August 11, 2024
Arrival
Around mid-afternoon on a Saturday in August, I found myself heading south through the Ozarks of Southwestern Missouri. I crossed into Arkansas, soonafter crossing its eponymous river on a long, narrow trestle bridge. This felt auspicious, as I’d spent countless hours hiking and exploring the Upper Arkansas River Valley in Colorado. 700 miles to the east of those headwaters, the River was absolutely massive by comparison. In Arkansas, its waters moved slowly, forming giant muddy braids through the broad valley.
From the river, it was all uphill to my destination. And so the road climbed, gently, towards Mount Magazine State Park, home of the highest natural point in Arkansas. That was my destination for the night.
The road climbed towards smaller and sturdier hardwoods. It grew windy as it made its way up towards Mossback Ridge. This road was originally built during the Great Depression, as part of FDR’s Works Progress Administration and Civilian Conservation Corp. The WPA and CCC likewise built a old hotel and lodge atop the mountain, but it burned down in the 1970s.
Soon enough I had arrived at the top of Mount Magazine, ready to experience the newly incarnated hotel at its summit. Almost immediately I was struck by the gorgeous views to the south of the Petit Jean River Valley.
The Lodge at Mount Magazine
There are no shortage of very fine hotels beneath very fine state high points. The Mount Washington Hotel has hosted diplomats for world-changing conferences beneath the slopes of New Hampshire’s highest peak. The Timberline Lodge on the slopes of Oregon’s Mount Hood served as the exterior filming location for The Shining.
But Arkansas’ Lodge at Mount Magazine remains somewhat unique in two senses. First, it’s quite nearly at the summit of the state high point—a true high point hotel! And second, it’s relatively new. The lodge was completed in 2006, largely the result of the state legislature and public funding.
And I found the lodge rather impressive. It was not particularly tricky or expensive to book—folks are hardly flocking to the summit of a mountain in Arkansas. But it was beautifully appointed, with grand stone fireplaces and rustic chandeliers. The halls and rooms were trimmed in stained natural wood. The views from the balcony of each and every room were stunning (every room faces south!).
And what makes this all the more surprising: this is Arkansas. A deep red, republican state. But here was a beautiful state-owned, built, and operated hotel. And it even had signs on the door banning firearms. America is full of contradictions.
Overnight on Mount Magazine
I strolled the hill top that evening, before enjoying dinner at the lodge’s buffet-style restaurant. But mostly I just relaxed and soaked in the views from the balcony. The complex also features some bookable private cabins, and a campground. I doubt it ever sells out, except perhaps one night I desperately wanted to book months earlier: the day Mount Magazine’s summit sat in the “path of totality” for the solar eclipse.
From the ridge top of Mount Magazine, directly below the hotel, a steep slope falls off to the south. There’s a cliff band near the summit but hidden beneath dense foliage, popular with rock climbers. The total vertical drop from the summit to Blue Mountain Lake and the Petit Jean River is 2000 vertical feet, making this perhaps the most topographically dramatic spots anywhere between the Alleghenies and the Rockies.
Summiting Signal Hill
The next morning I did a short hike up to the true summit, dubbed Signal Hill. Signal Hill sits slightly higher than Mossback Ridge, both on Mount Magazine. It had rained at some point overnight, and the wooded summit’s dense foliage really popped as a result.
The trail rose less than 200 feet, over a half mile. The high point itself featured the classic mailbox/bench pair often provided by the Highpointers Club. Somewhat unique: an array of flagstones were arranged into the shape of the state of Arkansas, with various rivers and geographical points denoted.
After visiting the summit, I continued in a loop on the same trail, arcing around back near the campgrounds before heading back towards the hotel. It was a lovely morning stroll atop Arkansas’ Mount Magazine.
