Order of Visit: High Point #8
Date Visited: March 9, 2019
Route Taken: North Rim Trail and Signal Hill Trail to the summit; Mossback Ridge Trail and Greenfield Trail on the return to trailhead (5.5 miles roundtrip)
Type of Terrain: Moderately easy trail through lightly wooded terrain
Elevation: 2,753 feet
Ancestral Lands: Caddo, Osage, O-ga-xpa
What’s in a name?
Mt. Magazine is the only state high point in the U.S. rumored to get its name from a sound.
According to some sources, the name originated with French explorers in the 17th century who witnessed a landslide on the mountain. The noise from event was so loud, that one of the Frenchmen described as something like an ammunition magazine exploding.
The state of Arkansas isn’t going with this story though. According to the state park website, the entomology of the peak’s name was attributed to its location.
In 1819, botanist Thomas Nuttall, recorded his observations as he traveled up the Arkansas River. One of the prominent landmarks (Mt. Nemo) was then-called Magazin because it resembled an ammunition storehouse, and all the nearby mountains between the Arkansas River and Petit Jean River were referred to as “the Magazines.”
Mapmakers later named each of the individual mountains in the Magazine Range, with the tallest one called Mt. Magazine.
However, the top of the Magazine Mountain doesn’t have a single apex like most mountains. It’s a flat-topped plateau with two peaks situated atop it – one is Signal Hill and the other is Mossback Ridge. The higher of these two is Signal Hill.
Adding even more confusion into the mix is the order of the names. Several written and academic sources refer to this high point as Magazine Mountain. Meanwhile, the state park and sign at the summit refer to it as Mt. Magazine.
So, which order is correct??
According to the U.S. Geological Survey’s Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) the official name of this landform is Magazine Mountain.
Generally “Mount [Name]” is used for individual peaks, while “[Name] Mountain” is used for ridges, which better describes this landform. Magazine Mountain is a ridge with Signal Hill as its summit. Nonetheless, the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism continues to call it Mt. Magazine, because it’s the name locals have used since the area was first settled.
Trip Summary
Our trip started on an ominous day. We woke up in Little Rock to heavy rain and tornado sirens sounding. Luckily, the severe storms passed by 10:30 am, and we never saw any funnel clouds.
Of course, this meant we got a later start on our 100-mile drive to Mt. Magazine State Park. Fortunately, we found a tasty Mexican restaurant for lunch in Perryville, so we didn’t have any complaints.
Shortly after turning onto Hwy 309 (aka Mt. Magazine Scenic Byway), we noticed the road began to climb steeply for the next 10 miles toward the summit. There were dozens of switchbacks, and it was a slow venture up, especially since we were driving behind a large 5th wheel trailer.
I knew from some prior online research that we wanted to stop at the Visitor’s Center, just over 2 miles from the summit so we could hike up. I didn’t print off a good map and my phone didn’t have any cell bars to pull it up on Google Maps once we got up into the mountains.
Luckily for me, the Visitor’s Center was really obvious and they had phenomenally good paper maps. These easily put my online research to shame.
After viewing the various displays in the Visitor Center, we decided to make a circuit – taking different routes up to the summit and back so we could see as much of the park as possible.
Taking a counter-clockwise route, we departed the Visitor Center on the 2.2-mile North Rim Trail. The trail was extremely well maintained with color-coded metal hiker tags on the trees.
This route involved some really pleasant hiking on a single track trail. And thanks to the lack of leaves in early March, we could peek at some of the rock bluffs through the trees.
We also encountered several streams, which were easy to cross using some rocks. They added a nice element to the trail with the burbling water as all the streams were running steadily from the recent rains.
As we neared the summit, we had cross the road to briefly merge with the Mossback Ridge Trail. Then we crossed a second roadway to get to the Signal Hill Trail taking us the rest of the way to the summit.
Even though all the trees were bare, there weren’t any views at the summit to enjoy. Another hiker joined us at the top and volunteered to take our photo. This was a major win – giving us one of our few highpointing photos with all three of us standing together at a summit.
On the way back down, we opted to take a different route, merging onto the Mossback Ridge Trail toward the Visitor Center. Although it was a wider trail and an easier grade overall, this trail wasn’t as pleasant as the North Rim Trail because there were several muddy sections. Perhaps in a drier season it’s the more preferable route for most visitors.
Overall, this was a very pleasant high point to visit. We had a long enough hike to make it feel like a challenge, but nothing was overly difficult.
Details
When to Visit: Year-round.
Getting There: Mount Magazine is located in Mt. Magazine State Park – approximately 60 miles southeast of Fort Smith, AR.
Entrance Fees/Permits: None.
Parking: Visitors can park near the Lodge and take the Signal Hill Trail 0.4 miles to the summit. Or, if you want to hike a bit further (like we did), there is plenty of parking at the Visitor Center and Greenfield Picnic Area, about 2.5 miles from the summit.
Accessibility: Good for all ages.
Bonus: If you’d like to visit overnight, a campground, with 16 cabins and a 60-room lodge (with an indoor swimming pool and restaurant) sits near the summit.
Resources:
- Mt. Magazine State Park (Arkansas State Parks)
- Overview of Mount Magazine-Signal Hill (Summit Post)