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Interested in 3-6 day road trip in TX/AR/OK.

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RoadDawg

RoadDawg

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NE Texas
Planning on a week-long ride out of the Sherman, TX area. First overnight trip on 2 wheels and interested in any info you can share about gear, locations and helpful info. Planning to go for a week between 3/18 to 4/29.
Appreciate your input
I ride a 09' Vulcan Classic
 
Last edited:
Interested in 3-6 day road trip in TX/AR/OK.

Planning on a week-long ride out of the Sherman, TX area. First overnight trip on 2 wheels and interested in any info you can share about gear, locations and helpful info. Planning to go for a week between 3/18 to 4/29.
Appreciate your input
 
Never been up there, but have desires to, so will be watching this for info.
Just looking at the map, I would say head towards Clarksville or Russellville AR and then ride the roads north and south of there.
There is a guy on a forum I am on that lives in Morrilton, AR and has some amazing pics and videos of the area. Tons of curvy, scenic roads in good condition (mostly chip seal, so hard on tires) with minimal traffic.
 
Head over to Hot Springs and then up 7 to 10. Go west to 309 to Ozark. Take 23 “Pig Trail” all the way to Eureka Springs. You can base there and ride every direction and do a 250-300 mile loop every day and have a ball. We do this every October and stay at Super 8 in ES. They have an indoor pool/hot tub, bike wash station with rags, a full hot breakfast daily, and ice cream/cobbler every evening. They’ll even put a movie on the big screen by the pool if you ask.
 
Headquartering out of Eureka Springs Ark is a great spot for cloverleaf runs (out n back) over a week.
What's your comfortable per day range? Helps with overnight planning. Do you want to just get up there or wander around on the way up?
Example: Wandering up you could run over thru the Paris area and catch the Circus cemetary (Showman's Rest) in Hugo. And then riding up the Old Indian Hwy from Honobia to Talihna OK. Robber's Cave park after Talihina just north of Wilburton. And all along those routes there are fun roads to put under your belt. Even more when you jump over to Ark!

Give us a little better hint and people will cram your itinerary to bursting!

SS
 
Rexter said:
Head over to Hot Springs and then up 7 to 10. Go west to 309 to Ozark. Take 23 “Pig Trail” all the way to Eureka Springs. You can base there and ride every direction and do a 250-300 mile loop every day and have a ball. We do this every October and stay at Super 8 in ES. They have an indoor pool/hot tub, bike wash station with rags, a full hot breakfast daily, and ice cream/cobbler every evening. They’ll even put a movie on the big screen by the pool if you ask.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I'll definitely look into that idea.
 
Some absolutely incredible forest roads from Rattan Ok all the way to North of Talimena. You could spend months riding those roads. Plenty of cabins as well as camping out the wazoo. I know of some tracks out of Paris then to Ok but nothing from Sherman.
 
Rexter said:
Head over to Hot Springs and then up 7 to 10. Go west to 309 to Ozark. Take 23 “Pig Trail” all the way to Eureka Springs. You can base there and ride every direction and do a 250-300 mile loop every day and have a ball. We do this every October and stay at Super 8 in ES. They have an indoor pool/hot tub, bike wash station with rags, a full hot breakfast daily, and ice cream/cobbler every evening. They’ll even put a movie on the big screen by the pool if you ask.
Click to expand...
BTW, thank you for the detailed route info.
 
Yeeha! Stephen said:
Headquartering out of Eureka Springs Ark is a great spot for cloverleaf runs (out n back) over a week.
What's your comfortable per day range? Helps with overnight planning. Do you want to just get up there or wander around on the way up?
Example: Wandering up you could run over thru the Paris area and catch the Circus cemetary (Showman's Rest) in Hugo. And then riding up the Old Indian Hwy from Honobia to Talihna OK. Robber's Cave park after Talihina just north of Wilburton. And all along those routes there are fun roads to put under your belt. Even more when you jump over to Ark!

Give us a little better hint and people will cram your itinerary to bursting!

SS
Click to expand...
I'm using all the feedback from you all now to figure out a route, but I'm getting great ideas. Possibly thinking of tent & hotel during the week.
 
I'll help you with gear, the key is to pack light. You should pack the same thing for one week as you would for one month. Look at the any trip as a bunch of one week segments. Since yours is only a week, then you will be set after doing this trip.

You will wear your riding gear every day and only wash the items as they need it. I like to wear anti-microbial riding shirts and riding socks so I can wear them multiple days without the stink. I wear lightweight merino wool riding socks and riding shirts (because they are anti-microbial) and I let them dry at night. The next day they do not stink. As far as clothes for around town, I typically take a shower at the end of the riding day and put on clean clothes that can be worn multiple days because you cleaned up before putting them on. I carry a pair of shorts that are quick dry and can be worn as around town shorts or in the pool. I also carry travel pants instead of jeans for around town because they are lighter weight and easy to pack. I carry a few pair of around town socks in addition to my riding socks. Pack all the items that you will use daily in the same bag or compartment. Pack all like items in the same bag as well and make sure the items you won't use much such as tools are in the bottom of the bag or compartment. DO NOT OVERPACK!!! You are in the US Walmart is close if you forgot something. If you carry the items below you will be set. I know it doesn't look like enough but it will be. Enjoy your trip without the stress! If you plan to camp add that gear as number 7 and put it all in the same bag.

1. Riding gear; pants, boots, 2-3 pair riding socks, 2 riding shirts, jacket and gloves.
2. Rain gear; jacket, pants, gloves covers, and boot covers (if your gloves and boots are not WP)
3. Tools; tool kit for bike, plugs or tubes for tires, tools for tires (if tubed), air pump
4. Around Town clothes; 1 pair quick dry shorts (that can be worn in pool), 2 pairs pants, 3-4 shirts, 5-6 pairs underwear, 3 pairs socks, shoes and flip flops
5. Cold Weather gear; balaclava, winter gloves or glove liners, thermal bottoms and tops, insulated jacket for under riding jacket and winter socks (NOTE: heated gear is indispensable and easy to pack).
6. Toiletries; soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, medications, etc......
 
RoadDawg said:
Interested in 3-6 day road trip in TX/AR/OK.

Planning on a week-long ride out of the Sherman, TX area. First overnight trip on 2 wheels and interested in any info you can share about gear, locations and helpful info. Planning to go for a week between 3/18 to 4/29.
Appreciate your input
Click to expand...
Have some preps handy for basic mechanical issues and flat tires ;)
 
What bike are you riding? How many miles a day/hours in the saddle are you comfortable with? Best to time it with a no rain period but still be prepared for rain as Tiger KF recommended above.
 
If you don't have luggage yet don't buy any until you know exactly what you're bringing (on a cold trip) and can calculate the volume you'll need. This will save you some weight and prevent over packing. Don't forget to account for food if you're going to be off the beaten path for a while or plan to cook in camp or at a cabin (this could be a little extra volume in your luggage or a small sack/backpack that can be popped out for the ride from the store to camp). If you're going to be staying in hotels and the like then you could easily just need a small duffle across the pillion area.

Instead of carrying a bunch of clothes you'll only wear around town or camp in the evenings to see a bunch of people you'll probably never see again consider carrying the clothes you're wearing (moto gear, synthetic base layer shirt, synthetic or otherwise thin and fast drying underwear, and a good pair of merino wool socks), just one pair of lightweight hiking pants, shoes or sandals that pack flat, an extra synthetic shirt, and an extra pair of quality merino wool socks (and a third pair of thick winter weight merino socks for wearing ONLY in your sleeping bag/quilt if you're camping). Combine this with some Dr. Bronner's or biodegradable soap and you'll be good to go indefinitely. Obviously you may need to add layers for cold weather depending on where and when you're going.

With this setup, all the clothes other than your motorcycle gear dry fast and are easy to wash in a sink when it's needed. A merino wool shirt is the baller choice since it won't hold odor like a synthetic shirt but to get started a synthetic shirt from Wal-Mart or Academy will work fine. For underwear I'm fond of ExOfficio because they don't hold odor and seem to last longer than merino wool in this application. I believe it's because the merino wool underwear I've tried has been very very thin and, like in my experience with socks, thin is a recipe for disaster when it comes to longevity.

Speaking of socks, this is where it's worth spending the money. Smartwool is okay but I've been much happier with Darn Tough. Most Smartwool Socks I've had didn't last very long (for a merino sock) and I've had one premature failure after just one hike. I've had better luck with Cabela's and REI branded socks than Smartwool but Darn Tough is choice. I usually go for the mid-weight hiking socks. Cheap "merino wool" socks from the box stores have a lot of synthetics in them to keep cost down and won't be warm after they get wet.
 
If you're talking about on-road, Eureka is a good hub - there is so much great riding proximate - particularly if you want to venture into southern Missouri. I generally shoot up from Sherman to the Talimena drive then over. You can go straight up75/69 to Stringtown, then over on 43, which is the fastest, but a bit boring. I prefer to cut over on 70 out of Durant, then north to Antlers and take either 271 or 2 into Talihina, then make your way into Mena. If you have a week, you can call it an easy day and overnight in Mena, or overnight in Fort Smith if you want to make more progress, then move on to Eureka. For a longer day, push on to Eureka Springs (about 375 miles from Sherman via this route). There are also quicker, less enjoyable routes to Eureka that save time. With an early start, it's not a bad day into Eureka. If you stop in Fort Smith or in Mena, there are some great windy routes into Eureka, but those are too much to try to tackle on the way up, plus you're getting later into the evening, tired from the ride, etc...

Hot Springs is also a good launch point for an overnight, then up to Eureka. A fresh start out of Hot Springs, lets you run up 7 to Ola & Dardenelle through Russellville then take your pick of great roads throughteh Ozark St-Francis forest to Jasper, Harrison, etc. Harrison is a decent hub as well, but Eureka is a cool town to stay in.

I'm no help on the dual sport side, but know there is a lot out of the Queen Wilhelmina Inn area.
 
veriest1 said:
If you don't have luggage yet don't buy any until you know exactly what you're bringing (on a cold trip) and can calculate the volume you'll need. This will save you some weight and prevent over packing. Don't forget to account for food if you're going to be off the beaten path for a while or plan to cook in camp or at a cabin (this could be a little extra volume in your luggage or a small sack/backpack that can be popped out for the ride from the store to camp). If you're going to be staying in hotels and the like then you could easily just need a small duffle across the pillion area.

Instead of carrying a bunch of clothes you'll only wear around town or camp in the evenings to see a bunch of people you'll probably never see again consider carrying the clothes you're wearing (moto gear, synthetic base layer shirt, synthetic or otherwise thin and fast drying underwear, and a good pair of merino wool socks), just one pair of lightweight hiking pants, shoes or sandals that pack flat, an extra synthetic shirt, and an extra pair of quality merino wool socks (and a third pair of thick winter weight merino socks for wearing ONLY in your sleeping bag/quilt if you're camping). Combine this with some Dr. Bronner's or biodegradable soap and you'll be good to go indefinitely. Obviously you may need to add layers for cold weather depending on where and when you're going.

With this setup, all the clothes other than your motorcycle gear dry fast and are easy to wash in a sink when it's needed. A merino wool shirt is the baller choice since it won't hold odor like a synthetic shirt but to get started a synthetic shirt from Wal-Mart or Academy will work fine. For underwear I'm fond of ExOfficio because they don't hold odor and seem to last longer than merino wool in this application. I believe it's because the merino wool underwear I've tried has been very very thin and, like in my experience with socks, thin is a recipe for disaster when it comes to longevity.

Speaking of socks, this is where it's worth spending the money. Smartwool is okay but I've been much happier with Darn Tough. Most Smartwool Socks I've had didn't last very long (for a merino sock) and I've had one premature failure after just one hike. I've had better luck with Cabela's and REI branded socks than Smartwool but Darn Tough is choice. I usually go for the mid-weight hiking socks. Cheap "merino wool" socks from the box stores have a lot of synthetics in them to keep cost down and won't be warm after they get wet.
Click to expand...
I appreciate all your thoughts, I'll keep them in mind.
 
Yeeha! Stephen said:
Headquartering out of Eureka Springs Ark is a great spot for cloverleaf runs (out n back) over a week.
What's your comfortable per day range? Helps with overnight planning. Do you want to just get up there or wander around on the way up?
Example: Wandering up you could run over thru the Paris area and catch the Circus cemetary (Showman's Rest) in Hugo. And then riding up the Old Indian Hwy from Honobia to Talihna OK. Robber's Cave park after Talihina just north of Wilburton. And all along those routes there are fun roads to put under your belt. Even more when you jump over to Ark!

Give us a little better hint and people will cram your itinerary to bursting!

SS
Click to expand...
As I put this together, I'll probably stay in this area a few days.
 
ShafT said:
If you're talking about on-road, Eureka is a good hub - there is so much great riding proximate - particularly if you want to venture into southern Missouri. I generally shoot up from Sherman to the Talimena drive then over. You can go straight up75/69 to Stringtown, then over on 43, which is the fastest, but a bit boring. I prefer to cut over on 70 out of Durant, then north to Antlers and take either 271 or 2 into Talihina, then make your way into Mena. If you have a week, you can call it an easy day and overnight in Mena, or overnight in Fort Smith if you want to make more progress, then move on to Eureka. For a longer day, push on to Eureka Springs (about 375 miles from Sherman via this route). There are also quicker, less enjoyable routes to Eureka that save time. With an early start, it's not a bad day into Eureka. If you stop in Fort Smith or in Mena, there are some great windy routes into Eureka, but those are too much to try to tackle on the way up, plus you're getting later into the evening, tired from the ride, etc...

Hot Springs is also a good launch point for an overnight, then up to Eureka. A fresh start out of Hot Springs, lets you run up 7 to Ola & Dardenelle through Russellville then take your pick of great roads throughteh Ozark St-Francis forest to Jasper, Harrison, etc. Harrison is a decent hub as well, but Eureka is a cool town to stay in.

I'm no help on the dual sport side, but know there is a lot out of the Queen Wilhelmina Inn area.
Click to expand...
My bike is a Cruiser, so I'm only riding pavement. Many of your ideas are already what I'll be choosing for my routes, but thanks for your input. It's starting to become a 5 day 995 mile ride. Nothing to crazy, just a head clearing adventure.
 
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