U.S. Route 70: West Memphis to Forrest City – Arkansas

Take a laid-back journey through the Arkansas Delta as we travel west along U.S. Highway 70 from West Memphis to Forrest City. This 34-mile stretch may run in the shadow of Interstate 40, but it offers a quieter, more intimate view of the land—where levees line the horizon, farmland stretches wide, and the flatness of the Delta gives way to the surprise of Crowley’s Ridge. It’s a road where cotton fields and railroad crossings still tell the story of this region’s place in Southern history.

We begin our drive on the west side of West Memphis, easing onto US-70 near Airport Road. The city quickly falls behind as we pass through Lehi, a crossroads community that once served as a rail hub. Here, I-40 emerges just to our north, and for much of this drive it will be our invisible twin—offering speed, while we take the slower, more scenic lane. With farmland unfolding in all directions, US-70 keeps a steady rhythm. Along the way, we pass the point where U.S. Highway 79 splits off to the south, en route to Marianna and the heart of the Lower Delta. We stay the course westward, skirting between fields and small farmsteads, catching glimpses of tractors, grain silos, and the occasional roadside produce stand—depending on the season.

After rolling past intersections with Arkansas Highway 75 and Arkansas Highway 38, we begin to sense a change. The flat expanse of delta country gives way to the rising terrain of Crowley’s Ridge, a unique geological formation that breaks the flat horizon with wooded hills and bluffs. As we climb the ridge, the road twists ever so slightly, offering an unexpected bit of elevation and curvature. At the eastern edge of the ridge sits the town of Madison, where the St. Francis River winds below. Crossing the river, we crest the ridge and enter Forrest City—a community named after Confederate general and early railroad developer Nathan Bedford Forrest, whose legacy remains controversial.

In Forrest City, US-70 becomes Broadway Street as it flows through the heart of downtown. Old storefronts, churches, and civic buildings line the road, echoing the town’s 20th-century prominence as a regional center. Our route ends at the intersection with AR-1B, a north-south business loop that connects back to the main AR-1 corridor. It’s a quiet but fitting end to this ride—where the rich soil of the Delta meets the timbered slope of the ridge, and where history runs just beneath the pavement.