Arkansas: Logoly Is the State’s First Environmental Education Park

Logoly includes unique plant species and mineral springs.

Logoly State Park sits on 368 acres of forested coastal plain in southwest Arkansas—six miles north of Magnolia. It holds the distinction of being the first park in Arkansas dedicated to environmental education. Logoly teaches environmental principles in its visitor center and on its nature trails, which include interesting stops at mineral springs and a dead tree at work. The springs attracted visitors and two hotels to the location long before it became a state park.

The park’s name is pronounced “low-go-lye,” which is a salute to the former property owners—the Loginos, Goodes and Lyons.

NATURE TRAILS

Start at the visitor center to get a map that will help you find and hike the three trails at Logoly:

Crane’s Fly Trail (.75 mile)
Spring Branch Trail (2 miles)
Magnesia Springs (.5 mile)

Doug climbs a small hill while hiking on the Spring Branch Trail at Logoly.

The approach we recommend is to use the Crane’s Fly Trail to hike around the pond behind the visitor center, making sure you stop at the exhibit of the dead tree at work. Then, take the Magnesia Springs trail and include the slight detour to see the salt springs. Next, keep going away from the visitor center to connect with the Spring Branch Trail that will give you a longer workout and more chance to see the tall forests of Logoly. This trails also passes a pair of food plots under the power lines that intersect it twice. It ends on the road by the campground and pavilion (a short walk from the visitor center). You could stop hiking there or reverse your course and return to the visitor center on the trail (that’s the long way back to the visitor center).

Arla wonders what happens when you disturb a dead tree at work.

ARLA’S SHOCKING MOMENT

Park rangers create the most interesting signs, especially at Logoly State Park. My environmental education was enhanced by visiting Logoly and spotting a large sign that advised visitors to not disturb the dead tree at work. Why? I wondered. Are dead trees irritable when you interrupt their work? The large lettering on the warning sign led me to take the message seriously. I became concerned that somebody could get in trouble with a dead tree here!

I shared my distress with Doug who calmly reassured me that the tree posed no threat to us. He pointed out a sign that explained the “at work” message. A dead tree on the ground:

Provides food and shelter to birds and insects
Decomposes from the mushrooms, mosses and microorganisms that grow on the log
Adds nutrients to the ground as it decomposes
Supports the growth of new trees

A small observation deck stretches over the busy yet dead tree.

Linda’s Takeaway

I learned that Logoly State Park is Arkansas’ first environmental education state park. Its natural resources offer a “living laboratory” for visitors. Often, when I visit a park, I search for the meaning behind the location’s name, or key words that describe what makes the park unique. So, what would Doug and I take away from a “living laboratory?” Instead of asking the courteous park ranger to explain, we just started walking.

Linda hikes while swatting the buzzing bugs that detracted from her Logoly experience.

In a matter of minutes, I interpreted the park’s name from my perspective. I felt like I was in a test laboratory to see if I could fight off and withstand the buzzing and biting of tons (thousands) of bugs. I felt like the lead character (played by Tippi Hedren) in the Alfred Hitchcock movie, “The Birds.” I desperately wanted to get out of the woods. If not, Doug would need to get the ranger to treat my emotional distress and physical suffering.

The bugs made it a tough walk in the park for us, but we had we visited it before and had good memories of the previous outing. The recent bad experience, caused by the invasion of “The Bugs,” may have been related to several days of torrential rain before we arrived. Therefore, the pain of nearly being “bugged to death” won’t keep us from going back. We’ll focus on our first pleasant stroll through Logoly, not the day the bugs went berserk.

Linda passes by tall trees on the Spring Branch Trail at Logoly.

PARTING SHOTS: BEAUTY, BUGS AND BURGERS BUT NO BIRDS

Despite the bugs, we found Logoly a lovely place to visit.

This bug didn’t attack Linda, but it was the only one in the park to leave her alone.

Water storage tanks border the sidewalk leading to the Logoly visitor center. They serve as examples of how the park uses sustainable building technology.

Go to the Flying Burger in Magnolia for a delicious meal that will recharge your energy level after hiking Logoly.