Mount Magazine
| Mount Magazine | |
|---|---|
 Mount Magazine
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| Elevation | 2,753 ft (839 m) [1] |
| Listing | U.S. state high point |
| Location | |
| Range | Magazine Mountains |
| Coordinates | 35°10′01.26″N 93°38′41.01″W / 35.1670167°N 93.644725°WCoordinates: 35°10′01.26″N 93°38′41.01″W / 35.1670167°N 93.644725°W[1] |
| Topo map | USGS Blue Mountain |
| Geology | |
| Type | Sandstone |
| Age of rock | Pennsylvanian |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Hike |
Mount Magazine is the name commonly used for the tallest mountain in the state of Arkansas and is the site of Arkansas's newest state park. The mountain is a flat-topped plateau with a sandstone cap rimmed by precipitous rock cliffs. Two peaks are situated atop the plateau, Signal Hill, which is often identified as the tallest point in Arkansas, and Mossback Ridge, which reaches 2,700 feet (823 m).
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[edit] Location
Magazine Mountain sits in the midst of the Ozark National Forest in the Arkansas River Valley approximately 17 miles (27 km) south of Paris, Logan County, Arkansas, on Highway 309 (also known as the Mount Magazine Scenic Byway). The most scenic route to the top is a beautiful 10 miles (16 km) drive north from Havana, Arkansas. Spectacular views of Blue Mountain Lake will be enjoyed throughout the journey.
[edit] Name
The mountain gets its name from when French explorers were travelling through the area and a landslide occurred on the mountain. The noise from the landslide was so great that one explorer described it as the sound of an ammunition magazine exploding. The explorers then named the mountain "Magazine".
The Geographic Names Index System (GNIS) of the USGS indicates that the official name of this feature is Magazine Mountain, not "Mount Magazine". Although not a hard and fast rule, generally "Mount Xxxxx" is used for a peak, and "Xxxx Mountain" is more frequently used for ridges, which better describes this feature. Magazine Mountain appears in the GNIS as a ridge, with Signal Hill identified as its summit. "Mount Magazine" is the name used by the Arkansas State Parks and Recreation Administration, which follows what the locals have used since the area was first settled. All four of the guidebooks published to date on the subject of state highpoints have used Magazine Mountain.
The mountain is often called "the highest point between the Alleghenies and the Rockies" but there are areas in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and North Dakota with higher elevations.
[edit] See also
- List of U.S. states by elevation
- Mountain peaks of North America
- Mountain peaks of the United States
- Mount Magazine State Park
[edit] References
- ^ a b "MAG". NGS data sheet. U.S. National Geodetic Survey. http://www.ngs.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/ds_mark.prl?PidBox=FG1888. Retrieved 2008-12-16.
[edit] External links
- "Magazine Mountain". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:72537. Retrieved 2008-12-16.
- "Mount Magazine State Park". MountMagazineStatePark.com. http://www.mountmagazinestatepark.com. Retrieved 2008-12-16.
