Mt. Magazine State Park, Arkansas' newest state park of 2,200 acres offers cooler summertime temperatures due to the elevation of 2,753 feet above sea level. These cooler temperatures are a nature lover's paradise, as well as nature's paradise. The altitude, geography and climate combine to create unique habitats for rare plants, animals and the Diana Fritillary butterfly.

Lured by the many species of enchanting butterflies found on Mt Magazine, enthusiasts gathered from around the world to participate in the first annual Mt. Magazine International Butterfly Festival in 1997. Since that time, the festival has continued to grow, and thousands of people from 45 states and half a dozen countries have attended the festival.

Mt. Magazine has an extraordinary richness of butterfly species. Of the Arkansas total of 127 resident species, at least 91 occur on the mountain's plateau-like summit. Virtually all Arkansas resident butterflies are represented in good numbers. The nation's "showcase butterfly," the Diana Fritillary (seen only occasionally in other parts of the U.S.), consistently reproduces on the mountain. Mt. Magazine is one of the country's biological "hot spots," a living butterfly "Eden."

Mt. Magazine is also the site of Arkansas' newest state park. It is part of the "Tri-Peaks State Parks Destination" along with two nearby sister parks located at Mount Nebo and Petit Jean Mountain.