Clarksville sits in the Arkansas River Valley, in the low country between the Boston Mountains to the north and the long, flat-topped ridge of Mount Magazine to the south. It is a proper small city of nine thousand or so, with a courthouse square, a college, a ring of motels along the interstate, and a reputation that rests on one fruit: Johnson County peaches. In summer the roadside stands sell them by the bushel, and the local festival has been running for decades. If you pass through in July, eat one and judge for yourself.
The town is also a staging post. University of the Ozarks sits on a hill above the centre, and the interstate runs along the valley floor, making this a convenient place to find fuel, food, and a bed. The restaurants run to catfish, burgers, and plate lunches, and the coffee is serviceable. This is the practical beginning of the ride, and you should use it that way: fill the tank, eat a proper breakfast, and buy water, because the climb north takes you into forest where services thin out fast.
From here, the route heads north on state highway 21 into the Ozark National Forest. Within a few kilometres, the road starts to rise and curl, and the farms give way to oak and hickory woodland. The Boston Mountains are the highest part of the Ozarks, a rugged plateau cut into steep hollows rather than true peaks, which means the road keeps climbing and dropping through folds in the land. The corners are tight enough to be fun, the surface is generally decent, and the traffic is light on a weekday. Watch for gravel on corners, and for deer at dusk, which are plentiful here.
Spring brings dogwood and redbud in the understory, and October turns the hardwoods into some of the best autumn colour in the middle of the country. Summer is hot and humid, with thunderstorms building in the afternoon, so ride early. Winter ice can close the higher sections of road for a day or two.
If you have a spare hour, Mount Magazine, the highest point in Arkansas, is reachable to the south, and has an excellent view over the valley. But the main attraction is north, and Clarksville is the place to set off from.