Will Newton

Pinnacle Mountain

 See this article in English at ¡Sal y Explora!

The state park now has a new visitor center to explore, housed in an innovative architectural space. Here you will find new indoor and outdoor exhibits, a trail entrance to the base of the West Summit Trail and more.

Shea Lewis, secretary of Arkansas State Parks, Heritage and Tourism, inaugurated the new visitor center at Pinnacle Mountain State Park, along with the assistance of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

“Pinnacle Mountain State Park is our most visited day-use park with over 500,000 visitors each year. This new visitor center will be a hub for visitors who are about to embark on adventures throughout the park, such as hiking to the summits, taking a leisurely stroll through the Arkansas Arboretum or biking more than 18 miles of the monument trail system” said Lewis.

At Pinnacle Mountain State Park, near Little Rock, outdoor explorations include climbing to the top of Pinnacle Mountain, paddling, hiking and mountain biking, and the park’s Monument Trails. Pinnacle Mountain State Park is also a Trail of Tears National Historic Site.

In her remarks, Sanders indicated Loblolly Creamery will be opening a location in the visitor center with plans to sell not only ice cream but other food and possibly beer and wine. A patio area among various park exhibits is available for enjoying both the architecture of the building and the beauty of the mountain woods.

On Nov. 18, 2023, Arkansas State Parks closed the visitor center which had served as the office for the park staff and was the focal point of interpretation throughout the park. The visitor center was in what had been a less visited part of the park until the Monument Trails opened up in 2020. The building served this function since the 1970s and was in need of new exhibits, a better gift shop layout and more office space. This new visitor center is at 9600 Arkansas State Highway 300, located a quarter-mile north of the West Summit Day-use area.

The new building has massive glass windows that let the surrounding nature shine through. An outside pavilion in the back has interpretive exhibits and access to the trails. New exhibits can be found throughout the visitor center.

“The 360-degree panorama view of the top of the mountain in the middle of the exhibit room is a must see, especially for those who have never hiked to the top of Pinnacle Mountain,” said Josh Jeffers, park superintendent at Pinnacle Mountain State Park. “From there [visitors] should go outside on the patio and check out the geology zone that gives the geologic history of Pinnacle Mountain’s formation.”

The building is 11,672 square feet with an additional 1,950 square feet covered outside. Total construction costs for the building were $10.1 million, with another $1.2 million in furnishings and exhibits. It was funded through Amendment 75 – 1/8 Cent Conservation Revenue and Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council Grant Funding. The building architect was Polk Stanley Wilcox Architects; landscape architecture was created by the Environmental Design Group; the exhibits were by Taylor Studios Inc.; and the contractors were CDI Contractors and Frank Sharum Landscape.

The mountain bike trails at Pinnacle Mountain State Park are part of the Monument Trail System that can also be found at four other state parks: Devil’s Den, Mount Nebo and Hobbs. The new visitor center is the first with exhibits not only referencing the Monument Trails but also going into some depth on what they are and how they were built. Besides the video and exhibits in the building, there is also an exhibit at the bike rack in front of the building.

To learn more about this new visitor center at Pinnacle Mountain State Park in central Arkansas and find more information about the 52 state parks in the Arkansas State Park System, visit arkansasstateparks.com.

Also, Arkansas is proud to have seven National Park Service sites, each offering a unique perspective on the state and its place in American culture.