Mount Magazine State Park, which can be found on the highest peak in Arkansas, is an esteemed rock climbing destination in Arkansas. 

A recent project, spearheaded by the Arkansas Parks and Recreation Foundation in collaboration with the Arkansas Climbers Coalition, took place at the climbing area of the state park. 

The project stemmed from grant funding from the Access Fund for anchor replacement on the climbing wall at Mount Magazine State Park. Work took place on 32 climbing routes there and included improving and adding new anchors, adding lower-offs, and replacing old bolts. 

“All of these improvements make for safer rock climbing,” said Mitchell Allen, executive director of the Arkansas Parks and Recreation Foundation.

Allen got a grant to supply hardware for the replacement effort and then organized a rebolting event at the park, reaching out to the Arkansas Climbers Coalition, a non-profit whose aim is to preserve and protect climbing areas in Arkansas, for a group of experienced climbers to help out onsite with the rebolting work. 

“Mount Magazine State Park has a long history of climbing in Arkansas with some of the first ever sport routes bolted there,” said Allen. “The climbing there feels very different from the rest of the state, with huge exposure looking out over the Petit Jean River valley. The Foundation and Arkansas Climbers Coalition hope to continue working with Arkansas State Parks to improve the rock climbs and make sure the history is preserved.”

The project was a collaborative effort. 

“Being able to tap into advocacy organizations like the Arkansas Climbers Coalition helps reduce the burden on Arkansas State Parks staff, especially when it comes to really specialized work like replacing rock climbing hardware,” said Allen. “Knowing that the parks have that support really makes it easier for the parks to continue allowing so many different recreational uses. Working together on these projects is necessary to protect both the ecological and recreational resources we love.”

Among the climbers that helped with the project was Chase Webb, a volunteer with the Arkansas Climbers Coalition and a former board member at the non-profit. 

“A lot of the hardware in Arkansas is aging,” said Webb. “A lot of the payday of sport climbing development was back in the 80s and 90s to the early 2000s at Mount Magazine specifically. So if it wasn't stainless steel, that hardware is now rusty and questionable and climbers like feeling safe when they climb as much as possible. So there's been a huge push to replace all that hardware with stainless steel and stuff that's long-lasting and makes people feel a lot better when they're climbing out here.”

Webb comes out to the area on his own to climb, replace bolts, and take on new routes. 

“We moved to Arkansas in 2016 and really fell in love with Mount Magazine because it's just one of the most unique climbing styles in Arkansas,” he said. “The rock is a little bit different here. It's savannah sandstone, and it's very fine grained and most of the climbs are vertical and they're very technical, which is kind of different compared to a lot of the stuff north of here. It's pretty steep and powerful climbing. The climbing out at Mount Magazine is very similar to a lot of western United States climbing so it gives you kind of a really unique experience for Arkansas.”

The climbing found at the park is a draw for Webb. 

“Mount Magazine, in my opinion, doesn't get the love or recognition that it deserves because it is kind of different and it takes people a while to get used to the climbing style here,” he said. “But I think it's some of the best climbing that we have in Arkansas for me personally. And I know a lot of people feel that way. It's very similar to granite climbing, even though it is a sandstone. The climbing, just the way the rock forms, kind of creates a lot of different movement that you don't normally get elsewhere.”

Webb said there are over 100 routes at the state park from 5.6 to 5.12+. “So it's a pretty good grade range, beginner friendly to expert level,” he said. “And most of that grade range lies in the 5.10 to 5.12 range. So there's a lot of good moderate climbing. Up until recently, there haven't been a lot of easier climbs, but that's changing so there's more beginner friendly routes being put in.”

The mountain itself is also a draw. 

“One other thing I want to mention that is unique about Mount Magazine specifically is it's one of the few places in Arkansas that you get a true sense of exposure of how high up you are, because it is the highest point in Arkansas,” he said. “And when you're climbing on the bluffs below the lodge, you actually get up above the trees and you can see down to the valley below. So it makes you feel like you're thousands of feet up in the air when in reality, you're, the tallest route, I think, is like 90 feet. But you get above the trees, so it makes you feel like you're up pretty high. Compared to a lot of the other crags, you never really get up above the trees, so it gives you a totally different experience.” 

Climber Judith Brown was also among the volunteers at the rebolting work project at the park. 

“Essentially, you try and not Swiss cheese the wall,” she said. “Because every time you need to replace, if you just drill a new hole, eventually you'll have a lot of holes. And so it's trying to be a little bit more forward thinking. It takes longer. When I go up there and replace these anchors, it's going to take a lot longer than it would to just chop them with an angle grinder, a hammer. And try and reuse that hole so that you can essentially just prevent damage to the rock.”

The method takes more time but has an added benefit in terms of the Leave No Trace principles that are part of the Arkansas Climbing Coalition mission.  

“It is more time,” she said. “But I think it's kind of forward thinking and the Access Fund and the American Safe Climbing Association have released material and put a lot of resources into learning methods of removing. Because it's hard. All sorts of bolts have been used through the years since sport climbing became a thing. So you never quite know what you're going to come up to. You might come up to a star drive or a 5 piece. Especially in areas where there are a lot of classic lines, being able to preserve the look.”

If they do end up drilling a new hole, they do their best to patch the old hole so that it blends in. In a sense the work is somewhat like trail maintenance for the climbing routes. 

“The poetic way we refer to it is this is vertical trail,” said Brown.

In general, maintenance is an ongoing endeavor. If a person notices something while climbing that needs addressed, there is an option to go to. 

“They would want to get in touch with the Arkansas Climbers Coalition because we are kind of the one unified team across the state that sets up days like this once in a while,” said Olivia Vitaterna, secretary for the Arkansas Climbers Coalition. “We have at least one rebolt a year to go replace hardware.”

Vitaterna mentioned that climbing at Mount Magazine in particular stands out due to its adventurous setting, close accessibility, and types of climbing available.  

“The setting that you get to climb in is really dramatic for climbing, which is nice,” they said. “I really appreciate that there's a good mix of these bolted climbing routes and traditionally protected climbing routes, where instead of clipping bolts that are already there as you go, as you climb up, you're placing your own protection in cracks or different features of the rock.”

Vitaterna said this type of climbing leaves room for one to be engaged with their climb with an added layer of technical involvement in the activity. 

“So there's options for both sport climbing and traditional climbing,” said Vitaterna. “We call it trad climbing. And I think it's really nice to have, it feels very wholesome to have, a good mix of those two.” 

A big slab of history also took place at Mount Magazine State Park. “As far as climbing history in Arkansas, the very first rock climbing route that was ever bolted with bolts to protect the climb is here,” said Vitaterna.”It's a route called Scarlet Begonias. Which is a fun little name…There's thousands and thousands of bolted routes across the state. The very first one was here.”