Iowa · Illinois · Wisconsin
Mississippi River
4 days · Round trip from Des Moines, Iowa · 3–6 bikes
4 daysRide from Des Moines
$3,850
per rider · +$500 passenger
Missouri · Arkansas
Ozarks
Five days south into the hills, and no airport in sight. We leave from Des Moines, ride the Missouri River country of Jesse James and the Santa Fe Trail, walk the Civil War fields at Wilson's Creek and Pea Ridge, and settle into the Victorian streets of Eureka Springs. Then the roads get serious: the Pig Trail, Arkansas 7, and the Buffalo National River, before a swing home past the castle ruins at Ha Ha Tonka.
- 5 days · 4 nights
- ~1,180 miles
- No flight, no haul. You ride from Des Moines
- Best: April–May, October
Along the route
What you'll see
The stops and roads on the Ozarks ride.
Big Bluff on the Buffalo National River (Day 3) 
Beaver Bridge, outside Eureka Springs (Day 4) 
Elk in Boxley Valley (Day 3) 
Morning fog on the Buffalo River (Day 3) 
The castle ruins at Ha Ha Tonka (Day 4) 
Main Street, Arrow Rock, Missouri (Day 5)
The route
Day by day
5 riding days, 4 nights. Best time: April to May and October.
- Day 1~230 mi
Des Moines to Excelsior Springs
- Roads
- US-69 and county roads south through the border hills into Missouri · MO-13 to Kearney and Excelsior Springs.
- Stops
- The Jesse James Farm in Kearney · Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site · the Hall of Waters.
- Paid tours
- Jesse James Farm & Museum
- Overnight
- The Elms Hotel (1912), Excelsior Springs, where Truman waited out the 1948 election
- Day 2~260 mi
Into the Ozarks
- Roads
- MO-13 south along Truman Lake · MO-13 to Springfield · MO-174 and US-60 to Wilson's Creek · MO-37 and AR-62 through Pea Ridge to Eureka Springs.
- Stops
- Wilson's Creek National Battlefield · Pea Ridge National Military Park, the battle that kept Missouri in the Union · Thorncrown Chapel.
- Paid tours
- Crescent Hotel ghost tour
- Overnight
- 1886 Crescent Hotel, Eureka Springs
- Day 3~215 mi
The Pig Trail and the Buffalo River
- Roads
- AR-23, the Pig Trail Scenic Byway, south through the Ozark National Forest · AR-16 east along the ridge · AR-7 north to Jasper · AR-74 and AR-43 down into Boxley Valley on the Buffalo National River · AR-21 and AR-62 back to Eureka Springs.
- Stops
- Turner Bend on the Mulberry River · Jasper · the elk herd in Boxley Valley · Steel Creek and Roark Bluff on the Buffalo.
- Overnight
- 1886 Crescent Hotel, Eureka Springs
- Day 4~250 mi
Beaver Bridge to the Lake of the Ozarks
- Roads
- AR-187 across the one-lane Beaver Bridge · MO-86 and MO-76 through the border hills · MO-5 north through Ava and Mansfield to Camdenton · MO-5 on to Boonville on the Missouri River.
- Stops
- Beaver Bridge, the Little Golden Gate · Laura Ingalls Wilder's Rocky Ridge Farm in Mansfield · the castle ruins at Ha Ha Tonka State Park.
- Paid tours
- Laura Ingalls Wilder Home & Museum
- Overnight
- Hotel Frederick (1905), Boonville
- Day 5~225 mi
Boonville to Des Moines
- Roads
- MO-41 to Arrow Rock · MO-41 and US-65 north across the Missouri prairie · IA-2 and back roads home to Des Moines.
- Stops
- Arrow Rock, a Santa Fe Trail village kept as it was in the 1830s · lunch at the J. Huston Tavern (1834), the oldest restaurant west of the Mississippi.
- Paid tours
- Arrow Rock State Historic Site tour
- Overnight
- Home
$5,050 per rider
One Price. The Whole Trip.
Included
- Historic hotels every night
- A planned route on the best roads in the Ozarks
- A lead guide
- A support vehicle for luggage and tools
- Every museum and site admission on the itinerary
Not included
- Food and drinks
- Fuel
- Bike repairs and parts
- Your riding gear
- The spare emergency bike, if you need it ($50/day)
Good to know
- Meeting point: Des Moines, Iowa. We send the exact address when you book. No bike transport or flight. You ride from there and back.
Group: 3 to 6 bikes
How It Works
No two rides are the same. Every tour is built around the group that books it: the pace, the stops, how early you roll out, and whether the afternoon is one more pass or a hot spring. And we pay attention to who rides with whom. We've spent a lot of years around riders and have a good sense of who will mesh, so we match up groups that get along. Most people go home with new friends.
Every tour needs three bikes to run. Got your own crew of three to six? Book the whole tour for your group and we'll set dates that work for you.
Step 1
Reserve your spot for $200
Pick a tour and put down a $200 deposit. It holds your place, counts toward your tour price, and is refundable any time you ask. Change your mind about which tour? Move it to another one.
Step 2
We set the date
Once enough riders have signed up for a tour, we set the dates with the group. Every tour runs with three to six bikes. The balance is due 30 days before the tour starts.
6 more rides
Other rides
- $200 deposit
Kentucky
Kentucky Bourbon Trail
4 days · Bourbon country · 3–6 bikes
4 daysFly to Louisville$200 deposit$6,300
per rider · +$1,100 passenger
North Carolina · Tennessee · Virginia
Blue Ridge Mountains
5 days · The Parkway, the Smokies, and the Dragon · 3–6 bikes
5 daysFly to Asheville$200 deposit$8,250
per rider · +$1,050 passenger
South Dakota · Wyoming
Black Hills
4 days · South Dakota & Wyoming · 3–6 bikes
4 daysFly to Rapid City$200 deposit$6,050
per rider · +$1,100 passenger
Front Range · San Juan Mountains
Colorado
4 days · The Rockies and the San Juans · 3–6 bikes
4 daysFly to Denver$200 deposit$6,850
per rider · +$1,100 passenger
Montana · Yellowstone · Wyoming
Montana Backcountry
6 days · Montana & Yellowstone · 3–6 bikes
6 daysFly to Bozeman$200 deposit$9,650
per rider · +$1,200 passenger
Questions
Questions? Ask Away.
Questions about a tour, your bike, or bringing your own group? Send us a note or give us a call. We'll get back to you within 36 hours.