Magazine Mountain – Paris, Arkansas - Atlas Obscura

Magazine Mountain

Paris, Arkansas

A large stone map of Arkansas awaits visitors to its highest point. 

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Signal Hill on Magazine Mountain is at 2,753 feet above sea level. That, my friends, is the highest point in the fine state of Arkansas.

In the Ozark National Forest and the North Ouachita Mountains, the mountain provides long views to the Petit Jean River valley and the surrounding forests, especially vibrant in autumn. Near the Signal Hill Trailhead are RV sites, a campground, and a new lodge, replacing one that burned down in 1971.

Signal Hill is a plateau with a sandstone cap, jagged ridges of rock surrounding. The origin of the mountain’s name is equally as uninviting. A booming echo of a landslide that caught French explorers unaware sounded like an ammunition magazine exploding, earning the gruff mound of Arkansas earth the moniker “Magazine Mountain.”

Know Before You Go

From Paris, AR, go south on State Route 309, the Mount Magazine Scenic Byway. Turn left on Mount Magazine Road and follow the signs for Cameron Bluff and the Signal Hill Trailhead. Walk one-half mile to the summit.

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