Arkansas Post National Memorial in Arkansas, USA - map and visitor information

Research checked: 2026-10-23. Check linked official notices before travel.

Arkansas Post National Memorial near Gillett traces a settlement shaped by the Quapaw people, colonial trading networks, river flooding, and war. Begin with the visitor center, then walk the historic town site and forest trails. The National Park Service memorial is separate from Arkansas Post Museum on U.S. Highway 165.

Highlights of Arkansas Post

• Historic town site: follow paths through a former river port and territorial capital.
• Visitor-center museum: place the landscape in context with exhibits and the 20-minute film Arkansas Post: Echoes of the Past.
• Forest and waterside walks: combine history with the Delta's hardwood habitat.

Plan your memorial visit

Fees, hours, and seasonal access

Confirm visitor-center operations before traveling specifically for indoor exhibits. The official hours page separates building access from grounds access.

Delta heat, insects, and wildlife

Bring water and use shade during hot, humid weather. Take shelter when thunderstorms approach. Insect repellent and closed-toe shoes help around mosquitoes, ticks, chiggers, and fire ants. Watch your footing near vegetation and give snakes and alligators space. Never approach, feed, or attempt to catch wildlife.

Respect the historic landscape

Stay on designated routes and obey closed-area signs. The Menard-Hodges Mounds closure protects fragile earthworks, visitors, and ancestral places. Drone operation from park land or water requires the superintendent's written approval. Read the park's use restrictions before planning an unusual activity.

Group tours and special uses

Arrange a special group tour or program at least one week ahead. Ranger availability varies. The picnic area does not accept reservations. Commercial or special-event use may require a separate permit; contact the park early using its reservation and permit guidance.

Find the national memorial

Use 1741 Old Post Road, Gillett, AR 72055. The entrance lies on Arkansas Highway 169, reached from U.S. 165 south of Gillett. Follow Highway 169 east into the memorial. Do not stop at the separately managed Arkansas Post Museum expecting the NPS visitor center.

Nearby parks by road

Arkansas Post Museum, an Arkansas State Parks site, is back at the U.S. 165 and Highway 169 junction. Cane Creek State Park is another regional option near Star City, at 50 State Park Road. Both have their own operating arrangements.

Walk the town site and explore the museum

Ask staff to show the orientation film, then use the exhibits to understand how the settlement changed location over time. More than three miles of paved and unpaved paths extend through the town site and hardwood forest. Follow a self-guided walk or arrange a group tour in advance.

Fishing is permitted in park waters. An Arkansas fishing license is required for visitors age 16 and older. Check applicable state rules before fishing.

Visitor services and accessibility

Visitor-center exhibits are wheelchair accessible. Much of the trail system is paved, level, and accessible, but that description does not cover every path. Loan wheelchairs are available at the visitor center. The picnic-area restrooms are accessible.

The orientation film has captions, with audio description or hearing-assistance equipment available for loan. Contact staff about these services and the supervised all-terrain wheelchair before making plans. The accessibility page explains the arrangements.

About the national memorial

A settlement that moved with the river

Henri de Tonti established a trading post at the Quapaw village of Osotouy in 1686. Flooding forced later relocations. Arkansas Post became the Arkansas Territory's first capital in 1819. During the Civil War, Confederate forces built Fort Hindman here; Union forces destroyed it in January 1863. These layers explain why the memorial is a landscape of town sites and earthworks rather than one surviving colonial village.

Wildlife around the Delta landscape

Deer, snakes, and alligators occur in the area. Watch from a distance and keep children close near water or dense vegetation. Seeing an animal is an opportunity to observe its habitat, rather than a reason to leave the designated route.

Contact Arkansas Post National Memorial

Call 870-548-2207 for visitor-center, tour, and access questions. Address: 1741 Old Post Road, Gillett, AR 72055.