Mountain Pass & Mountain
Gateway Scenic Drives
Two new highways in the vicinity
of the Talimena Scenic Drive have been designated as Oklahoma
Scenic Byways. Both the Mountain Gateway and the Mountain Pass
intersect or travel nearby the Talimena Scenic Drive.
Mountain Gateway
U.S. Highway 59 & 270. This segment stretches
from Poteau east to the Arkansas state border.
This roadway is probably the only route
in Oklahoma where you can drive from an elevation of 274 feet
to an elevation of 2,600 feet in a distance of less than 100 miles.
A traveler can look up and experience mountain elevations of 2,400
feet (Black Fork Mountain) on one side, and elevations of 2,600
feet (Rich Mountain) on the other for almost ten miles. The pine-oak
forests, the east-west facing Ouachita Mountain Range and the
Black Fork River Valley region of the Kiamichi Country are unlike
any other regions in Oklahoma.
The pastoral farmlands south of Heavener, OK are characteristic
of the “foothills” north of the Ouachita Mountain
range. This roadway rolls through the valley between Walker, Winding
Stair, Rich, and Black Fork Mountains while providing spectacular
views of the mountain slopes and “rock glaciers”.
The Black Fork River is located within, and
parallels, this roadway corridor. The Black Fork Mountain Wilderness
and the Robert S. Kerr Memorial Arboretum Nature Center and Botanical
Area are adjacent to this roadway
This roadway is one of the backbones for motorists
to enjoy the scenic beauty that is unique to the Kiamichi Country
of Oklahoma. U.S. Highway 59 is the only roadway that provides
access to the pristine Black Fork River Valley of the Ouachita
National Forest and many of the State Parks located in this region
when coming from Arkansas.
Mountain Pass
U.S. Highway 259. This segment stretches from
Page to the junction of U.S. Hwy. 259 and State Hwy 144 at Octavia.
This roadway is probably the only other route
in Oklahoma where you can drive from an elevation of 274 feet
to an elevation of 2,600 feet in a distance of less than 100 miles.
This roadway rolls over Winding Stair, Kiamichi, and Carter Mountains
while providing spectacular views of the upper portions of Broken
Bow Lake, the Mountain Fork River, and the Glover River; the last
free-flowing river in the State of Oklahoma.
Federal, state, and private opportunities
for tent and RV hook-up type camping exist along the entire roadway.
The Glover River, a candidate pending National
Wild and Scenic River designation, is located within this roadway
corridor. The roadway bisects the Little River National Wildlife
Refuge. The Black Fork Mountain Wilderness, The Upper Kiamichi
River Wilderness, the McCurtain County Wilderness, and the Red
Slough Wildlife Area, a very popular bird watching point, are
adjacent to this roadway.
This roadway is one of the backbones
for motorists to enjoy the scenic beauty that is unique to the
Kiamichi Country of Oklahoma. U.S. Highway 259 is the only roadway
that provides access to the three Oklahoma Units of the Ouachita
National Forest and many of the State Parks located in this region.
