At 2,753-feet, Mount Magazine is Arkansas's highest mountain, rising dramatically above the broad valleys of the Petit Jean River to the south and the Arkansas River to its north. Graced with timeless natural beauty, this plateau-a remnant of an ancient sea floor-runs east-west stretching six miles long and up to a mile across. Rugged, isolated, and rich in natural resources including rare and endangered species, Mount Magazine has long lured explorers, adventurers, scientists, and naturalists.

Settlers came to the mountain in the 1800s and farmed here. Later cabins and lodges were built atop Mount Magazine to attract and accommodate the travelers who journeyed to the mountain for recreation, relaxation, and the escape from the heat in the lowlands below that the summit's cooler temperatures afforded.

Through the years, the mountain has been a place to enjoy outdoor recreational pursuits like sightseeing, hiking, picnicking, camping, horseback riding, birding, and wildlife watching, activities still enjoyed by today's park visitors. The more adventuresome can also enjoy the challenges of backpacking, rock climbing, rappelling, hang gliding, biking, mountain biking, and ATV trail adventure. The new, high tech sport of geocaching can be enjoyed here, too.

To find other attractions located near Mount Magazine State Park visit our Attractions, Lodging and Dining page.

The mountain has long been an outdoor laboratory for nature study. Today, park interpreters present a wide variety of nature programs for the education and enjoyment of visitors and school groups that visit the park.

The park's magnificent 60-room Lodge at Mount Magazine and 13 park cabins opened in May 2006. Featuring breathtaking views from Mount Magazine's south bluff, these first-class facilities carry on the mountain's lodging tradition that has been a part of the recreational legacy of Mount Magazine since 1900, one most recently carried forward by the U.S. Forest Service lodge that operated on the mountain, at the same site, from the 1940s until it was destroyed by fire in 1971.

Arkansas State Parks has developed Mount Magazine State Park in the Magazine District of the Ozark National Forest on 2,234 acres of national forest lands atop the mountain through a special use permit from the USDA Forest Service. Mount Magazine is one of Arkansas's 52 state parks administered by the State Parks Division of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. Here at Mount Magazine, the combined resources of the Forest Service and Arkansas State Parks ensure the protection of the mountain's natural resources while providing outstanding recreational offerings and lodging facilities for visitors. Mount Magazine State Park is a microcosm of why Arkansas-The Natural State is such a special experience for those who seek quality outdoor experiences.

Visit these other Arkansas Parks & Tourism Websites:
ArkansasStateParks.com | DeGray.com | PetitJeanStatePark.com OzarkFolkCenter.com | QueenWilhelmina.com | Mountain State Parks
CraterofDiamondsStatePark.com | HistoricWashingtonStatePark.com Arkansas.com | Adventure State Parks | History & Heritage State Parks