Mather Lodge’s 24 Guest Rooms Are Closed Temporarily: Cabins and Other Park Facilities Still Open

Arkansas State Parks

The Mather Lodge Restaurant, Park Cabins and All Other Facilities at Petit Jean State Park Are Open

MORRILTON – The 24 guest rooms in Mather Lodge at Petit Jean State Park are closed temporarily beginning March 1, 2010, while repair and renovation work is underway on the exterior logs of this 1930s-era, CCC/Rustic-style park lodge constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration. This renovation project is expected to continue through April 2010. The closure applies only to the lodge's guest rooms and the Arkansas Room, the small meeting room near the guest rooms. It does not include the lodge’s registration desk, lobby, restaurant, gift shop, and restrooms. The park's 33 cabins and all other facilities at Petit Jean State Park remain open. For updates on the anticipated reopening date of the guest rooms, contact Mather Lodge at: 1-800-264-2462 (TDD).

The work at Mather Lodge is part of a phased, park wide project at Petit Jean State Park that includes the repair and replacement of exterior logs, where necessary, on the lodge and other Civilian Conservation Corps-constructed facilities in the park. These structures include the park Boathouse, Pavilion A, Pavilion B and the Visitor Center. Like Mather Lodge, these rustic-style native stone and log buildings represent some of the most historically significant structures in the Arkansas state parks system. Among its most beloved park facilities, these historic treasures stand as a tribute to the craftsmanship and conservation achievements of the close-to-his-heart “Tree Army” of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal created during the Great Depression.

The repairs and renovations meet the U.S. Secretary of the Interior's standards for the rehabilitation of historic buildings. The contractor for this work is Kinco Constructors, LLC of Little Rock. The current contract totals $431,907. The design consultant firm is SCM Architects, P.A. of Little Rock.

The project is being funded by grant monies from the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council (ANCRC). Established by the Arkansas Legislature in 1987, the ANCRC manages and supervises a grants and trust fund for the acquisition, management, and stewardship of state-owned properties acquired or used for ANCRC approved purposes. Grants from this fund are for projects that protect and maintain state-owned natural areas, historic sites, and outdoor recreation.

Petit Jean State Park is one of the 52 state parks administered by the State Parks Division of the Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism. It is located in Conway County on Petit Jean Mountain approximately 21 miles southwest of Morrilton. Overnight facilities at the park include 33 cabins, 125 campsites, two Rent-A-Camp and two Rent-A-Tepee camping rentals, and group camping areas. The park airport includes five Fly-in Tent Sites.

The park is the setting for a wide variety of outdoor activities including sightseeing, hiking, picnicking, fishing, and tennis. Park interpreters host programs and special events highlighting the natural and historic resources of Petit Jean State Park.