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Mount Magazine State Park
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MOUNT MAGAZINE STATE PARK
MOUNT MAGAZINE STATE PARK
16878 Highway 309 South
Paris, Arkansas   72855

Phone: 479-963-8502
Toll Free: 877-665-6343
Email: park email button icon
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 to 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, naturalists, and vacationers.

History of the Area
Though now graced by Ozark National Forest lands and Mount Magazine State Park, Mount Magazine earlier served as home to the settlers who came here in the 1800s to farm. Later, cabins and lodges were built atop the mountain to attract and accommodate the travelers who journeyed to the mountain for recreation, relaxation, and escape from the heat in the lowlands below that the summit's cooler temperatures afforded.

Camping
Arkansas Camping at Mount Magazine

The campground at Mount Magazine State Park is located at the site of the former USDA Forest Service Cameron Bluff Campground. The park campground, which opened in the summer of 2001, features reconstructions and upgrades to the original campground, including 18 campsites with water, electric, and sewer hookups. The campground includes a barrier-free bathhouse with hot showers and flush toilets. The park provides an RV dump station. Park campsites man be reserved online or by calling Mount Magazine State Park at: 479-963-8502.

Cameron Bluff Campground

The Cameron Bluff Campground offers 18 campsites (including Class AAA and Class AA including Tent rates). Each site has electric, water, and sewer hookups with a large tent pad, picnic table, upright and ground grill, light pole, and a spacious camping area.

All sites offer 30 amp electric services except for sites #3 and #5, which are supplied with 50 amp service. Site #7 is a barrier-free ADA campsite. Paved parking areas range from 47 to 75 feet in length and are generally very level. Most of the sites will allow for awnings and pull-outs on each side of the camping unit. The bathhouse in the campground offers hot showers and flush toilets. It is open throughout the year.

The campground is located in a wooded area north of Signal Hill, at 2,753-feet it's the tallest point in Arkansas. Camping here is especially popular during summer because of the mountain's cooler temperatures that are usually 10 degrees cooler than in the valleys below. Another advantage to camping on the mountain is that mosquitoes are a rarity here.

When the campground is full, campers may choose from two overflow camping areas at the Brown Springs picnic area and the horse camp.

Mount Magazine Horse Camp

This camping space for tents and horse trailers is within the state park. It is currently undeveloped but in the future will offer up to 21 modern campsites for campers with horses. Located at the entrance to the Huckleberry Mountain Horse Trail managed by the USDA Forest Service, this site provides a great starting point to explore the 34-mile trail system.

Lodge
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.


Location
Mount Magazine State Park is

Trails
Mount Magazine State Park offers a variety of Arkansas hiking and outdoor adventure activities. Hikers can take a hike on the Signal Hill Trail, or the Greenfield, Benefield, Mossback Ridge, or Will Apple's Road Trails and explore the many natural and historical resources of the mountain. Park trails vary in length from .5 to 2.8 miles. The total trails system in the park is 14.2 miles.

In addition, the park trails link to the USDA Forest Service's 9.7-mile Cove Lake Trail and 34-mile Huckleberry Mountain Horse Trail that lead into the adjacent Ozark National Forest. They can be enjoyed in as little as one hour, or for as long as an overnight backpacking experience.

The Huckleberry Mountain Horse Trail is the park's only multi-use trail. Here ATV's, hikers, bikers, and horse riders can follow the trail to the park boundary and continue into the national forest for 34 miles of some of the most scenic and rugged landscape in Arkansas.

Bicycling
Mountain Biking

For mountain bikers, the Huckleberry Mountain Trail is a challenging 34-mile trek down the mountain and into the adjacent Ozark National Forest. This multi-use trail is also used by equestrians, ATV's, and backpackers. The trail's three loops cross creeks and connect Mount Magazine with nearby Huckleberry Mountain. Camping is allowed on the portions of trail that are located on national forest lands.

Road Cycling

For those wanting to just get a nice road ride in, Mount Magazine State Park has several miles of bike lanes around the top of the mountain. Riders can go from the lodge, out on the beautiful Camaron Bluff drive and over to the park visitor center. Nice rolling hills all along the way and refreshing mountain breezes make this ride a joy for all levels of cyclists.

Bikes are available to rent at the lodge. Always wear a helmet.
Geocaching
Geocaching, high tech treasure hunting with the help of a Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) device, is another outdoor adventure you can enjoy in the State Parks of Arkansas. The hallmark of Arkansas's state parks system is its diversity, and this wide variety of natural and historic settings, landmarks and architectural works, makes the state parks great getaways for enjoyable geocaching sport.


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Directions
Mount Magazine State Park is located on Scenic Highway 309 approximately 17 miles south of Paris; or from Danville, travel nine miles west on Ark. 10 to Havana, then go 10 miles north on Scenic Highway 309.

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Arkansas
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Arkansas State Parks

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