southern charm.