Mount Magazine State Park

Mount Magazine State Park surrounds the highest point in Arkansas, a long flat-topped ridge rising more than 2,700 feet above the Petit Jean River valley, and it is the best scenic day trip from Van Buren when you want more mountain than the train rides provide. The park sits a little over an hour south and east of Van Buren, in the Ouachita-adjacent hills near Paris, Arkansas, and the drive itself is part of the experience, climbing through forest on a winding road until the land opens out into dramatic views. At the top you will find overlooks, picnic areas, a visitor center, hiking trails, a campground, cabins and a large mountaintop lodge with a restaurant. Visitors come for the panoramas, for the cooler air in summer, for rare butterflies and wildflowers in the warm months, and above all for the foliage in October and early November, when the slopes turn to gold, orange and red. The park has a long tradition of outdoor recreation, including hiking, rock climbing, rappelling, hang gliding and mountain biking, though most visitors simply drive to the main overlooks, take short walks and enjoy a meal with a view. It is a natural counterpart to a train day in the Boston Mountains, because it shows the same Ozark and Ouachita landscape from above.

Choose your activities according to your energy. Short walks lead to rock outcrops and viewpoints, such as the area near the highest point itself, where a marker records the elevation. Longer trails wander through hardwood forest and along bluffs, and a few are steep or rocky, so wear sturdy shoes. In summer the temperature on the mountain is noticeably lower than in the river valley, which makes it a refuge on hot days. Wildflowers and butterflies, including some species that are uncommon elsewhere, are a highlight in spring and summer.

The lodge at the top is a destination in its own right, with rooms, a dining room and views across the valley, and staying overnight lets you see the sunrise or sunset from the ridge. If you only have a day, plan a meal or a coffee at the lodge to give yourself a pause. Cabins and campsites are also available, but they fill quickly in fall and on holiday weekends, so book well ahead. For day visitors, entry to the park itself does not require a ticket, though some activities and facilities have fees.

Plan the drive carefully. The roads on the mountain are winding and can be foggy, icy or slow in bad weather, so check conditions before you set out, fill the fuel tank in advance, and allow extra time. Cell service can be patchy, so download directions. Fall color varies from year to year with rainfall and temperature, so look for current reports before committing to a particular weekend.

A full day is ideal, leaving Van Buren in the morning, stopping at the overlooks, eating at the lodge, and returning in the evening. Combine this with a morning at the Fort Smith Museum of History or a train ride on another day, and you will have seen the historic, scenic and mountain sides of this corner of Arkansas.