U.S. Interior Highlands Explained

The U.S. Interior Highlands is a mountainous region in the Central United States spanning northern and western Arkansas, southern Missouri, eastern Oklahoma, and part of Illinois.^[1] The name is designated by the United States Geological Survey to refer to the combined subregions of the Ouachita Mountains south of the Arkansas River and the Ozark Plateaus north of the Arkansas. The U.S. Interior Highlands is one of few mountainous regions between the Appalachians and Rockies.

Geography

There are three distinct mountain ranges within the U.S. Interior Highlands:

The Ouachita Mountains of Arkansas and Oklahoma, which can be divided into a number of subranges including the mountains of the Arkansas River Valley (called the Frontal Ouachita Mountains); the highest point is Mount Magazine at 2753feet.
The Boston Mountains of the Arkansas and Oklahoma Ozark Plateaus; the highest point is Wahzhazhe Summit (formerly known as Buffalo Lookout), at 2561feet, 3.4miles east of Pettigrew, Newton County, Arkansas. Wahzhazhe is the Osage people’s name for themselves in the Dhegiha Siouan language.
The St. Francois Mountains of the Missouri Ozark Plateaus; the highest point is Taum Sauk Mountain at 1772feet.

The U.S. Interior Highlands is dominated by temperate broadleaf and mixed forests. Three national forests are located here: The Ouachita National Forest in Arkansas and Oklahoma; the Ozark-St. Francis National Forest in Arkansas; and the Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri.