Boston Mountains - Definition and Overview

The Boston Mountains are a high and deeply dissected plateau in northern Arkansas and northeastern Oklahoma, where they are referred to as the Cookson Hills. The Boston's form the southwestern part of Ozark plateau of which they are the highest and in general most rugged. The rocks of the region are essentially little disturbed, flat lying sedimentary layers of Paleozoic age. The highest ridges and peaks are capped by Pennsylvanian sandstone and shale. The deeply eroded valleys are cut into Mississippian limestone and below that layer the Ordovician dolomite.

The headwaters of both the White and Buffalo Rivers originate within the Boston Mountains. Beaver Lake occupies a valley within the region. To the south, the Arkansas River valley separates the Bostons from the Ouachita Mountains of west central Arkansas.

The Boston Mountains reach heights of up to 2,500 feet in elevation with valleys 500 to 1250 feet deep. The highest areas of the range lie in Madison, Newton, Washington, Franklin, Johnson, and Pope counties in Arkansas.