Highpoint #14: Arkansas

Cross-Country Highpointing Trip, Stop #7

Vanity Shot at the Summit

The highpoint of Arkansas is Magazine Mountain, which is located fairly close to the I-40 interstate.  However, I was approaching it from the south having just wrapped up the Louisiana highpoint the previous afternoon.  This entailed some meandering, back roads having me driving decidedly off of the interstate.  I have to say, though, the driving was largely scenic.  I managed to pass by Hot Springs National Park, the Ozark National Forest, and I even had a wonderful vantage point of Nimrod Lake in the distance.  While not faster than the interstate, it was certainly a very enjoyable approach affording me the opportunity to really see Arkansas up close and personal, so to speak.

Entrance Sign for Mt. Magazine State Park

The highpoint of Arkansas is definitely one of the more elaborate ones.  It is contained in a large state park, replete with a visitor’s center, upscale lodge, hiking trails, and even places to rock climb and hang glide.  If highpointing is the least of your interests, you could certainly find plenty of other things to do the pass the time here.  On top of all of that, scenic views abound!  There are several lookout areas offering up some outstanding views. 

An Impressive Lookout

Another Lookout

I stopped in at the visitor’s center to grab a  brochure, but everything is pretty straightforward.  Basically, from the visitor’s center, you just proceed uphill to a ring road.  The highpoint is reached by hiking the Signal Hill trail, which is clearly marked from the road.  Beyond the parking area for this trail, there are overlook pull-offs, an amphitheater, picnic areas, and of course the lodge, all accessible from the road.

Trailhead for the Highpoint

The hike up Signal Hill was pretty easy.  It is about half-mile in length each way and is mainly comprised of switchbacks over gentle terrain.  The only concern is bears.  Evidently, they are indigenous to the area, though not often seen.  That was the case for me on my visit, as I was able to make my way up and down the hill without seeing much of anything in the way of local fauna, save for a lone deer. 

Local Fauna!

At the top of Signal Hill, there is much to remark.  Foremost, there is a very large suspended summit sign announcing the highest point of Arkansas, ringing in at a resounding 2,753 feet!  

The Summit!

Summit Register

In front of the sign, there is an elaborate mosaic of rocks that are arranged in the shape of the state of Arkansas.  Contained within, there is an official USGS geological benchmark marker that marks the true highpoint of the state.  There is also an official summit register.  The only thing that is missing at the top is a great view.  All of the amazing views are had from the ring road just below. 

Detail of USGS Marker

Vanity Shot by USGS Marker

Arriving early, I had the entire highpoint to myself as well as all of the lookouts.  The views really extend for quite some distance.  I have to say, Arkansas exceeded my expectations.  This was definitely one of the nicer highpoints.  Now off to Oklahoma!      

View from the Top!

Another View from the Top!

    

Highpoint #13: Louisiana

Cross-Country Highpointing Trip, Stop #6

Vanity Shot at the Summit

I was quick to leave the highpoint in Florida behind with the rising sun.  The next highpoint on the list was Driskill Mountain in Louisiana, and it was going to take some effort to get there before the sun would begin to set.  That’s the problem with doing a road trip in the winter -- the days are so short!  Luckily though, I was able to do the 8-hour drive without any breaks, so I had a couple of hours to spare in order to ascend this hill, masquerading as a mountain. 

The Church Serves as the Trailhead

Driskill Mountain is located in northern Louisiana, just outside of Ruston in the Bienville Parish.  Yay, my first parish highpoint!  After driving on some back roads, I finally came upon the “Mt. Zion Presbyterian Church and Driskill Memorial Cemetery” which serves as the unofficial trailhead.  It is a small, old church with a certain amount of charm.  The trailhead to the left of it was clearly marked.

     

Mt. Zion Presbyterian Church

535 Feet!

Parking was ample, but I was surprised to see that I was not alone.  Apparently, a party of 4 arrived just ahead of me, and they were preparing to head off for the highpoint as well.  I stayed behind to get some establishing shots for this blog.  I figured they would trudge on ahead, but I caught up to them fairly quickly.  There was an elderly gentleman, Frank, his wife, Linda, and two of their grandchildren.  I was invited to hike along with them.  I agreed.

The Trailhead

Normally, my highpoint attempts are solo, so I was happy to have some company this time around.  Also, sometimes I hike a bit too fast, so it was good to have the chance to calm the pace down considerably and just enjoy the scenery on a lazy Saturday afternoon.  Besides, it was a great opportunity to see the hike from someone else’s perspective.

The Trail is Well-Marked, if Clayey

I was a little concerned that the way to the summit would be difficult to follow, given some old trip reports that I have read.  Fortunately, they recently had an earthmover come in and establish a new and fairly obvious route to the summit.  To make it even more obvious, there were conspicuous signs along the way pointing out the path.  Clearly, getting lost would not be an option.  All the more reason to just relax.    

Really Can't Mess This Up

I spoke with Frank a bit, who was quickly lagging behind from the rest of his family.  He recently had a knee replacement; so all circumstances considered, he was doing remarkably well.  After proudly showing me his scars, I figured it best to continue to stay back and keep a watchful eye just in case he might need the help.  He talked a bit about being a pastor, his career choices along the way, and his general love for science (I had said that I was a scientist).  It was easy and unassuming enough.  After a few rest breaks, Frank made it to the top, as did I. 

Another Trail Marker

I signed the summit register and posed for a photo, graciously taken by Linda, in front of the very large structure marking the summit.  535 feet!  We stayed a bit and appreciated the overlook.  The peak does not have much in the way of prominence; so don’t expect much.  There were a lot of leaves and plenty of trees, not the most alpine of environments.   

Summit Monument

I headed down with the family, mostly staying with Frank again.  It was very relaxing.  Reaching the trailhead, we encountered another couple ready for their turn at the summit.  This is a busy place!  I said my goodbyes, and headed north to spend the night in Arkansas.  Lucky 13 was out of the way! 

View from the Top!     

Highpoint #12: Florida

Cross-Country Highpointing Trip, Stop #5

Vanity Shot at the "Summit" 

The road trip was off to an impressive start with no less than 4 separate state highpoints being had all in the same day!  I spent the night in southern Alabama in a town named Florala, which takes its names from the states of Florida and Alabama.  I knew, if only by the name, that the next morning I was a very short drive away from Florida’s state highpoint.

For the uninitiated, Florida is a pretty flat state.  It is surrounded on three sides by water, has a fair amount of swampland, and its highest elevation rings in at a rather low:  345 feet above sea level.  There are clearly no mountains in the state, and with such a narrow range in elevation, no room for a mighty hill either.  It is the lowest highpoint in the entire country, coming in lower than the Ebright Azimuth in Delaware!  There would certainly not be any difficulty in summiting the highpoint; no, the true difficulty, for me, would be in finding it. 

I was quickly across the border and was ably following the voice commands of the Google Maps app on my phone.  When I saw two open fields on my left, I was informed that I had arrived.  Well enough.  I parked my car along the lane that divided the fields and begun my search.  They were especially flat fields, so I kind of traipsed along them a few times, but I never managed to come across a sign or anything.  After 5-10 minutes of plodding around aimlessly at dawn, I began questioning if I had the right place.  I may have also questioned this whole highpointing business, but that was a separate matter all together.  After verifying that I was indeed where Google wished me to be, I decided to press on a little further down the road to see if there were any signs leading the way. 

Sign for Lakewood Park, Home to Florida's Highpoint

Well, it took all of a minute or so before I was far enough down the road to espy a very large sign announcing:  “Lakewood Park / Walton County, Florida / Florida’s Highest Point 345 Feet”.  It was plain as day.  Sometimes technology is just an impediment. 

Beautiful Florida Sunrise

Fortunately, it was still rather early in the morning with the sun just beginning to rise.  I was quickly ensconced in varying hues of pink and yellow, and I soon forgot of my woes from only minutes before.  It was so beautiful! 

The Path to the Summit

The park is a small roadside affair whose length can be traversed in about a minute or so of walking.  It was pretty obvious, that the paved pathway and monument in the right-hand side of the park were in place to commemorate the highpoint of the state. 

View from the Top!

I walked over and did my best to capture a vanity shot.  I eventually wound up with a photo that was acceptable enough.  I looked around to see if there was a USGS marker to boot, but I did not encounter one.  I took in the sunrise a little longer, simply enjoying its beauty, and then I was off for Louisiana!

 

Highpoint #11: Alabama

Cross-Country Highpointing Trip, Stop #4

Entrance Sign for Cheaha State Park

After visiting the highpoint in Georgia and surviving Atlanta metro, rush hour traffic, I realized that I was not all that far from the highpoint in Alabama and it was still relatively early.  Could I visit 4 state highpoints all in the same day?  Shortly after crossing the Alabama state line, I was buoyed by the chance radio playing of “Sweet Home Alabama”.  Why not!

Festive Entrance Gate

I found myself arriving at Cheaha Mountain located in Cheaha State Park in the early evening, maybe 7ish.  It was pitch black, making this the first highpoint I have ever attempted at night.  As the highpoint is located in a state park, I was afraid that I might have arrived too late.  There is a hotel as well as camping options within the park, so I could always spend the night and ascend first thing in the morning if need be.  Luckily, that was not necessary.  Once I paid the $2 admission fee on the honor system, I chanced upon a sign indicating that the day-use area was open until 9pm.  I had a couple of hours to spare!

$2 to Enter

I drove up the hill, and after a few minutes I caught sight of the bunker tower at the summit.  The lighting was terrible.  As I wrote, it was pitch black, but there was some very modest lighting on the path leading up to the bunker.  I think it was just enough light to corrupt every single photo I attempted to take of the tower.  It is an elaborate structure worthy of photo, so I will link to one here, courtesy of Wikipedia: 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Alabama4.jpg

Fortunately, the rest of my photos did come out.  I was able to snap (vanity) photos in front of the summit sign and the geological marker.  The summit sign is very basic, simply saying, “Alabama’s Highest Point” and giving the elevation as 2,407 feet.  Just a stone’s throw beyond this sign, there is a USGS geological benchmark marker located in the sidewalk.  I was able to lie down and grab a photo of this one as well. 

Vanity Shot by the Summit Sign

The geological marker and the summit sign are sufficient to claim an ascent, but I wish I could have entered the bunker tower as well.  Evidently, even though it is a relatively squat structure, it does boast an observation tower atop it.  I certainly would not have seen anything at night though.  Even during the day, I question how much of a view there could be as this “mountain” was not particularly high in elevation, and it does not boast much in the way of prominence. 

Vanity Shot at USGS Benchmark Marker

After my brief photo shoot, I was off to Florala, Alabama to spend the night.  I know that I treated this particular highpoint as more of a “drive by”, but one can properly spend some time here.  They have really built up the facilities within the park, so you can camp, cook out, eat at the restaurant, stay at the hotel, and really do anything that catches your fancy.  It is one of the more elaborate highpoints in that respect.

Detail of the Highpoint of Alabama