Although the highest peak fails to top 2000 feet, the Ozark Mountains , which extend beyond northern Arkansas into southern Missouri, are characterized by severe steep ridges and jagged spurs. Hair-raising roads weave their way over the precipitous hills, past rugged lakeshores and pristine rivers. When ambitious speculators poured into Arkansas in the 1830s, those who missed the best land etched out remote hill farms that was no better than what they'd left behind in Kentucky or Tennessee. They remained utterly isolated until the last few decades; the Ozarks have now become the fastest-growing rural section of the US, a major tourist and retirement destination. Much-needed cash has flooded in, bringing with it the cafés and souvenir shops that have converted centers such as Harrison into cookie-cutter American towns.

The word Ozark is everywhere, used to entice tourists into music shows or gift emporia, which owe more to Nashville and Taiwan than to these mountains. With all the hype, it's getting increasingly difficult to tell the genuine article from imitations, which is a good reason for visiting the state park at Mountain View , a serious attempt to preserve traditional Ozark skills and music. The most visited town in the region, Eureka Springs , just inside the Missouri border, is a pretty mountainside Victorian spa town, though not one where you should expect to learn much about Ozark life.

Ozark Mountains

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Explore Ozark Mountains

• Eureka Springs
• Mountain View

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