| State: | AR |
| Type: | AR |
| Route: | 12 |
| Map: | Arkansas 12.png |
| Length Mi1: | 26.0 |
| Length Round1: | 1 |
| Length Ref1: | [1] |
| Established: | 1926 |
| Direction A1: | West |
| Terminus A1: | at the Oklahoma state line |
| Junction1: | at Gentry |
| Direction B1: | East |
| Terminus B1: | in Bentonville |
| Length Mi2: | 29.9 |
| Length Round2: | 1 |
| Length Ref2: | [2] |
| Direction A2: | West |
| Terminus A2: | in Rogers |
| Direction B2: | East |
| Terminus B2: | east of Clifty |
| Counties: | Benton, Madison |
| Previous Type: | AR |
| Previous Route: | 11 |
| Next Type: | AR |
| Next Route: | 13 |
Arkansas Highway 12 (AR 12) is a designation for two state highways in Northwest Arkansas. One segment of 26miles runs from the Oklahoma state line east to Highway 112 in Bentonville. A second segment of 29.9miles runs from US 62 in Rogers east to Highway 23 near Clifty.
Highway 12 begins at the Oklahoma state line as a continuation of OK-116 and runs east, crossing Highway 43 before entering Gentry. Highway 12 meets Highway 59B (Collins Avenue)[3] and Highway 59 (Gentry Boulevard) before leaving the city. The highway continues east through Springtown and Highfill, meeting Highway 264 in south Highfill. Highway 12 angles north past Northwest Arkansas National Airport to Vaughn before meeting Highway 112 in Bentonville, where it terminates.
The route begins at US 62/Highway 94 in Rogers. Highway 12 leaves Rogers, heading east a winding two-lane road with several steep grades and hairpin curves around Beaver Lake. The route meets Highway 303 near War Eagle and Highway 127 near Clifty, when the route terminates at Highway 23.[4]
From Rogers east to Clifty, the Scenic Highway 12 East Association maintains a website which outlines various points of interest on this segment of highway. Hydrologically, Highway 12 lies within the Arkansas River catchment basin.
The route from Oklahoma to Rogers was originally designated as Arkansas State Road B-27 in Arkansas' initial state highway system of 1924.[5] The route was unpaved. Upon redesignation in 1926, Arkansas Highway 12 was the major east–west route of north Arkansas, running from Oklahoma to Ash Flat via Harrison.[6] This Highway 12 was a precursor to U.S. Route 62 in Arkansas, which supplanted Highway 12 almost entirely in 1930.[7] The portion not replaced by US 62 remained Highway 12, and is very similar to the present-day alignment. The routing was changed slightly in August 2010 when Highway 12 replaced US 62B in east Rogers.
Despite no major routing changes since 1930, Highway 12 has seen major change along its shoulders. Running through small mountain towns at inception, today Highway 12 serves America's sixth–fastest growing metropolitan area.[8]