Petit Jean State Park (Arkansas)

timwinters

timwinters

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Gerri and I flew down to Petit Jean State Park (KMPJ) yesterday (10/27/19) for some hiking and lunch. The airport is on the state park grounds, albeit not within easy walking distance to the lodge since it's on the opposite side of the lake. But simply call the lodge and they send a shuttle ($20 round trip if you're not spending the night).

It's a beautiful state park, the first in Arkansas, poised atop Petit Jean Mountain.. The lodge and cabins are CCC vintage. Some cabin...most in fact...have amazing views off the mountain or into the Cedar Creek Canyon. The hiking is fabulous, we did 8 miles yesterday, the park offers about 20...25...miles of trails. Cedar Falls is beautiful (wet weather, running yesterday since it's been raining here of late), the food at the lodge is good.

Highly recommended for a day or weekend getaway. If staying overnight, the cabins are CHEAP, at least they are right now, only $80 per night or so.

https://www.arkansasstateparks.com/parks/petit-jean-state-park

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A black vulture sunning himself on a rock. He stayed dead still for the longest time...I at first thought it was a sculpture.

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A side streamette tumbling down to the trail.

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Cedar Falls

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A cool natural bridge formation. Note Gerri standing just to the right of the leg.

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The view off the mountain from one of the cabin's back porch/yard. Okay, maybe not a view off the mountain...rather a view across Cedar Creek Canyon to the mountain on the other side. The mountain/canyon opens up just to the right of this photo and one can see for miles up the Arkansas River Valley below.
 
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That was one of the first trips my wife and I took after we got married. Flew the RV down for a weekend of camping. Turns out there was a C-170 group fly-in that weekend that we didn't know about and they accepted us as outsiders. I agree - it's a really nice park. Lots of good hiking. I didn't realize AR had so many moutains/big hills until that trip.
 
The Petit Jean RV Fly-in is the best.

PS, it is pronounced (pet - it) if you want to avoid harassment for your Yankeeness.
 
keen9 said:
The Petit Jean RV Fly-in is the best.

PS, it is pronounced (pet - it) if you want to avoid harassment for your Yankeeness.
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OR... you could return the harassment, pronounce it "peu-Tea Zhoehn," then haughtily and pompously explain that it's French for "Little John," and ask why it's named after a small bathroom... ?
 
keen9 said:
The Petit Jean RV Fly-in is the best.

PS, it is pronounced (pet - it) if you want to avoid harassment for your Yankeeness.
Click to expand...

actually, no. It's pronounced petty...as in Tom or Richard! I was corrected quickly about 25 years ago when I pronounced it like the word petite...
 
Yeah, that’s a nice park. We camped at the campgrounds at the end of the runway. There’s about 5 or 6 campsites and it’s fenced. We had it all to ourselves and could let the dogs run. Highly recommended.
 
JCranford said:
Yeah, that’s a nice park. We camped at the campgrounds at the end of the runway. There’s about 5 or 6 campsites and it’s fenced. We had it all to ourselves and could let the dogs run. Highly recommended.
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Yeah, I forgot to mention that the campground on the lake at the south end of the runway is for pilots only...you must fly in to camp there. Never done it, would like to sometime. There was only one airplane (a C170) and one tent down at that end on Sunday.
 
Fact about the state park and the airport - the Rockefellers donated the land for the state park several decades ago. The land was a private retreat for them. The landing strip is really nice (and long) for a "state park" airport landing strip. The reason why is because it was built for the Rockefellers fleet of private aircraft. It is lighted and has RNAV approaches to both runways.

This really is an unusual airport, camping, and state park "situation" for GA aircraft.
 
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