My wife and I rode this route in the Fall of 2010 as part of a multi-state tour. Once you leave Fort Smith, US 71 becomes a busy 4-lane highway but has a good shoulder for about 15 miles. Then -for the next roughly 30 miles - it gets a little ugly. The road narrows to a 2-lane and the shoulder width varies constantly - from barely adequate to none whatsoever. A few miles north of Waldron the good shoulder returns. So BE CAREFUL! by colobikenut