A mountaintop state park named after a Dutch queen is the sort of fact that needs explaining, and the explanation is a railway. In the 1890s Dutch investors in the Kansas City Southern line, which ran through the nearby town of Mena, built a grand hotel on the crest of Rich Mountain and named it for their young queen, Wilhelmina. The original hotel did not last, but the name did, and the present lodge, rebuilt in the 1960s, sits on the same ridge with a view that spreads over Arkansas and, on a clear day, a long way beyond.
At around 800 metres the summit is the highest point in the area, and the park feels like a small island above the forest. A miniature train runs in season, a few trails wander through the oak and pine woods, and the little campground gets busy at weekends. The air is cooler than in Mena, and the lodge has a restaurant that is popular for its view across the valley.
The road up is part of the Talimena Scenic Drive, the high route along the Ouachita ridges that runs west into Oklahoma. From Mena, Highway 88 climbs from the valley in a series of easy, flowing bends, and the surface is generally good. The gradient is steady, the curves are gentle, and the road is quiet outside peak seasons. Mist often fills the valleys on cool mornings, and autumn brings brilliant colour in the hardwoods, with red from the maples and gold from the hickories. In winter, ice and snow can close the road, and fog can be dense.
Mena, about sixteen kilometres away, is a small town with petrol, shops, cafes and motels, and it is the place to stock up before climbing. The park has its own picnic areas and a small gift shop, and the lodge is open most of the year, though hours vary. Evenings on the ridge are lovely, with a long, orange light over the hills and crickets in the grass. Keep an eye out for white-tailed deer on the road, and in summer for the wasps and ticks that thrive in the woods.