Join us as we roll along a 14-mile stretch of Arkansas Highway 10, cruising from the quaint town of Perry eastward through the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains, all the way to Williams Junction. This piece of Highway 10 packs a surprising mix of small-town charm, mountain scenery, and glimpses of classic rural Arkansas — a satisfying ride whether you’re just passing through or taking the long way on purpose.
We kick things off right in Perry, turning onto the conjoined Arkansas Highway 10 and Arkansas Highway 9. This short concurrency means we share the road with Highway 9 for a bit, heading generally southward as we leave behind the cluster of homes and businesses that mark downtown Perry. Not long after, the road carries us up and over a modest mountain ridge — a nice warm-up for what’s ahead. Cresting that rise, we descend smoothly into Perryville, the heart of Perry County. Here, the highway intersects with Arkansas Highway 60 on both the east and west sides of town, giving travelers plenty of options to branch out toward Houston, Conway, or back west toward Nimrod Lake.
Once we clear Perryville, the terrain shifts subtly but steadily into the undulating foothills typical of the Ouachita range. We cross the Fouche La Fave River, which threads through this part of the county, feeding the rich farmland and providing a gentle break in the rolling topography. South of the river crossing, the road snakes through the rural community of Thornburg. In this stretch, keep an eye out for small family farms and occasional glimpses of distant ridgelines — it’s the kind of easy-going scenery that makes a Sunday drive worth the gas money.
As the highway sweeps around bends and dips through hollows, we lose a bit of elevation, tracing the natural contours down toward Williams Junction. This junction is less a town and more a historic crossroads where several old alignments have met over the years. Here, Highway 9 peels off to the south, continuing deeper into the forested slopes, while we stay the course on Highway 10, now aimed eastward toward Little Rock and the edge of the Arkansas River Valley.
Even though this isn’t the longest run you’ll find on Highway 10, it’s a rewarding slice of central Arkansas, blending everyday rural life with a taste of the Ouachitas. If time allows, a detour north into Perryville is worthwhile for a bite to eat or a coffee at a local diner, and the surrounding backroads hide plenty of secret picnic spots by the river.
🗺️ Route Map
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