Description: Detailed large map of Arkansas showing cities, counties, towns, state boundaries, roads highway, US highways and State routes.
Keep the map open. I’ll guide your eyes in a slow sweep, county by county, river by river, so a resident, traveler, or geography student can “read” every inch of Arkansas at a glance.
Arkansas is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east across the curving Mississippi River, Louisiana to the south, and Texas plus Oklahoma to the west. The map’s neatline touches those states clearly, while major river corridors - the Mississippi River, Arkansas River, White River, Ouachita River, Red River, St. Francis River, Cache River, Black River, and Saline River - stitch the interior into natural travel lanes.
I-40 crosses the whole state west to east - from Fort Smith, Ozark, Russellville, Conway, North Little Rock/Little Rock, Lonoke, Forrest City, West Memphis, into Memphis.
I-30 runs southwest from Little Rock through Benton, Malvern, Arkadelphia, Hope, to Texarkana, Texas.
I-55 rides the Mississippi side from the Missouri line past Blytheville and Osceola to West Memphis and Memphis.
I-530 links Little Rock to Pine Bluff.
I-540 / I-49 corridor binds Fort Smith, Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, and Bentonville in the northwest (your sheet may show 540).
I-430 and I-440 arc around Little Rock for beltway access.
Overlay those on the rivers and you have Arkansas’ movement logic: plateaus and highlands in the west and north, delta lowlands in the east, and Little Rock at the central pivot.
Start in the top left. Benton County carries Bentonville, Rogers, and Siloam Springs; Washington County anchors Fayetteville and Springdale. The corridor between Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, and Bentonville is the brightest cluster of city circles in the Ozarks. Major US routes weave through here: US-71/US-62/US-412, with state spurs crossing the Boston Mountains. Slide east to Madison County (seat Huntsville) and Carroll County (seats Berryville and Eureka Springs), where curving mountain roads signal rugged terrain. Lakes and rivers bite into boundaries: the Kings River, White River arms, and Beaver Lake just off many atlas sheets.
Moving east along the Missouri line, you hit Boone (seat Harrison), Marion (seat Yellville), Baxter (seat Mountain Home), then Fulton (seat Salem), Izard (seat Melbourne), and Stone (seat Mountain View). The map paints shoreline fingers and blue pools for Bull Shoals Lake and Norfork Lake. South of Harrison, Newton County (seat Jasper) shows sparse roads, a clue to the steep Buffalo National River country. To the west sits Searcy County (seat Marshall), another Buffalo River anchor. Students can observe how reservoirs and sinuous rivers influence the shape of county edges and the spacing of settlements.
Below the Missouri border, the White River swings through Independence (seat Batesville), then into Jackson (seat Newport). Northeast, Lawrence (seat Walnut Ridge), Sharp (seat Ash Flat), and Randolph (seat Pocahontas) line the upland edge. At the extreme northeast, the Delta widens into Clay (seats Piggott and Corning), Greene (seat Paragould), and Craighead (seat Jonesboro). Along the Mississippi corridor, you’ll spot Mississippi County (seats Blytheville and Osceola) and Crittenden County with West Memphis. South of that are Poinsett (seat Harrisburg) and Cross (seat Wynne). The thin blue strands for the St. Francis and Cache rivers and the levee-like Mississippi line explain the mix of flat farm roads and meandering bayous.
At the Oklahoma line, find Fort Smith in Sebastian County and Van Buren/Alma in Crawford County. I-40 leaps the state here; US-64 parallels it on the north bank. Eastward, Franklin County (seats Ozark and Charleston) and Logan County (seats Paris and Booneville) spread along the river with the Ouachita Mountains rising to the south in Scott County (seat Waldron). Labels like Ozark, Paris, Booneville, and Greenwood cue classic river valley towns strung like beads along the highway and rail.
Continue to Johnson County (seat Clarksville), Pope County (seat Russellville), and Yell County (seats Dardanelle and Danville). The broad blue of Lake Dardanelle on the Arkansas River stands out, with Russellville and Dardanelle facing each other across the water. South of the river, the map shows park and mountain cues for Mount Magazine and Petit Jean country even without topographic contours — a tighter road weave, resort dots, and state park labels around Morrilton and Atkins.
Eastward, the river approaches Pulaski County, where Little Rock and North Little Rock sit at the bend. Before that, you pass Conway in Faulkner County, with Morrilton in Conway County and Perryville in Perry County to the south. I-40 makes a straight shot from Russellville to Conway to North Little Rock. From Little Rock, spurs I-430 and I-440 loop the metro; I-530 runs to Pine Bluff. East of the capital, Lonoke County (seat Lonoke) and White County (seat Searcy) bridge the upland-to-Delta step. Greers Ferry Lake and the Little Red River push northward into Cleburne County (seat Heber Springs).
South and east of Little Rock, the Arkansas River enters the Delta with Pine Bluff in Jefferson County on its lower valley. Prairie County (seats Des Arc and DeValls Bluff) straddles the White River floodplain; Monroe County (seat Clarendon) and Arkansas County (seats DeWitt and Stuttgart) sit where bayous, the White, and the lower Arkansas begin braiding toward the Mississippi. Stuttgart shows boldly — a rice capital and waterfowl hub.
West-southwest of the capital, the map highlights Hot Springs in Garland County with blue tongues for Lake Hamilton and Lake Ouachita just to the west. Hot Spring County (seat Malvern) and Saline County (seat Benton, with Bryant nearby) form the I-30 bridge between Little Rock and the Ouachitas. Road density around Hot Springs and Lake Ouachita shows why this is a recreation magnet: a tight mix of water, thermal history, and ridges.
Farther west, the labels thin as elevation rises: Montgomery County (seat Mount Ida), Polk County (seat Mena), Pike County (seat Murfreesboro, near the diamond mine), and Clark County (seat Arkadelphia) form a rough arc. The Ouachita River flows here as an interior thread. US-270 and US-71 are the main long runs, switching from river valley straights to ridge-hugging curves.
Drop into the southwest and south-central counties, known as the Timberlands on many guides. Howard (seat Nashville), Sevier (seat De Queen), Little River (seat Ashdown), Hempstead (seat Hope), Nevada (seat Prescott), Lafayette (seat Lewisville), Columbia (seat Magnolia), Union (seat El Dorado), Ouachita (seat Camden), Calhoun (seat Hampton), and Dallas (seat Fordyce). US-67/US-82/US-371 ties this forested belt to Texarkana and El Dorado. Notice how straight highway segments and gridlike county roads imply flat, workable ground, while river lines mark oil-boom towns and paper-mill corridors.
At the Texas corner, Miller County lights up Texarkana. I-30 launches here, tracking northeast to Hope, Prescott, Arkadelphia, Benton, and Little Rock. This single interstate is your best read of how goods and travelers move between Dallas-Fort Worth, southwest Arkansas, and the capital.
Southeast of Pine Bluff, the map shades into the Delta. Lincoln County (seat: Star City) and Cleveland County (seat: Rison) lead to Drew (seat: Monticello), Ashley (seat: Hamburg, with Crossett a major mill town), and Chicot (seat: Lake Village) on the Mississippi River with oxbows and the Lake Chicot crescent. Downriver sits Desha County (seat Arkansas City, with Dumas and McGehee as larger towns). Farther north, Phillips County (seat Helena), Lee County (seat Marianna), St. Francis County (seat Forrest City), and again Crittenden County, with West Memphis, fill the riverbank margin. The US-65/US-165/US-82 tangle, along with I-40 and I-55, demonstrates how the lower river effectively funnels traffic.
Prairie County sits between the White and Cache rivers and is paired with Woodruff County (seat Augusta) and Jackson County (seat Newport). Monroe County and Clarendon at the White give you a textbook Delta crossroads. This zone’s density of blue oxbow loops and marsh symbols on many versions of the map points to waterfowl flyways and bottomland hardwoods.
Little Rock and North Little Rock in Pulaski County are the map’s biggest road stars. I-30, I-40, I-430, I-440, I-530, plus US-65/67/167/70 all interface here. Around them, Saline (Benton, Bryant), Faulkner (Conway), Lonoke (Lonoke, Cabot), Jefferson (Pine Bluff), Perry (Perryville), and Grant (Sheridan) form the commuter ring. The Arkansas River bend, Little Rock Air Force Base vicinity at Jacksonville, and lakes to the west create natural corridors and recreation arcs that explain suburban spread.
Arkansas has 75 counties; your sheet shows them all. Baxter, Benton, Boone, Bradley, Calhoun, Carroll, Chicot, Clark, Clay, Cleburne, Cleveland, Columbia, Conway, Craighead, Crawford, Crittenden, Cross, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Faulkner, Franklin, Fulton, Garland, Grant, Greene, Hempstead, Hot Spring, Howard, Independence, Izard, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Lafayette, Lawrence, Lee, Lincoln, Little River, Logan, Lonoke, Madison, Marion, Miller, Mississippi, Monroe, Montgomery, Nevada, Newton, Ouachita, Perry, Phillips, Pike, Poinsett, Polk, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Randolph, St. Francis, Saline, Scott, Searcy, Sebastian, Sevier, Sharp, Stone, Union, Van Buren, Washington, White, Woodruff, Yell, Ashley, Clark, Cleburne, Cleveland, Conway, Dallas, Desha, Drew, Garland, Grant, Jefferson, Lonoke, Perry, Prairie, Pulaski (repeats in region lists are normal as we grouped by area).
Tip for students: memorize counties by interstate chains. Along I-40 from west to east, you pass Crawford, Franklin, Johnson, Pope, Conway, Faulkner, Pulaski, Lonoke, Prairie, St. Francis, and Crittenden.
West and River Valley: Fort Smith, Van Buren, Alma, Ozark, Clarksville, Russellville, Dardanelle, Booneville, Paris, Waldron, Greenwood, Charleston. Northwest Metro: Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville, Siloam Springs, Eureka Springs, Huntsville, Berryville, Harrison. North-Central Lakes: Mountain Home, Yellville, Salem, Melbourne, Mountain View, Marshall, Clinton, Heber Springs, Batesville, Newport. Northeast and Delta: Jonesboro, Paragould, Blytheville, Osceola, Walnut Ridge, Pocahontas, Piggott, Corning, West Memphis, Forrest City, Wynne, Harrisburg. Central: Little Rock, North Little Rock, Conway, Morrilton, Cabot, Lonoke, Jacksonville, Sherwood. Ouachitas and Spa Corridor: Hot Springs, Malvern, Arkadelphia, Mount Ida, Mena, Murfreesboro, Glenwood. South and Timberlands: Hope, Prescott, Texarkana, Ashdown, Nashville, De Queen, Magnolia, El Dorado, Camden, Fordyce, Hampton, Monticello, Warren, Crossett, Hamburg, Lake Village, Dumas, McGehee, Stuttgart, DeWitt, Pine Bluff, Star City, Rison, Sheridan.
Two physiographic halves: Ozark and Ouachita highlands in the west and north; Delta lowlands in the east and southeast.
Three river spines: the Arkansas River west-east, the White River north-southeast, and the Mississippi River on the east border.
City hinge: Little Rock at the river bend and interstate Cross; Fort Smith and Northwest Arkansas are the western poles; Jonesboro and West Memphis anchor the Delta side.
Lake arc: Bull Shoals, Norfork, Greers Ferry, Lake Dardanelle, Lake Ouachita, Lake Hamilton, and oxbows like Lake Chicot.
Border gateways: Texarkana to Texas, Fort Smith to Oklahoma, West Memphis to Tennessee, Lake Village to Mississippi, and numerous bridges into Louisiana.
Fort Smith (Sebastian) → Van Buren/Alma (Crawford) → Ozark (Franklin) → Clarksville (Johnson) → Russellville (Pope) by Lake Dardanelle → Morrilton (Conway) → Conway (Faulkner) → North Little Rock/Little Rock (Pulaski) → Lonoke → across rice fields of Prairie → Forrest City (St. Francis) → West Memphis (Crittenden) → Tennessee line. Use it to compare Ozark foothills, the river valley, the capital corridor, and the flat Delta in one drive.
Bend southwest from the capital through Benton and Bryant (Saline), Malvern (Hot Spring), Arkadelphia (Clark), Hope (Hempstead), Prescott (Nevada), Texarkana (Miller). Watch how ridges of the Ouachitas cross the highway at angles, then flatten into timberlands near Texas.
From Blytheville to Osceola to West Memphis, the interstate shadows levees and rails along the river. The adjacent US-61 pattern and Mississippi bridges explain why industry clusters here.
A direct shot down the lower Arkansas River corridor, passing Redfield, White Hall, and into Pine Bluff. Rice fields and bayous appear quickly south of the metro.
From Fort Smith north to Fayetteville–Springdale–Rogers–Bentonville, this corridor binds the Boston Mountains and plateaus with controlled grades and scenic cuts. It is your best lab for urban growth in complex terrain.
US-62/412 runs across the north through Eureka Springs, Harrison, Mountain Home, then bends toward Hardy and Imboden.
US-65 is the high-to-low transect from Harrison to Marshall, Clinton, Greenbrier, Conway, Pine Bluff, Dumas, and the Mississippi.
US-67/167 climbs northeast from Little Rock through Jacksonville, Beebe, Searcy, Bald Knob, Newport, toward Pocahontas and Walnut Ridge.
US-71 ties Texarkana through Ashdown, De Queen, Mena, to Fort Smith.
US-82 is a southern cross-state line from Texarkana through Magnolia, El Dorado, Crossett, to Lake Village.
US-270 connects Hot Springs and Mount Ida to Mena and the Oklahoma line.
US-64 mirrors I-40 on the north bank of the Arkansas between Fort Smith and Conway.
These are your scenic byways for river crossings, lake access, and small town squares.
Mississippi River defines the eastern border with oxbows and levee towns — Osceola, West Memphis, Helena, Lake Village.
Arkansas River enters near Fort Smith, widens at Lake Dardanelle, passes Little Rock, and meanders across the Delta toward Monticello and Dumas vicinity before reaching the Mississippi via the lower White system.
White River loops from the Ozarks through Batesville, Newport, Augusta, Clarendon, and eventually pairs with the lower Arkansas and Mississippi.
St. Francis and Cache rivers are Delta side channels visible near Wynne, Forrest City, and Augusta, forming bottomland forests.
Black River meets the White near Newport after draining the Pocahontas and Powhatan areas.
Greers Ferry Lake, Bull Shoals Lake, Norfork Lake, Lake Dardanelle, Lake Ouachita, Lake Hamilton, and Lake Chicot are the principal blue patches. They explain boat ramps, tourism clusters, and county lines that kink to follow water.
Ozark counties (Benton, Washington, Madison, Carroll, Boone, Newton, Searcy, Marion, Baxter, Fulton, Izard, Stone) are used for karst springs, caves, steep relief, Buffalo River studies, and lake shoreline management.
River Valley counties (Crawford, Sebastian, Franklin, Johnson, Logan, Yell, Pope, Conway): examine dam pools, navigation locks, and mixed industry–agriculture corridors.
Metro core (Pulaski, Faulkner, Saline, Lonoke, Jefferson, Perry): study freeway networks, floodplain management, and urban sprawl along the Arkansas bend.
Ouachitas (Garland, Hot Spring, Montgomery, Polk, Pike, Clark): pair hot-spring geology with quartz ridges and reservoirs.
Timberlands (Howard, Sevier, Little River, Hempstead, Nevada, Lafayette, Columbia, Union, Ouachita, Calhoun, Dallas, Miller): forestry, oil and gas history, sandy soils; linear towns along rail and US-82/US-371.
Delta counties (Mississippi, Crittenden, St. Francis, Cross, Poinsett, Lee, Phillips, Monroe, Prairie, Woodruff, Jackson, Arkansas, Desha, Drew, Lincoln, Cleveland, Ashley, Chicot): rice and soybeans, levees, waterfowl habitat, civil rights and blues heritage in places like Helena.
Tighter road curves in the Ozarks and Ouachitas signal hills and ridges.
Wide, straight farm-to-market lines in the Delta show leveled ground and drainage canals.
County boundaries that zigzag around reservoirs or rivers tell you which jurisdictions manage fisheries and boat ramps.
City clusters at river crossings — Fort Smith, Russellville/Dardanelle, Little Rock/North Little Rock, Pine Bluff, West Memphis — mark historic ferries and bridgeheads.
Ozark Lakes and Buffalo River loop: Harrison → Jasper → Ponca → Yellville → Mountain Home → Norfork → Mountain View. Combines karst, river paddling, and reservoir shores.
Capital and Spa arc: Little Rock → Hot Springs → Lake Ouachita → Mount Ida → Murfreesboro → Arkadelphia → back by Benton.
River Valley transect: Fort Smith → Ozark → Clarksville → Russellville → Morrilton → Conway with stops at locks, dams, and overlooks.
Delta Heritage and Wildlife Corridor: Stuttgart → Clarendon → Helena → Marianna → Forrest City → Wynne, birding at Cache and White refuges.
Timberlands and Red River: Texarkana → Hope → Prescott → Magnolia → El Dorado → Camden → Crossett → Lake Village.
Distances stretch in the Timberlands and Delta. Fuel up between El Dorado, Magnolia, Camden, and Lake Village; fewer interstates mean longer two-lane runs.
Bridges across the Mississippi are limited. Key crossings are near West Memphis, Helena, and Greenville, just south of Chicot.
Storm and flood seasons matter. Rivers like the White, Arkansas, and St. Francis can rise quickly; counties such as Prairie, Monroe, Woodruff, and Phillips show broad floodplains on the sheet.
Recreation permits: Lakes such as Greers Ferry, Bull Shoals, Norfork, and Ouachita usually fall under Corps of Engineers or state parks for launches and campgrounds.
Map of Arkansas with all 75 counties, major cities, interstates, US highways, lakes, and rivers.
Little Rock stands at the Arkansas River bend; I-40 and I-30 split the state into north–south travel regions.
The Northwest Arkansas metro corridor is a fast-growing four-city arc; Jonesboro and West Memphis anchor the Delta.
Bull Shoals, Norfork, Greers Ferry, Lake Ouachita, Lake Hamilton, Lake Dardanelle, and Lake Chicot are key water destinations visible on the sheet.
Neighbor states are Missouri, Tennessee, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, and Oklahoma.
I-40 runs west to east from Fort Smith to Memphis; I-30 runs southwest from Little Rock to Texarkana; I-55 follows the Mississippi corridor.
Little Rock sits on the Arkansas River bend with I-40, I-30, I-430, I-440, I-530 and US-65/67/167 converging.
Benton, Washington, Madison, and Carroll with major cities Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale, and Fayetteville.
Trace from Fort Smith through Lake Dardanelle to Little Rock and Pine Bluff, then into the Delta where it merges toward the lower White and Mississippi.
Bull Shoals, Norfork, Greers Ferry, Lake Dardanelle, Lake Ouachita, Lake Hamilton, and Lake Chicot.
Across the north and northwest: Benton, Washington, Madison, Carroll, Boone, Newton, Searcy, Marion, Baxter, Fulton, Izard, Stone.
The I-49/I-540 and US-71 corridor in the northwest.
Take US-70 or AR-5/7 to Hot Springs; I-30 to US-270 is the faster freeway approach.
Delta counties around Stuttgart, DeWitt, Lonoke, Prairie, Woodruff, Monroe, and Arkansas County.
The Mississippi River.
Jonesboro is in Craighead County, reached by US-63/US-49 corridors and I-555 on newer sheets.
I-40 is primary; US-64 parallels on the north bank of the Arkansas River.
Follow I-30 southwest through Benton, Malvern, Arkadelphia, Hope, and Prescott.
Union, Columbia, Lafayette, Miller, Ashley, Chicot, and nearby Bradley and Drew.
At West Memphis into Memphis and near Helena; farther south crossings are at Greenville and Vicksburg.
Russellville and Dardanelle.
Look in Newton and Searcy counties between Harrison and Marshall; sparse highways and a winding river line mark it.
Hot Springs and Hot Springs Village in Garland County, with lakes Hamilton and Ouachita nearby.
US-65, US-49, US-61/63 combinations, and US-165.
In Cleburne County near Heber Springs; boaters, anglers, and campers from central Arkansas.
In Arkansas County; a rice capital and waterfowl hub.
Mississippi, Arkansas, Yell, Franklin, Carroll.
In the lower Delta near the Arkansas Post area.
I-40 west via West Memphis, Forrest City, and Lonoke.
El Dorado, Camden, Magnolia, Crossett, and Warren on US-82/US-371.
Miller, Little River, Sevier, parts of Lafayette and Hempstead.
Petit Jean, Mount Magazine, Hot Springs NP, and lakeside parks around Ouachita, Greers Ferry, Bull Shoals.
I-49/I-40 to US-67/US-63, or US-412 across the Ozarks.
Delta has straight grids and wide floodplains; Highlands show curvy roads and valley towns.
Memphis to the east, Texarkana to the southwest, and nearby river towns along the Mississippi.
Physical Map of Arkansas
Physical map and map image of Arkansas.
Geographical Map of Arkansas
Geographical map and map image of Arkansas.
Regional Directory of United States of America
Information and guide about United States of America and websites with American topics.
Regional Directory of Europe
Information and guide about Europe and websites with European topics.
Regional Directory of Australia
Information and guide about Australia and websites with Australian topics.
