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The Atlas/Arkansas/Oark General Store & Cafe

Oark General Store & Cafe

Arkansas
Region
Food & fuel
Stop type
Standalone stop
Atlas

Founded in 1890, Oark General Store is the oldest continuously operating store in Arkansas, sitting in the tiny hamlet of Oark at the east end of the Pig Trail (AR-23). The cafe serves made-from-scratch burgers, pies, and ice cream. The store is listed on the Arkansas Register of Historic Places and has long been one of the most-photographed biker stops in the Ozarks. Riders arriving from the north on AR-23 or from the south via Ozark reach it at the tail end of the Pig Trail's switchbacks.

// The stop

The building that greets you at the end of the Pig Trail (AR-23) has been standing since 1890, and the Encyclopedia of Arkansas confirms it has been in continuous operation ever since — widely regarded as the oldest continuously operating store in Arkansas. The interior keeps its original wood floors and ceiling, and the store was added to the Arkansas Register of Historic Places in 1995. Getting here requires intent: the Arkansas Heritage nomination notes that the topography around Oark has long isolated the community, and cell service is still spotty, so download your map before you leave.

The cafe is the main draw now. Burgers are made to order on a griddle, and homemade pies are baked daily — order a slice when you sit down, because they sell out. The store still stocks groceries, camping and picnic supplies, and hunting and fishing licenses, so it doubles as a last resupply before heading deeper into the Ozark National Forest. The Axios NW Arkansas piece on the place sums up the crowd accurately: the cafe "is a hit with bikers (the Harley-Davidson crowd) on spring and fall rides." The wall of motorcycle photos inside tracks years of that traffic.

// Why riders stop

The de-facto finish line of the Pig Trail — bikers have been pulling into this 1890s general store for decades. The burgers and pie are real; so is the wall of motorcycle photos inside. Virtually every Pig Trail ride report ends here.

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