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Arkansas
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Arkansas State Parks

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Arkansas
Central Arkansas Region
Toltec Mounds State Park
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TOLTEC MOUNDS STATE PARK
TOLTEC MOUNDS STATE PARK
490 Toltec Mounds Road
Scott, Arkansas   72141

Phone: 501-961-9442
Email: park email button icon
Arkansas's tallest remaining, prehistoric Native American mounds are preserved at this National Historic Landmark site near Little Rock. The mounds and an earthen embankment are the remains of a large ceremonial and governmental complex that was inhabited here from A.D. 600 to 1050. Managed by Arkansas State Parks in conjunction with the Arkansas Archeological Survey, the Toltec site serves as both a state park and an archeological research station. The park visitor center features exhibits, an audiovisual theater, sales area and an educational pavilion that overlooks the mounds. The Toltec Research Station of the Arkansas Archeological Survey, a unit of the University of Arkansas system, and its laboratory are also housed in the visitor center. Self-guided tours are offered along both the 3/4-mile, barrier-free trail and 1.6-mile turf trail. Park interpreters lead guided tours and programs throughout the week by group reservation and at scheduled times on Saturdays.

History of the Area
Located in Arkansas, the site known as Toltec Mounds was inhabited by a significant prehistoric Native American society. The Plum Bayou people occupied this area from 650 to 1050 AD and constructed large earthwork mounds for ceremonial purposes.

The park preserves one of the largest archaeological sites in Lower Mississippi River Valley. It contains three major constructions: two flat-topped platform mounds and one burial mound.

In total, there were originally eighteen mounds within an enclosed rectangular-shaped plaza covering over twenty acres. Today only seventeen remain due to farming practices during European settlement eroding away one mound completely.

Archaeological excavations began at the site around late nineteenth century with more systematic digs conducted since mid-twentieth century revealing artifacts like pottery shards, stone tools etc., providing insights into ancient cultures that lived here centuries ago

It became part of Arkansas State Parks system in 1975 after being purchased through funds provided by National Park Service's Land Water Conservation Fund (LWCF).

Today it serves both educational and recreational needs offering guided tours showcasing its rich history while also featuring picnic areas along Lake Mound.


Location
Toltec Mounds State Park is located near Little Rock, Lonoke and Mabelvale

Trails
KNAPPTRAIL : Length: 8/10 mile : Time: 3/4 hour : Difficulty: Easy

Description: This fully-accessible self-guided trail and boardwalk leads visitors through this pre-historic Indian site. See three of the 18 mounds that once stood within the site's earthen embankment. A self-guided tour brochure describes this archeological site inhabited by Native Americans over a thousand years ago.

Location: From Little Rock, take Exit #7 off I-440 and go nine miles southeast on U.S. 165

PLUM BAYOU TRAIL : Length: 1.5 miles : Time: 1.25 hours : Difficulty: Easy

Description: This level turf trail follows the contour of the now destroyed earthen embankment wall and ditch around the northern half of the site. It joins the Knapp Trail for the boardwalk overlooking Mound Lake, an oxbow of the Arkansas River. It diverges from the Knapp Trail for a closer look and the surviving section of the embankment wall and one of the barrow pits where Native Americans dug the soil to build these mounds 1,000 years ago.

Location: From Little Rock, take Exit #7 off I-440 and go nine miles southeast on U.S. 165


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Area Campgrounds
Downtown Riverside RV Park
250 South Locust Street
North Little Rock, AR
501-340-5312
Nearby Hotels
Booking.com

Directions
From Little Rock, take Exit #7 off I-440 and go 10 miles southeast on U.S. 165, then travel 1/4-mile south on Ark. 386.

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Arkansas
62

Arkansas State Parks

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