Jasper is a tiny town in the heart of the Arkansas Ozarks, with a courthouse square, a few shops and a population under five hundred, but it sits at the junction of some of the best scenery in the region. The Buffalo National River, the first river in the United States to be protected as a national river, flows nearby in a long, winding course between limestone bluffs, and Jasper is one of the gateways to it. The surroundings are steep, forested hills, with deep hollows, creeks and rock outcrops.
The Buffalo is a clear green stream that runs for about a hundred and fifty miles, mostly free of dams, and its bluffs are some of the tallest in the Ozarks, with cliffs of pale limestone that drop straight to the water. In autumn and winter the valley around Boxley, a short ride north, is home to a herd of elk, reintroduced in the 1980s after the animals had vanished from Arkansas a century earlier, and in September and October the bulls bugle in the meadows at dawn. Whitaker Point, a rock ledge above a deep canyon, is one of the most photographed spots in the state, though it requires a hike.
The road is the big draw. Arkansas Highway 7, a scenic byway, runs through Jasper in a series of curves and climbs, along ridgelines and down into valleys, with long views over layered hills. The stretch south of town, down toward the Buffalo River valley, is especially good, with hairpins and steep grades. The surface varies from good to rough, and traffic can be heavy on autumn weekends. Weather is mild in spring and fall, hot and humid in summer, with occasional heavy rain that can wash gravel across the road.
Services in Jasper are limited but real: a station, a store and a few small restaurants, while Harrison, about twenty-six kilometers north, has the big supermarkets and motels. It is wise to fill the tank in Harrison or here before heading deeper into the hills. The best times are April for dogwood and redbud, and October for color. Deer, and sometimes elk, can wander onto the road at dusk, and the dense forest makes visibility short on the curves.