[4] Native Americans inhabited the mountain seasonally, often opting to permanently settle in the Arkansas River Valley surrounding the ridge.

In 1938, Franklin Roosevelt reallocated the land to the U.S. Forest Service and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) began construction on a 27-room lodge the following year.

[6] After the lodge burned, tourism declined until new plans for a state park atop Mount Magazine came in the 1980s.

There also exist many opportunities for ATV riding, backpacking, hang gliding, mountain biking, rappelling, and rock climbing within the park.

The mountain is also home to black bear, whitetail deer, bobcat, and coyote as well as other species.

[8] The Skycrest Restaurant offers traditional Southern cuisine, a two-story fireplace, and a view of the Petit Jean River Valley and distant Blue Mountain Lake.