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Arkansas

Metal Detecting at Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail in Arkansas

Ownership confirmation required — NPS ban applies only on NPS-administered parcelsGrade A · 100/100 · Verified

NPS lists the historic trails in Arkansas, but trail corridors cross multiple ownerships. 36 CFR §2.1 prohibits metal detectors on NPS park areas; other parcels require their own landowner/jurisdiction rule.

Answer first

Can you metal detect at Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail?

Ownership confirmation required — NPS ban applies only on NPS-administered parcels. NPS lists the historic trails in Arkansas, but trail corridors cross multiple ownerships. 36 CFR §2.1 prohibits metal detectors on NPS park areas; other parcels require their own landowner/jurisdiction rule.

Permit/authorization: Depends on underlying parcel/manager — Do not treat an access/entry permit as detector authorization unless the controlling source expressly says so.

Evidence freshness: verified , Grade A, confidence 100/100. Recheck the official source before travel.

Managing agencyNational Park Service / multiple landowners
PermitDepends on underlying parcel/manager
JurisdictionFederal/mixed
Location typeNational Historic Trail corridor
Rule basisVerified controlling rule

Current verified decision

What the current evidence actually allows

Reverification needed
Detector useUnresolved — do not infer permission
Ground disturbanceSeparate digging rule applies
Recovery feasibilityUnresolved — do not plan target recovery
Permission inferenceNo permission inferred from ownership, access, recreation use or directory listing
Legal precisionNo decisive detector-use rule verified
Permission ceilingNone inferred
Trip block / prerequisiteThe controlling detector-use question remains unresolved
Planning stateReverify Before Travel
Jurisdiction scopeControlling Rule Scope Stored
Proof required before tripNo
Water jurisdictionSeparate water rule applies
Historic / recoveryProtected-resource restrictions apply
Scope guardrail: Do not manufacture permission or prohibition from public ownership, access, directory inclusion or silence.
Jurisdiction scope note: Apply the stored controlling rule only within its stated jurisdiction/property scope and honor any narrower site-specific overlay.
Scope gate: Ownership, public access and directory inclusion do not resolve detector-use permission.
Authorization pathway: Re-verify the current managing agency rule or obtain written clarification before planning a detecting trip.
Proof before travel: No proof of permission is currently stored.
Next action: Do not infer permission. Re-verify the managing agency rule or obtain written clarification before travel.

Evidence: Grade A · 100/100 · verified 2026-08-29 · freshness Current · revalidation due 2026-12-27 · source conflict none identified.

Map and public access reference

This record has a safe map query. Resolve it on demand to display a temporary provider search match without altering the verified dataset.

Map coverage modeSensitive-site safe public reference map search
Navigation queryNational Park Service / multiple landowners, Arkansas
Map verificationQuery navigation — no invented coordinate

The map always renders with state/local context. Use Resolve this place on map to place a temporary provider search match on the map, or use the provider buttons directly. The temporary match is not written into the verified-coordinate dataset.

Sensitive-site protection: navigation deliberately uses a broader managing-agency/locality reference rather than publishing an archaeological, artifact, historic-resource, or detecting-target locator.

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Legal status and controlling rule

NPS lists the historic trails in Arkansas, but trail corridors cross multiple ownerships. 36 CFR §2.1 prohibits metal detectors on NPS park areas; other parcels require their own landowner/jurisdiction rule.

Permit and digging rules

Permit: Depends on underlying parcel/manager

Do not treat an access/entry permit as detector authorization unless the controlling source expressly says so.

Digging: Do not excavate, disturb cultural resources, damage property or remove protected artifacts; follow current agency/site restrictions.

Water and artifact rules

Water detecting: Water/submerged recovery requires separate ownership, project and Arkansas submerged-property review where applicable.

Historic/artifact rule: Arkansas protects archaeological sites/artifacts on state-owned or state-controlled land; older submerged objects can be state property and may not be removed without permission.

Verification record

This page is published only after its legal and access evidence passes the project verification checks. Its current legal/access record is Grade A with a confidence score of 100/100 and was last checked on .

Map policy: every record has an in-page map plus external map-provider navigation. Verified pins remain canonical; query-only records can create a temporary provider search marker on demand, which is never promoted to verified geometry automatically. No map mode proves permission.

Official legal and place sources

Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail metal detecting FAQ

Can you metal detect at Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail?

NPS lists the historic trails in Arkansas, but trail corridors cross multiple ownerships. 36 CFR §2.1 prohibits metal detectors on NPS park areas; other parcels require their own landowner/jurisdiction rule.

Is a permit or authorization required at Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail?

Depends on underlying parcel/manager Do not treat an access/entry permit as detector authorization unless the controlling source expressly says so.

Does the map show where detecting is legally allowed?

Yes. The page provides map context and a deliberately broader agency/locality navigation target while withholding an exact sensitive-site locator. This does not change the written legal status.

How current is this Butterfield Overland National Historic Trail record?

The legal/access record was last verified on 2026-08-29 with verification grade A and confidence score 100/100. Recheck the cited official source before travel because rules and closures can change.

Other verified places in Arkansas

Arkansas Museum of Natural ResourcesAuthorization required — written Director permission required for search/recovery activityArkansas Post MuseumAuthorization required — written Director permission required for search/recovery activityBald Knob National Wildlife RefugeSearch/recovery restricted — refuge-specific modern lost-item detector permission not establishedBeaver LakeProject/site confirmation required — current detector policy must be verifiedBig Lake National Wildlife RefugeSearch/recovery restricted — refuge-specific modern lost-item detector permission not establishedBlue Mountain LakeAuthorization required — Blue Mountain Metal Detector Use Permit required

Continue researching

Metal Detecting Near Me · Metal Detecting Map · Metal Detecting in Arkansas · Arkansas Metal Detecting Laws

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