The southern segment of 19.70 miles (31.70 km) runs from Highway 170 near Strickler north to Interstate 49 (I-49) in Fayetteville.

AR 265 begins in a rural part of southern Washington County within the Northwest Arkansas and Ozark Mountain regions.

AR 265 continues north into Fayetteville, passing the Kessler Mountain Regional Park and beginning to parallel the Razorback Greenway.

The highway serves as the entrance to many communities, and is four-lane with center turn lane throughout Fayetteville.

The route continues north, entering Benton County and intersecting Highway 264 in Bethel Heights.

paralleled by Old Wire Road in Fayetteville, but it is not clear to the traveler which route is more historically accurate.

It was 2.4 miles (3.9 km) in length and was removed from the system in the 1990s, now named Butterfield Coach Road and Emma Avenue.