Take a relaxing drive through the heart of the Arkansas Delta as we follow U.S. Highway 70 for 25 miles from Forrest City to Brinkley. This stretch of old-school pavement winds gently across fertile farmland, sleepy small towns, and hidden natural beauty, offering a peaceful alternative to the hum of nearby Interstate 40. With its modest pace and local flavor, this is a route that reminds us why taking the back roads can be the most rewarding part of the journey.
We begin in the heart of Forrest City, where U.S. 70 intersects with Arkansas Highway 1B in a historic downtown framed by old storefronts and the unmistakable aura of a once-bustling railroad hub. As we leave the city heading southwest, we pass under the interchange with Arkansas Highway 1, a major north-south route that connects the Delta to Crowley’s Ridge. The highway slips into a rhythm here—no longer urban but not yet rural—where modest homes, scattered businesses, and patches of woodland mark the transition out of town.
Soon, the land opens wide, and we cruise past gently rolling farmland that defines this stretch of St. Francis County. Near the small community of Palestine, the road straightens into that familiar Delta pattern: long, flat, and surrounded by a sea of cultivated fields. This town, like many others in the region, sprang up alongside the railroads and still holds a faint echo of that era in its modest downtown. Continuing west, we arrive in Goodwin, a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it settlement with a scattering of homes and farm structures—an emblem of how agriculture still anchors life out here.
As U.S. 70 approaches Wheatley, we intersect with Arkansas Highway 78, which offers a northerly route toward Hunter and the Cache River. Wheatley itself is a quiet waypoint, mostly residential with a few local businesses serving travelers and locals alike. After Wheatley, we make a small detour to visit Lake Greenlee, a hidden gem just off the highway. Nestled between stands of trees and surrounded by wetlands, this small lake offers a serene break from the road, popular with local anglers and bird watchers. It’s a peaceful pause, where the hum of engines gives way to the rustle of reeds and the call of herons.
Returning to the road, we pass the final few miles into Brinkley, where the surroundings become gradually more developed. Small houses and light industrial sites line the highway as we approach the intersection with U.S. Highway 49. Brinkley is a junction town, both geographically and historically, once a key stop on the Rock Island and Cotton Belt railroads. Today it serves as a crossroads between east and west, north and south—a fitting end to our journey through a lesser-traveled but deeply storied part of Arkansas.
There’s something timeless about this drive. From Forrest City to Brinkley, U.S. 70 gives us a window into the Delta’s quieter rhythms: the long reach of cotton fields, the subtle swells of green between flat stretches of road, and the resilient spirit of towns that continue on even after the highways and trains have moved past. This is a road for the unhurried, where every mile tells a bit of Arkansas’s enduring rural story.
🗺️ Route Map
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