S

Shores Lake OHV Area

Shores Lake OHV Area

The Shores Lake OHV area and surrounding White Rock Mountain terrain in the Ozark National Forest's Boston Mountain Ranger District provides off-highway vehicle riding in the Boston Mountains — the highest and most rugged section of the Arkansas Ozarks, the plateau crest running east-west across Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, and Newton counties at elevations exceeding 2,500 feet, the backbone of the Ozark Uplift that separates the Arkansas River Valley to the south from the lower Springfield Plateau country to the north. The Boston Mountains are the most topographically distinctive Ozark subregion: where the Springfield and Salem Plateaus of the northern Ozarks are gently rolling uplands dissected by river valleys, the Boston Mountain crest rises sharply above both the Arkansas River lowland to the south and the plateau country to the north, creating a high forested ridge that carries the Ozark Highlands Trail and provides the rugged terrain that OHV riders access via the Shores Lake and White Rock Mountain trailheads. White Rock Mountain itself rises to over 2,100 feet and is a popular Forest Service recreation site with a historic stone shelter at the summit; the OHV trail network operates on the forest roads and designated OHV routes in the mountain terrain surrounding Shores Lake and the White Rock area. The vegetation on the Boston Mountain crest is northern hardwood in character — mixed oak-hickory-pine at the lower elevations, with beech, basswood, and sugar maple in the moister north-facing coves that signal the higher-elevation moisture conditions of the Boston Mountain interior. Franklin County's Crawford-Franklin-Johnson county corridor along the southern I-40 corridor provides the gateway to the Shores Lake area. Boston Mountain Ranger District at Mulberry (479-667-2191) manages current OHV trail status.

Own Shores Lake OHV Area? Claim this listing.

Launch your park's branded rider app and public site in minutes — trail maps, GPS tracking, SOS alerts, member sign-up, and more.

Claim Shores Lake OHV Area
Shores Lake OHV Area location
Hours
Open year-round on designated OHV routes. No day-use fee. Arkansas does not require OHV registration on National Forest land.

Get trail maps for Shores Lake OHV Area

GPS tracking, SOS alerts, fire monitoring, and community chat — free for riders.

Browse All Parks

More off-road parks in Arkansas

B

Byrd's Adventure Center

Byrd's Adventure Center

Byrd's Adventure Center is a 500-acre private adventure resort and off-road park along the Mulberry River in Franklin County, Arkansas — near Ozark in the Boston Mountains of the Ozark National Forest region, combining whitewater paddling access, OHV trail riding, camping, lodging, and on-site dining into a full-spectrum outdoor recreation destination that sets it apart from the single-discipline OHV parks elsewhere in Arkansas. The Mulberry River frontage is the defining feature: the property sits along a scenic stretch of the Mulberry, one of Arkansas's premier whitewater rivers during spring runoff season, and the river access makes Byrd's a shared destination for paddlers, riders, and riverside campers — the multi-activity mix produces a more social and mixed-use atmosphere than a pure riding park. The OHV trail system covers 30+ miles of designated routes on the property and links into broader Ozark National Forest access on the adjacent federal land. The Boston Mountains terrain is characteristic Ozark highlands: sandstone bluffs, mixed hardwood forest of oak, hickory, and maple, steep creek drainages cutting through the ridge topography, and the dramatic topographic relief that distinguishes the Boston Mountains from the rolling Ozark Plateau to the north. ATVs, UTVs, dirt bikes, and 4x4 trucks are all accommodated on appropriate trails. Full-service camping with hookups, RV sites, and cabin rentals operate year-round; the on-site restaurant and general store support the multi-day destination character. Contact Byrd's Adventure Center (479-667-4066) for current lodging availability and river/trail conditions.

C

Cedar Lake OHV Area

Cedar Lake OHV Area

Cedar Lake OHV Area is a Forest Service-managed off-highway vehicle trail system in the Ouachita National Forest's Fourche Ranger District, situated in Yell County in the northern transition zone of the Arkansas Ouachita Mountains — the belt of terrain where the Ouachita fold structure gives way to the Arkansas River Valley to the north and the landscape transitions from the high ridge-and-hollow mountain terrain to the lower plateau country of the Ouachita front. Yell County and the Danville area represent the most accessible edge of the Ouachita system from Little Rock and Conway — the eastern Arkansas population corridor — making Cedar Lake a closer OHV alternative to the deeper mountain parks for riders who want Ouachita terrain without the longer drive to Wolf Pen Gap or the Crystal Springs area. Cedar Lake itself is a Forest Service reservoir on the Fourche LaFave River headwaters, providing a campground and recreation focal point for the surrounding OHV trail network that threads through the Yell County ridges on the Ouachita's northern face. The terrain at Cedar Lake is northern Ouachita character: the shortleaf pine and oak forest of the ridge-top terrain above the Fourche LaFave drainage, with the characteristic east-west fold orientation of the Ouachita system visible in the parallel ridge crests that the OHV routes traverse. The northern face of the Ouachita system in Yell County receives somewhat more moisture than the drier southern slopes, and the forest transitions to mixed oak-hickory on the moister north-facing coves that border the OHV trail corridors. ATVs, UTVs, and off-highway motorcycles on designated routes. Fourche Ranger District at Danville (479-495-2844) manages current OHV trail conditions.

C

Crystal Springs OHV Area

Crystal Springs OHV Area

Crystal Springs OHV Area is a Forest Service-designated off-highway vehicle trail system in the Ouachita National Forest's Jessieville Ranger District, located in Garland County in central Arkansas approximately 15 miles north of Hot Springs — positioning it to serve the greater Hot Springs, Little Rock, and Conway OHV markets with the only Forest Service OHV system on the eastern fringe of the Ouachita Mountains. The area is distinct from the Wolf Pen Gap system in Polk County (which lies 90 miles to the west in the higher, more rugged western Ouachitas) — Crystal Springs sits in the lower, more accessible eastern transition zone where the Ouachita Mountains grade into the Arkansas River Valley and the plateau country surrounding the state's resort and recreational center. The trail network threads through Garland County's shortleaf pine and mixed-hardwood forest on the rolling terrain of the eastern Ouachitas, with Fourche Mountain and Hickory Nut Mountain providing the ridge terrain that gives the system its hill-climbing character. The eastern Ouachita landscape is classic Ozark-Ouachita transition: shortleaf pine woodland on the drier ridge crests, mixed oak-hickory-pine forest on the mid-slopes, and the galley forest of sycamore, cottonwood, and bottomland hardwoods in the creek drainages. Crystal Springs is the closest public-land OHV system to the massive Hot Springs resort market — riders combining OHV with a Bathhouse Row visit or a day at Oaklawn Racing can access Forest Service trails without the long drive to Wolf Pen Gap. ATVs, UTVs, and off-highway motorcycles on designated routes. Jessieville Ranger District (501-984-5313) manages current conditions.

H

Hot Springs Off-Road Park

Hot Springs Off-Road Park

Hot Springs Off Road Park is a 1,254-acre commercial off-road riding facility near the city of Hot Springs, Arkansas, approximately 5 miles from downtown Hot Springs on the edge of the Ouachita Mountain foothills. The park's proximity to one of Arkansas's most popular tourist destinations — the Hot Springs National Park corridor — gives it unusual visibility among the state's OHV venues. Over 100 miles of marked trails traverse the property across a full difficulty spectrum from easy gravel-based family paths to extreme technical routes. The park holds the distinction of hosting three official Jeep Badge of Honor trails — the only Arkansas park with this designation, which draws the significant Jeep community that follows the Badge of Honor program across its national portfolio. Side-by-side and ATV rentals are available on-site for visitors who arrive without machines. Full-service camping and RV hookups support multi-day stays. Vehicle types accommodated include full-size Jeeps and 4x4 trucks, UTVs, ATVs, and dirt bikes across corresponding designated trail networks. The park hosts organized events throughout the year, including Jeep-specific rallies and trail ride gatherings. Located on AR-270 west of Hot Springs, the park draws from the Little Rock metro and the broader mid-South OHV market.