Mount Magazine

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Mount Magazine
Elevation 2,753 Feet(840 metres)[1]
Location Arkansas, USA
Range Ouachita Mountains
Coordinates 35°10′02″N, 93°38′41″W
Topo map USGS Blue Mountain
Type Sandstone
Age of rock Precambrian
Easiest route hike

Mount Magazine is the tallest mountain in the state of Arkansas and is the site of Arkansas's newest state park.

Mount Magazine is 2,753 feet above sea level.[1] The mountain is a flat-topped plateau with a sandstone cap rimmed by precipitous rock cliffs. Two peaks are situated atop the plateau, Signal Hill, which is the tallest point in Arkansas, and Mossback Ridge which reaches 2,700 feet.

Mount Magazine sits in the midst of the Ozark National Forest in the Arkansas River Valley approximately 17 miles south of Paris, Logan County, Arkansas, on Scenic Highway 309 (also known as the Mount Magazine Scenic Byway). The most scenic route to the top is a beautiful 10 mile drive north from Havana, Arkansas. Spectacular views of Blue Mountain Lake will be enjoyed throughout the journey.

The park offers 18 campsites, hiking trails, pavilion and picnic area with restrooms, and assorted scenic overlooks. The visitor's center maintains an exhibit gallery and gift shop. Interpretive programs are presented by the park staff on a regular basis. Rock climbing, horseback riding, biking, ATV trail riding, and hang gliding are available activities. A new 100 room lodge complete with restaurant and swimming pool, as well as 13 cliffside cabins was opened on May 18, 2006.

Mount Magazine is the site of the annual "Mount Magazine International Butterfly Festival". 94 of the 126 Arkansas butterfly species inhabit the mountain. The mountain is also home to black bear, whitetail deer, bobcat, and coyote as well as other species.

The mountain is often called "the highest point between the Alleghenies and the Rockies" but there are areas in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota with higher elevations.

This is a view from the top of Mount Magazine looking northwest to the valley below.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Elevations and Distances in the United States. U.S Geological Survey (29 April 2005). Retrieved on November 9, 2006.