Mount Magazine - State Park of the Week #5

Mount Magazine State Park
Location: Western Arkansas.  100 mi. S. of Fayetteville.  100 mi. W of Little Rock.
Area: 2,234 ac.
Major Attractions: Highest Point in Arkansas (2,753 ft). Great Views.  Nice Lodge.
Miles of Trail: 20+ Some longer trails leave the park.
My Favorite Part: Easy trails with nice views. Eating at the lodge after a cold night of camping.
Getting There:
From Little Rock: Take Hwy-10 west and then turn right on AR-309.  This route is much more scenic than taking the interstate and doesn't take much longer.

From the website:
Mount Magazine State Park is located on Scenic Highway 309 approximately 16 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.
Website: http://www.mountmagazinestatepark.com

Mount Magazine State Park contains the highest point in Arkansas and offers stunning views of the Arkansas River Valley and the Ouachita Mountains.  The top of the mountain is somewhat flat and mostly forested, so the best views are found around the rim rather than at the peak.  The lodge, cabins, and campsites are very popular in the fall, so be sure to book in advance.  There is a network of short trails that take you to various points around the mountain and these connect to longer trails that leave the park.

Crater of Diamonds - State Park of the Week #4

Crater of Diamonds State Park
Location: SW Arkansas.  2 mi. S. of Murfreesboro.  108 mi. SW of Little Rock.
Area: 911 ac.
Major Attractions: Digging for diamonds!
Miles of Trail: 2.6
My Favorite Part: Attempting to get rich quick.  As a child it was finding cool rocks and playing in the dirt.
Getting There: From the website:
From Little Rock - Travel west on I-30 approximately 56 miles and take exit #73 at Arkadelphia, then go west on Ark. 51 for six miles, then follow Ark. 26 for approximately 34 miles to Murfreesboro. From the courthouse square in downtown Murfreesboro (North Washington Avenue), travel two miles southeast on Ark. 301 to the park.

From Texarkana - Go east on I-30 for 30 miles and take Exit #30 at Hope. Take U.S. 278 north and go 27 miles to Nashville. From Nashville, take Ark. 27 north and go 13 miles to Murfreesboro. From the courthouse square in downtown Murfreesboro (North Washington Avenue), travel two miles southeast on Ark. 301 to the park.
Website: http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com

Crater of Diamonds State Park sits on top of an old volcanic crater.  It is the only place in the world where the public can search for diamonds and keep whatever they find.  Of course, income from park entrance fees, the cafe, the water park, and equipment rentals probably eclipse whatever the state could make off the diamonds found at the site.  As a child, I enjoyed playing in the dirt and finding interesting rocks.  Grownups enjoy the thought of taking home a large, unique, and valuable diamond.  Only a small portion of the park's area is cleared for diamond hunting, leaving much of the park wooded.  There are 3 short trails at Crater of Diamonds that offer views of interesting geological features and the Little Missouri River.

Prairie Grove Battlefield - State Park of the Week #3

Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park
Location: Prairie Grove, 11 mi. SW of Fayetteville off of US-62
Area: 708 ac.
Major Attractions: Civil War Battlefield, Apple Picking
Miles of Trail: 1 mile - Paved Loop
My Favorite Part: Picking apples at the old farmstead.
Getting There: Head west from Fayetteville on US-62. The park is well signed and will be on your right as your enter Prairie Grove.
Website: http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/prairiegrovebattlefield/
More Information:  Battlefield Trail   Apple Picking at Prairie Grove Battlefield

Prairie Grove Battlefield State Park is home to one of the best preserved Civil War battlefields in the country.  Its one mile Battlefield Trail and five mile driving tour take visitors through areas that played a significant part in the Dec. 7th, 1862 Battle of Prairie Grove.  The park has a visitor center, playground, pavilions, historic buildings, and an apple grove that is open to the public.

Toltec Mounds - State Park of the Week #2

Toltec Mounds Archeological State Park

Location: 16 mi. SE of Little Rock, 9 mi. north of England. On Hwy. 386 off of US-165
Area: 130 ac.
Major Attractions: Native American Mounds, Artifacts in Visitor Center, Boardwalk on Oxbow Lake
Miles of Trail: 2.25
My Favorite Part: Watching wildlife from the boardwalk
Getting There: From the website: "Take Exit 169 off I-40, going south on Arkansas Highway 15 for 14 miles to Keo, then northwest on U.S. Highway 165 for 4 miles; OR, from I-440, take Exit 7 (England), going southeast on U.S. Hwy. 165 for 10 miles to the park"
Website: http://www.arkansasstateparks.com/toltecmounds/
More Information: This park and its trails are covered in Trails of Central Arkansas.  Wikipedia has lots of great archeological/historical information.

Petit Jean - State Park of the Week #1

The State Park of the Week is a new feature I will be trying out as I attempt to get back into book writing mode.  Since Petit Jean has long been my favorite state park, I decided to start with it.

Petit Jean State Park
Location: 20 miles west of Morrilton and Perryville atop Petit Jean Mountain along AR-154
Area: 3,471 ac.
Major Attractions: Cedar Falls, Huge Bluffs, Caves, Turtle Rocks, Incredible Views, Nice Lodge and Cabins, Lots of Campsites
Miles of Trail:  20+
My Favorite Part: Seven Hollows Trail
Getting There: From Central Arkansas either take I-40 to Morrilton, then AR-9 south, and AR-154 west; or for a more scenic route (and maybe faster from West Little Rock) take Hwy-10 west, AR-324 N, AR-155 N, and AR-154 E.
Website: http://www.petitjeanstatepark.com/

New Regular Features

I will be trying out some new regular features on the blog in an effort to get back into book writing mode.  These posts will be more formal and provide descriptions, maps, and photos with out all the "Last week Buddy and I decided to..." narrative.

The features I plan on introducing are:
1.  State Park of the Week.  These will be limited to Arkansas State Parks and should boost the amount of Arkansas content I have on here, even when I'm out-of-state.

2.  National Park of the Week.  These will somewhat obviously not be limited to Arkansas.  While outside the scope indicated by the title of this blog, National Parks are amazing places and I like visiting and writing about them so I will!

Both will have their own labels/tags (SPOTW & NPOTW) so if you enjoy this style more than my typical articles, you can easily access only articles done this way.

I also plan on getting back into more policy related pieces. I haven't done any recently, but have some good ones planned on a variety of issues relating to hiking, biking, and paddling in Arkansas.