Mount Magazine
Encyclopedia
Mount Magazine is the name commonly used for the tallest mountain in the state of Arkansas
and is the site of Arkansas's newest state park. 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 often identified as the tallest point in Arkansas, and Mossback Ridge, which reaches 2700 feet (823 m).
The Geographic Names Index System (GNIS) of the USGS indicates that the official name of this feature is "Magazine Mountain", not "Mount Magazine". Although not a hard and fast rule, generally "Mount Xxxxx" is used for a peak, and "Xxxx Mountain" is more frequently used for ridges, which better describes this feature. Magazine Mountain appears in the GNIS as a ridge, with Signal Hill identified as its summit. "Mount Magazine" is the name used by the Arkansas State Parks and Recreation Administration, which follows what the locals have used since the area was first settled. All four of the guidebooks published to date on the subject of state highpoints have used Magazine Mountain.
Magazine Mountain sits in the midst of the Ozark National Forest in the Arkansas River
Valley approximately 17 miles (27 km) 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 miles (16 km) drive north from Havana, Arkansas
. Spectacular views of Blue Mountain Lake
will be enjoyed throughout the journey.
The mountain gets its name from when French explorers were travelling through the area and a landslide occurred on the mountain. The noise from the landslide was so great that one explorer described it as the sound of an ammunition magazine exploding. The explorers then named the mountain "Magazine".
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 multi-million dollar lodge and 13 cliffside cabins were opened on May 18, 2006. The 66617 square feet (6,189 m²) rustic-style lodge offers 60 guest rooms, a grand lobby, a conference center, a business center, an indoor swimming pool, a fitness center, a gift shop, and panoramic views.
Magazine Mountain is the site of the annual "Mount Magazine International Butterfly Festival". The mountain provides habitat for 94 of the 126 butterfly species found throughout Arkansas, including the official state butterfly, the Diana Fritillary
, a rare butterfly found almost exclusively in the river valley area. 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.
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
and is the site of Arkansas's newest state park. 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 often identified as the tallest point in Arkansas, and Mossback Ridge, which reaches 2700 feet (823 m).
The Geographic Names Index System (GNIS) of the USGS indicates that the official name of this feature is "Magazine Mountain", not "Mount Magazine". Although not a hard and fast rule, generally "Mount Xxxxx" is used for a peak, and "Xxxx Mountain" is more frequently used for ridges, which better describes this feature. Magazine Mountain appears in the GNIS as a ridge, with Signal Hill identified as its summit. "Mount Magazine" is the name used by the Arkansas State Parks and Recreation Administration, which follows what the locals have used since the area was first settled. All four of the guidebooks published to date on the subject of state highpoints have used Magazine Mountain.
Magazine Mountain sits in the midst of the Ozark National Forest in the Arkansas River
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. The Arkansas generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's initial basin starts in the Western United States in Colorado, specifically the Arkansas...
Valley approximately 17 miles (27 km) south of Paris
Paris, Arkansas
Paris is a city in Logan County, Arkansas, United States, and serves as the county seat for the northern district of Logan County; its southern district counterpart is Booneville. The population was 3,707 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
, Logan County
Logan County, Arkansas
Logan County is a county located in the U.S. state of Arkansas. As of 2010, the population was 22,353. There are two county seats: Booneville and Paris.-History :...
, Arkansas, on Scenic Highway 309 (also known as the Mount Magazine Scenic Byway). The most scenic route to the top is a beautiful 10 miles (16 km) drive north from Havana, Arkansas
Havana, Arkansas
Havana is a city in Yell County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 392 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Russellville Micropolitan Statistical Area...
. Spectacular views of Blue Mountain Lake
Blue Mountain Lake
Blue Mountain Lake is a reservoir in Arkansas, United States. A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Lake on the Petit Jean River in west central Arkansas, Blue Mountain Lake has approximately 50 miles of shoreline, located between Mount Magazine and the Ouachita Mountain range just west of Havana,...
will be enjoyed throughout the journey.
The mountain gets its name from when French explorers were travelling through the area and a landslide occurred on the mountain. The noise from the landslide was so great that one explorer described it as the sound of an ammunition magazine exploding. The explorers then named the mountain "Magazine".
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
Rock climbing
Rock climbing also lightly called 'The Gravity Game', is a sport in which participants climb up, down or across natural rock formations or artificial rock walls. The goal is to reach the summit of a formation or the endpoint of a pre-defined route without falling...
, horseback riding, biking
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
, ATV trail riding, and hang gliding
Hang gliding
Hang gliding is an air sport in which a pilot flies a light and unmotorized foot-launchable aircraft called a hang glider ....
are available activities. A multi-million dollar lodge and 13 cliffside cabins were opened on May 18, 2006. The 66617 square feet (6,189 m²) rustic-style lodge offers 60 guest rooms, a grand lobby, a conference center, a business center, an indoor swimming pool, a fitness center, a gift shop, and panoramic views.
Magazine Mountain is the site of the annual "Mount Magazine International Butterfly Festival". The mountain provides habitat for 94 of the 126 butterfly species found throughout Arkansas, including the official state butterfly, the Diana Fritillary
Diana Fritillary
The Diana Fritillary is a dimorphic butterfly found in several wooded areas in southern and eastern North America . The butterfly is the official insect of the state of Arkansas...
, a rare butterfly found almost exclusively in the river valley area. The mountain is also home to black bear
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
, whitetail deer, bobcat
Bobcat
The bobcat is a North American mammal of the cat family Felidae, appearing during the Irvingtonian stage of around 1.8 million years ago . With twelve recognized subspecies, it ranges from southern Canada to northern Mexico, including most of the continental United States...
, and coyote
Coyote
The coyote , also known as the American jackal or the prairie wolf, is a species of canine found throughout North and Central America, ranging from Panama in the south, north through Mexico, the United States and Canada...
as well as other species.
The mountain is often called "the highest point between the Alleghenies
Allegheny Mountains
The Allegheny Mountain Range , also spelled Alleghany, Allegany and, informally, the Alleghenies, is part of the vast Appalachian Mountain Range of the eastern United States and Canada...
and the Rockies" but there are areas in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota with higher elevations.
See also
- List of U.S. states by elevation
- Mountain peaks of North AmericaMountain peaks of North AmericaThis article comprises three sortable tables of major mountain peaks of greater North America.This article defines greater North America as the portion of the continental landmass of the Americas extending northward from Panama plus the islands surrounding that landmass...
- Mountain peaks of the United StatesMountain peaks of the United StatesThis article comprises three sortable tables of the major mountain peaks of the United States of America.Topographic elevation is the vertical distance above the reference geoid, a precise mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface...