After approximately 30 miles (48 km) of paralleling I-49, the route turns west, passes the historic Averitt House and enters Texarkana.

Except for the northbound lanes (which return to the Arkansas side just before the Red River), this section of 3.39 miles (5.46 km) is entirely in Texas.

Less than a mile north of the River, all commercial truck traffic is required to pull into an Arkansas Highway Police weigh station.

Although US 59/US 71 bypass the community as a four-lane highway, the route formerly served Ogden as Grand Street, which as of 2016, retains original 1926 US 71 paving for some of its length.

As it heads north, the routes goes under Highway 32, entering the southern part of Ashdown, serving as Little River's county seat.

[5] Just north of town a former alignment comes into view briefly before the Mills Cemetery and the Sevier County line.

Once across the Little River, US 59/US 71 passes another former alignment, crosses through Pond Creek National Wildlife Refuge, and runs east of Ben Lomond before entering Lockesburg.

Five miles (8.0 km) north of Lockesburg US 70 joins US 59/US 71/US 371, and the concurrent routes turn west to De Queen.

Upon entering De Queen, US 59/US 71 turns north, US 70 continues west, US 70 Business/Highway 41 (US 70B/AR 41) runs south, and US 371 terminates at the junction.

At a fork in the road, US 59 splits onto US 270 west, and US 270 east begins a concurrency with US 71 northbound into Ouachita National Forest.

North of Waldron, US 71 passes through Mansfield and Greenwood before intersecting with Interstate 540 on the south end of Fort Smith.

North of Bentonville US 71 continues another 12 miles (19 km) passing through Bella Vista to the Missouri state line.

Running approximately 11 miles (18 km), its southern terminus was in Bentonville at the intersection of Central Ave and SW A Street.

[15][16] Originally a seventh section, the Devil's Backbone segment, in Sebastian County was also listed in 2004, but it was removed from the register in 2009.

It is significant as a well-preserved example of concrete highway construction from the 1930s, built in a period when this was the preferred form of roadway surface.

The winner of a high traffic contest in Bates, Illinois, Bates-type pavement is concrete with welded wire reinforcement.

The high traffic caused a settlement named Taylors Store to spring up north of Wilton, though it subsequently died out when this segment was bypassed in 1965.

The road is 18 feet (5.5 m) wide, with no shoulder, and was built in 1934 of Bates-style concrete, notable for its embedded reinforcing rods.

It extends for about 0.75 miles (1.21 km), traveling roughly parallel to, and south of, the current alignment of US 71 between Hidden Valley Way and Shadow Lake Drive.

Influential Fayetteville businessmen persuaded the railroad to come through the city rather than a western alignment through Prairie Grove.

The high volume of traffic has caused the entire US 71 routing between Fort Smith and Fayetteville to be bypassed by Interstate 540 (I-540).