Arkansas State Parks

Louisiana Purchase State Park

10/3/2015 Heading more sedately north we got back off the Byway and arrived at the Beginning Point of the Louisiana Purchase Survey NHL (Louisiana Purchase State Park). A granite marker here commemorates the starting point of land surveys made of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase. We walked down a long boardwalk through the dark woods to the marker that is sometimes partially under water, although it was dry when we were there..

The park sign ...

... and informative stuff

Cool boardwalk!

The marker

Me at the site

Parkin Archeological State Park

10/1/2015 Heading backed west from here we continued to the Parkin Indian Mound NHL (Archeological State Park). An aboriginal palisaded village existed here around 1350–1650 and was visited by de Soto in 1542. We were the only ones here, but did have a nice chat with the park person, and she gave us brochures for places we were heading to. We watched the film about the village and the interaction with de Soto's party, then walked the loop trail outside which crossed the (now filled in) moat a few times and went by the mound area, as well as some remnants of the later-day sawmill and associated town.

The park sign

Historical info signage

A long view of the mound

Me by the mound and signage

Plum Bayou (Toltec) Mounds Archeological State Park

10/2/2015 Headed SE out of town to [Plum Bayou] (Toltec) Mounds Site NHL (Archeological State Park). Occupied by its original inhabitants from 600 to 1050, this was an 18-mound complex and contains the tallest surviving prehistoric mounds in Arkansas. After a short film, we walked on the main trail through the park on a breezy and cool but beautiful morning - weather great all day. The trail took us by the large remaining mounds as well as down to the pretty oxbow lake behind the biggest mound. Here we walked the boardwalk through the cedar swamp - very pretty.

The park sign

The trail we took

Me by a mound

Cool cypress knees

Mom and me on the boardwalk

Another view of the mound

A panorama of the mound area from the trail