Arkansas Highway 7: Lead Hill to Diamond City

If you’re looking for a short but memorable drive in northern Arkansas, it doesn’t get much better than the four-mile stretch of Arkansas Highway 7 from Lead Hill up to Diamond City. We begin this trip in Lead Hill, a quiet little town just off AR-14 that’s known as a gateway to the upper reaches of Bull Shoals Lake. As soon as we turn north onto Highway 7, you can sense the scenery starting to shift—rolling Ozark hills, patches of dense forest, and the kind of rural charm that makes road trips through Arkansas so underrated. The road itself is a breeze, with gentle curves and hardly any traffic, making it a stress-free drive whether you’re on a motorcycle, in an RV, or just cruising in your daily driver.

Heading out of Lead Hill, the route treats us to glimpses of classic Ozark landscapes—think shady woods, grassy clearings, and scattered farmsteads that give you a real sense of small-town Arkansas. There’s not much in the way of tourist traps along this segment, and that’s part of its appeal. Instead, it’s all about enjoying the natural setting. About two miles up the road, we enter Diamond City, a lakeside community that’s popular with both fishermen and vacationers looking for a laid-back escape. Diamond City’s heart is its connection to Bull Shoals Lake—a sprawling reservoir that stretches into Missouri and offers endless opportunities for boating, fishing, swimming, and even a little lakeside camping.

Continuing north through Diamond City, Highway 7 holds onto its “Scenic” designation right up to its very end. The road carries us straight through town and dead-ends at a public park perched right on the shores of Bull Shoals Lake. If you’re up for a break, this is a perfect spot to stretch your legs, let the kids run around, or launch a kayak into the clear, cool water. There are a few small marinas and boat ramps nearby, plus picnic tables with unbeatable lake views. Even though the drive from Lead Hill to Diamond City is a quick one, it’s a perfect example of how the journey can be just as rewarding as the destination—especially when it wraps up on the banks of one of Arkansas’s most beloved lakes. If you want to make a day of it, there are plenty of fishing guides and local eateries in Diamond City, and the whole area has a relaxed, retro lake-town vibe that’s hard to find anywhere else.