Between the Rockies and the Appalachian Mountains lies a dazzling region that is unbelievably overlooked.

Peaks known to few

Mountains make up a large part of the American identity. The Rocky Mountains mark the western boundary of the Great Plains, while the Appalachian Mountains define a portion of almost every eastern state. The area between these majestic ranges is often considered flat, boring farmland, with little geographical interest. And as such, few people are aware of the dazzling Interior Highlands that lie in-between. 

A landscape carved by water

“Interior Highlands” is the name collectively given to the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains, which extend from eastern Oklahoma through northern Arkansas to southern Missouri. Despite the name, the nearly 4 million-sq-mile region is actually a dissected plateau – an entire region that rose up as a flat plain and whose mountainous features were carved by erosion and waterways. The resulting terrain is made up of hills that roll on for hundreds of miles. 

Canyons and plateaus

To understand how the Interior Highlands were formed, travel to the high plateaus, where waterways are constantly sculpting the land. The waters of Cedar Falls (pictured), located in Arkansas’ Petit Jean State Park, helped dig the 95ft canyon that it flows into: you can clearly see the layers of rock and soil that have been stripped away. Similar features can be seen along the length of the Buffalo National River in northern Arkansas.

A hidden gem

The Ouachita Mountains straddle the border of Arkansas and Oklahoma, making up the southernmost section of the Interior Highlands. The most stunning portion of this range is the Talimena Scenic Drive, which extends 54 miles over an impressive series of peaks, providing expansive views of both states. Talimena is also possibly the biggest missed opportunity in national park history: legislation establishing the area as a national park was passed by Congress in the 1920s, only to be pocket vetoed by President Calvin Coolidge.

Geological wonders

A road trip along the Talimena Scenic Drive is extremely rewarding, but it’s even better to leave your vehicle and hike to less travelled areas. The highlands have incredible geological diversity, and you can stumble across fascinating sites like these massive turtle shell-shaped sandstone rocks, which can be found throughout Arkansas. The process that carved these polygonal structures is poorly understood, but the leading theories all involve water and weathering.

An unprotected wonderland

The Ozark and Ouachita Mountains are a wonderland of rock formations, with large arches, pillars, cliffs and outcroppings popping up along the many trails. A lack of publicity also keeps little traversed and in excellent quality, similar to the way they would have been before settlers arrived.

But despite spanning three states, the mountains are virtually unrepresented in the National Park Service. Hot Springs is the region’s only national park – and at just 5,550 acres it’s not only the smallest of the country’s 59 parks, but means that only 0.0002% of the Interior Highlands is protected in this way.

Shortsighted plans

In addition to having minimal government protection, vast swaths of the Interior Highlands are privately owned and could be easily bought out by any business interest that wants to log or develop it. But immediate profits may not compare to the potential revenue from a national park, which gives local communities a return of 10 dollars for every one dollar spent. (Credit: Zack Frank)

Hope for the future

Despite its current, unprotected state, the Interior Highlands still holds its incredible natural beauty and has the opportunity to be preserved before human hands can alter it. If some of the best sections were set aside for conservation, the mountains and rivers that make up this region could be publicized, and an area in deep need of a national park could finally be recognized.