Thursday morning, we left Tulsa after a lovely night’s sleep in a hotel and crossed into Arkansas via Fort Smith by lunch time. I didn’t know much about this town, but when I saw signs for a Fort Smith National Historic Site, my homeschooling self saw an opportunity! It turned out to be quite an educational experience!

The area preserves the remains of 2 versions of Fort Smith. The first was built in the early 1800s as a peace keeping presence between Cherokee and Osage Indians in the area as new settlers moved in. In 1830, the 2nd and larger Fort was built by the US Army as the Indian Removal Act was enforced and it stood as barrier between Indian Territory and Arkansas. In 1863 until 1871, the Fort was under Union control during the Civil War training many United States Colored Troops regiments. We were very pleased with our mid way stretch and lunch break!

Our next 2 hours on the road were quite entertaining and scenic! The roads were twisty curvy and had a quite a few steep climbs. There’s definitely more elevation in Arkansas than I thought! We arrived at Mount Magazine State Park and were set up by 3pm. The ranger at checkin got a good giggle at this Texan with my concern over the reported black bear population, but assured me they were “still asleep” haha!

With the weather forecasting colder at 2500 ft elevation, we took advantage of the 60s and sunny and hit the trail to hike the 2ish mile loop to Arkansas’ highest point. At 2,753ft above sea level, this is the kids highest hike to date!

Along the way, we also scoped out the cabins and lodge that the park offered and were very impressed.

Back at the camper, the sun was going down and the wind was picking up. Like 25mph gusts picking up! We opted for an evening of ease and ate dinner at the lodge’s restaurant. We reluctantly left Sally in her kennel in the camper once again hoping an hour away wouldn’t throw her into a fit. I also adjusted how I zipped the kennel with a carabiner in place. All to no avail. She just ripped her way out this time and was once again wandering the camp site when we returned. Twit. Now the kennel is useless and my dog has a new neurotic trait. I’m now pondering adjustments before our next attempt to the hit the road with her on trip that requires her being left alone at times.

This was a coldest night and the wind made things turbulent at first, but it was also the QUIETEST night of the trip so far and as a result we all slept really well. My trip to the bathhouse at 5 am was lovely with the stars and the quiet woods. When the sun came out, it was still only 38 degrees that morning! We made biscuits in the camper thanks to an awesome toaster oven Grandma gifted me for Christmas and then hopped in the car for some sight seeing.

We checked out a cliff side amphitheater, stood in awe of a hang gliding launch pad and the kids made my momma heart skip a beat as the older 2 walked out onto a narrow outcrop over the valley.

Over on the other side of the park, the temp climbed into the upper 40s and we briskly walked a 1 mile loop trail to a few other scenic overlooks.

After sightseeing, we packed up Wanda and drove 2.5 hours to Hot Springs for the weekend.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in “the mountains” I feel like Archer really connected with something here. He was really up for anything and asked for his picture with the scenery often. This park didn’t just serve as a strategic stop, it was a wonderful experience! Just the sheer peace and quiet would keep me coming back if I lived in Arkansas. Maybe the bears aren’t that scary ;).

-Lindsay