The thing I love so much about this highpointing goal is that it encourages me to travel to places I’d never visit otherwise.
Case in point: Mount Magazine, the highest point in Arkansas.
Sure, there’s a state park here, and some trails and a river and other scenery. But it’s a big world full of parks and trails and rivers and scenery. If not for my highpointing aspirations, the Ouachita Mountains (pronounced WAH-chi-tah) never would’ve made the cut.
But here we were, driving Arkansas Highway 7 north through the Ouachita National Forest, a winding and scenic tour of rural Arkansas. It was quite the contrast to the city streets of Little Rock and the historic streets of Hot Springs.
The tree-lined highway gradually gave way to a more wide-open landscape, and finally, about 90 minutes into our 2 hour drive, Mount Magazine came into view.
Mount Magazine – shown on some maps as Magazine Mountain – is a mesa that rises more than 2000 feet (610 m) between the Petit Jean River Valley to the south and the Arkansas River Valley to the north.
From the tiny town of Havana, we turned north onto Arkansas Highway 309, which climbs over 2000 feet (610 m) in 10 miles (16 km), crossing into Mount Magazine state park. The road up is narrow, curvy, and partially under construction. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait too long through the one-lane road section.
Near the top is the Petit Jean Valley Overlook. This was also our lunch spot. Even if the picnic tables hadn’t been snowed in, it was far too cold to eat outside. Luckily, we’ve perfected the car picnic, so we enjoyed our meal while also enjoying the view.
At the top of the road is the park visitor center and the turnoff toward the summit. We had plenty of time, so we stopped for a few minutes at the visitor center to learn about the geology and ecology of central Arkansas.
From there, we continued along the summit road, traversing the ridge of Mount Magazine. Because of its shape, there are multiple high points atop the mountain. The highest of these is called Signal Hill, and the trail to the high point is appropriately named Signal Hill Trail.
I think there’s some roadside parking at the trailhead, but it was covered by snow so it was hard to tell. Instead, we parked just up the road at Mount Magazine Lodge and walked along the shoulder back to the Signal Hill Trailhead. Luckily, there was almost no traffic. The snow certainly seemed to be keeping people away.
After the first set of stone stairs, the trail was entirely snow-covered, so we put on our Yaktrax (which I’d ordered in a panic less than 24 hours before our trip, when I realized it was still snowy and icy and we wouldn’t be able to pack our microspikes on the plane).
It’s only 0.7 miles (1.1 km) and about 195 feet (59 m) to the summit, so though the snow slowed us down slightly, it was a pretty quick hike. Soon, we found ourselves on the highest point in Arkansas.
It was early afternoon and the sun was out and we had the summit to ourselves, so we decided to hang out for a bit. We signed the register, took plenty of photos, and ate a snack, and I’m very glad we decided to be leisurely because it meant we were still there when an armadillo came shuffling by. Having spent very little time in the south, this was the first armadillo sighting for both of us.
We had a room booked at Mount Magazine Lodge for the night but, despite lingering on the summit, we still arrived back at the trailhead about an hour before check-in. We decided to pass the time with a beer in the on-site restaurant, where we each enjoyed a local brew, the view, and a conversation with a local couple.
At last it was time to check in. I wish I’d gotten better photos of the lodge itself because it was nice and rustic. I did get a photo of our room, at least. The lodge is built right on the edge of the mesa, and every room faces south, meaning every room comes with a great view!
After settling in, we enjoyed our dinner, soaked in the hot tub, and spent the remainder of the evening relaxing. It’s always nice to get away for a few days. But in the morning, we’d be heading back to Little Rock – the first step on our journey back to reality.
Mount Magazine is my 17th state high point, meaning I have officially made it 1/3 of the way to my goal!
I don’t have any immediate plans for my next high point, though I hope to keep making slow, steady progress. And whichever high point comes next, I know I’ll enjoy seeing a new part of the country that I’d probably never visit otherwise.
Up next: a stunning winter hike in Rocky Mountain National Park
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