Louisiana Purchase State Park - Brinkley, Arkansas - State Park

Louisiana Purchase State Park is located south of Brinkley in Arkansas. From I-40 at Brinkley drivers can take U.S. 49 and travel 21 miles south, then go two miles east on Arkansas 362 to get to the park. It opens from 6am to 9pm daily with parking available off Highway 362.

The park preserves the initial point from which all surveys of the property acquired through the Louisiana Purchase of 1803 initiated. Land was purchased from France at a cost of $15 million in 1803, which effectively added an extra 830 square miles to the Unites States. This area had been called Louisiana by the French and now forms part or all of 13 states including Arkansas.

A monument marking the survey's initial point is situated in the headwater swamp, which park workers are trying to preserve, as this type of landscape is a vanishing natural environment of eastern Arkansas. To reach the granite monument, visitors have to walk along a boardwalk, which has no rails so it is important to be careful when hiking here. The park limits the number of warning signs posted here so as to protect the natural scenery and environment.

There is a trail in the park running for just under half a mile called the Louisiana Purchase Boardwalk, which takes approximately half an hour to complete and is wheelchair accessible. The 950 foot boardwalk leads hikers to the beginning point from which the Louisiana Purchase was surveyed. There are exhibits along the way and it is an excellent route to take for getting good photographs of the scenery and wildlife.

Due to the swamp conditions in the area many unusual plant and animal conditions have developed at the park, with trees such as bald cypress and water tupelo common here. Many varieties of animals and plant life can be seen along the trail including birds such as the bright yellow and gray warbler, pileated woodpeckers, green herons and wood ducks. Some species of reptiles can be seen here too and visitors may be able to hear the rare tree frog making bird like noises from the treetops.

There are no camp sites at the park but visitors can find accommodation relatively close by including Days Inn & Suites, which is located about two and a half miles away in North Main Street. Other hotels in Brinkley include Americas Best Value Inn, America's Best Inn and Baymont Inn, which are all less than three miles away. A Super 8 Hotel is in Lawson Road, Wheatley approximately five and a half miles from the park.

On North Highway 17 visitors to the Brinkley area can dine at Gene's Barbeque and Family Restaurant. There are other visitor attractions in the city including the Central Delta Depot & Museum, which has a connection with the park in that it contains exhibits about the Louisianan Purchase survey. It is located at West Cypress Street and serves as the visitor center for Brinkley and indeed the Louisiana Purchase State Park.