NOAA’s long-term average for the state. Heavy rains can produce totals above 10 inches
Tires for wet clay and sharp rock
Arkansas writes no traction law, so nothing about your tires is a legal question. The practical question is harder: the same tread has to handle sandstone and chert that the Forest Service calls very rocky on the Buckhorn loops, and clay that turns greasy in a state that averages 50.1 inches of rain a year.
Most people here end up on a sidewall they trust over the softest compound. Carry a plug kit and a way to air back up, because the nearest help can be an hour of gravel away.
Tires are the only part of the vehicle that touches the ground, and on a loaded rig they work close to their limits. A good tire shop starts with load rating and size, then tread. It will also tell you when the tire you want will rub, need different wheels or throw off your gearing.
Expect help with
01Choosing a tire by load, terrain and season
02Wheels with the right offset and load rating
03Mounting, balancing and tire pressure sensors
04A matching full-size spare
05Alignment, rotation and repairs
How to choose tires for overland travel
Tread pattern is the last decision, not the first.
01Match the load rating to your real axle weights, not to the badge on the fender.
02All-terrain tires suit most overland travel. Mud-terrains are louder, heavier and wear faster, and earn it only in real mud and rock.
03Buy five. A matching full-size spare that you rotate in is worth the money when the nearest tire shop is a day away.
04Check the wheels too. Wheels have load ratings, and the wrong offset stresses bearings and rubs.
05Ask whether the shop can move or reprogram your tire pressure sensors.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
A tire quote is quick when the shop knows what the tire has to carry.
01Vehicle, current tire size and wheel size
02Lift height, if any
03Loaded weight, or a list of what is on the vehicle
04Where you drive most: pavement, gravel, rock, sand, snow
05A budget range for five tires
Questions people ask
What does load range mean?
It describes how much weight a tire can carry at a given pressure. Heavier builds, vans and truck campers usually need a higher load range than the vehicle came with. The tire's sidewall and the placard in the door jamb are the places to start, and a tire shop can work through the numbers with you.
How big can I go?
Every platform has a size that fits at stock height, a size that fits with a modest lift, and a size that needs trimming and gears. Tell the shop your lift and wheels and ask what fits without rubbing at full steering lock and full compression.
Should I air down?
On washboard, sand and rock, lower pressure gives a better ride and more traction and is easier on the vehicle. It also means you need a way to air back up before pavement. How low depends on your tire, your weight and your speed, so ask your tire shop and start conservatively.
How high is Arkansas?
From Marianna at 227 feet to Magazine Mountain at 2,753.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
02,0004,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
FayettevilleThe largest town in the northwest and the best place up here for parts and service. Mill Creek is reached from here on Arkansas 16 through Combs.1,407 ft
MenaThe east end of the Talimena National Scenic Byway and the town for Wolf Pen Gap, whose west trailhead is nine miles out on Highway 8 and Arkansas 375. The Mena-Oden Ranger District office is here.1,173 ft
HarrisonThe headquarters town for Buffalo National River and the hub the park measures its driving directions from.1,046 ft
JasperOn Scenic 7 in Newton County, in the middle of the upper Buffalo country, with one of the Big Piney district offices in town.848 ft
Mountain HomeServices between Bull Shoals and Norfork, two of the Corps of Engineers lakes that carry most of the federal camping in north Arkansas.816 ft
Mountain ViewThe Sylamore Ranger District office and the town for Blanchard Springs, in the eastern Ozarks above the White River.764 ft
Mount IdaOn US 270 between Mena and Hot Springs, with the Caddo-Womble Ranger District office in town and Lake Ouachita just to the east.661 ft
YellvilleOn US 62/412 in Marion County, the turn for the lower Buffalo district down Arkansas 14 and the road to Rush.627 ft
Hot SpringsThe Ouachita National Forest supervisor’s office and Hot Springs National Park are both here, along with the last full services before the forest roads west of town.590 ft
ParisServices below Mount Magazine and the Mt. Magazine Ranger District office, on the road to Arkansas’s highest ground.405 ft
OzarkOn the Arkansas River at the foot of the Boston Mountains, with the Boston Mountain Ranger District office in town.402 ft
ClarksvilleAn I-40 exit onto Arkansas 21 into the Ozarks, and the Pleasant Hill Ranger District office.370 ft
RussellvilleWhere I-40 meets Scenic 7. Moccasin Gap is 25 miles north up Arkansas 7, and Lake Dardanelle sits on the edge of town.348 ft
Little RockState capital where I-30 meets I-40, the natural place to fit tires or have work done before heading into either forest.337 ft
ArkadelphiaOn I-30 south of the Ouachitas, the highway town for DeGray and the southern Corps of Engineers lakes.244 ft
MariannaThe St. Francis Ranger District office and the north end of the St. Francis Scenic Byway along Crowley’s Ridge, in the Delta.227 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Magazine MountainThe highest point in Arkansas, in Logan County. The USGS publishes 2,753 feet; our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point gives 2,7472,753 ft
Rich MountainThe highest point on the Ouachita National Forest, on the Talimena byway west of Mena. The Forest Service publishes 2,681 feet; the elevation surface reads 2,6782,681 ft
Rich MountainTalimena National Scenic Byway: Mena, Arkansas and Talihina, Oklahoma2,681 ft
White Rock MountainA gravel-road summit on the Boston Mountain district. The Forest Service publishes 2,260 feet; the elevation surface reads 2,3132,260 ft
White Rock MountainWhite Rock Mountain road: Mulberry to the White Rock Mountain Recreation Area2,260 ft
Petit Jean MountainThe mesa between the Ouachitas and the Arkansas River valley. Our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point1,194 ft
Crowleys RidgeThe wind-blown ridge that the St. Francis Scenic Byway follows across the Delta. Our own reading of the elevation surface544 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
Free build quotes
Looking for tire shops in Arkansas? Tell us about the project and get free quotes.
