Take a ride through Missouri’s Bootheel as we follow U.S. Route 67 for 22 miles southward from Poplar Bluff to the Arkansas state line. This drive offers a shifting picture of rural Missouri—beginning with the polished feel of a divided highway and ending with a throwback to the older two-lane alignments that defined early American travel. We begin just west of Poplar Bluff, where U.S. 67 merges from U.S. Highway 60 on the city’s northwest side. The interchange here is part of a significant corridor upgrade, reflecting Missouri’s long-standing effort to improve this major north-south artery linking St. Louis to Little Rock.
The route cruises quickly through the outskirts of Poplar Bluff, bypassing the city proper while offering brief glimpses of schools, commercial zones, and residential streets. The landscape begins to flatten almost immediately as we enter the northern edge of the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. Large fields, power lines, and roadside ditches begin to dominate the scenery. As we head south, the four-lane divided highway feels purposeful and efficient—designed for long-haul traffic and commuters alike. But this modern stretch doesn’t last forever. Just past the community of Harviell, we reach the junction with U.S. Highway 160. It’s here, as of the time of filming, that the four-lane expressway ends.
Beyond Harviell, U.S. 67 narrows to a more traditional two-lane configuration, and the drive becomes quieter, more intimate. The town of Neelyville emerges soon after, the only incorporated municipality along this stretch. Neelyville hugs the highway on both sides, a snapshot of small-town life with churches, schools, and a scattering of local businesses just off the main drag. Traces of older alignments and frontage roads crop up now and then, whispering of a time when this was the main route for travelers threading through southeastern Missouri toward the South.
The final leg to the Arkansas line is straight and steady, bordered by wide farm fields and the occasional grove of trees. This is delta country—flat, fertile, and full of subtle rhythms. Farm equipment is a common sight, and during planting or harvest season, the shoulder may temporarily host grain trucks or irrigation rigs. We pass drainage canals that hint at the region’s careful management of water and soil, but there are no dramatic crossings or deep river valleys here. The land simply stretches out, and before long, we reach the low-key marker for the Arkansas state line. No overpass, no welcome center—just a sign and a quiet transition into Clay County, Arkansas.
What this drive lacks in drama, it more than makes up for in authenticity. U.S. 67 is a corridor of connection—between state capitals and small towns, old roadbeds and new expressways, familiar traditions and the evolving needs of rural infrastructure. As we roll into Arkansas, the road ahead beckons with more upgrades and modernizations in progress. But for now, this stretch from Poplar Bluff to the border reminds us that even the simplest drives can carry the stories of the land, the labor, and the link between past and future.
🗺️ Route Map
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