Missouri: 56 state parks, 35 historic sites and 2 natural areas

Camping, trails, fees and current alerts are on each park’s page. See these parks on a map

Parks & natural areas 58

Annie and Abel Van Meter State ParkRemnants of the Missouria village at the Great Bend of the Missouri River, mapped by Marquette and Jolliet in…
Bennett Spring State ParkMore than 100 million gallons of clear, cool water gush from Bennett Spring each day into a branch stocked…
Big Lake State Park407 acres in northwest Missouri beside the largest remaining oxbow lake in the state. The shallow water draws…
Big Oak Tree State ParkMissouri as the first explorers saw it: hickory and oak forming a canopy averaging more than 120 feet, over…
Big Sugar Creek State ParkA rugged landscape of shrubs and trees now rare in Missouri, with shady upland woodland, sunny glades and…
Bryant Creek State ParkOver 2,900 acres of big oaks and shortleaf pines on steeply dissected river hills, with almost two miles of…
Castlewood State ParkThe dance clubs that drew partying St. Louisans here in the early 1900s are gone; the winding Meramec River…
Crowder State Park1,912 acres of rolling green hills in northern Missouri, threaded with more than 17 miles of hiking…
Cuivre River State ParkOne of the state's largest and most rugged parks, lending an Ozarkian flavor to otherwise agricultural…
Current River State ParkBuilt around the former Alton Club, a corporate retreat raised in the late 1930s and early 1940s in the…
Don Robinson State ParkSandstone box canyons, shelter caves, cliffs and glades in the upper LaBarque Creek watershed, wooded…
Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State ParkGenerations of Missourians have come through the massive stone gateway for cookouts and family gatherings…
Echo Bluff State ParkOnce Camp Zoe, a summer youth camp for more than 85 years, now a year-round Ozark destination under an iconic…
Edward "Ted" and Pat Jones-Confluence Point State ParkThe point where the Missouri joins the Mississippi, and where the Lewis and Clark Expedition set out upriver…
Elephant Rocks State ParkGiant boulders of 1.5-billion-year-old granite stand end to end like a train of circus elephants. They draw…
Eleven Point State ParkA state park on the Eleven Point in southern Missouri that the department has not yet opened to the public…
Finger Lakes State ParkOne of two ATV parks in the Missouri system, built on a former coal mining area where the roar of off-road…
Graham Cave State ParkArtifacts from Graham Cave show people lived here 8,000 to 10,000 years ago, in the Dalton and Archaic…
Grand Gulf State ParkThe most spectacular collapsed cave system in the Ozarks, sometimes called the Little Grand Canyon. The gulf…
Ha Ha Tonka State ParkA geologic wonderland of sinkholes, caves, sheer bluffs, a huge natural bridge and Missouri's twelfth-largest…
Harry S Truman State ParkClear water, dramatic bluffs and vivid summer and fall color, on a peninsula with a marina and swimming for…
Hawn State ParkStately pine and oak, sandy-bottom streams and sandstone canyons make up one of Missouri's most scenic…
Jay Nixon BackcountryMissouri State Parks lists this backcountry area as closed, with no public access at present. Its own page…
Johnson's Shut-Ins State ParkAncient beauty in the St. Francois Mountains, where the shut-ins make natural chutes and pools to splash in…
Katy Trail State ParkThe longest developed rail-trail in the country, 240 miles between Clinton and Machens on the old MKT…
Knob Noster State ParkOpen oak woodland and patches of prairie along the meandering Clearfork Creek, with an oxbow slough…
Lake Wappapello State ParkMiles of trail for hikers, backpackers and horseback riders, ending at a modern campground with cabins and…
Lake of the Ozarks State ParkUndeveloped coves hidden along the shoreline of one of Missouri's largest lakes, with campsites and picnic…
Lewis and Clark State ParkIn 1804 William Clark described a lake here as full of geese and goslings; that oxbow is Lewis and Clark Lake…
Long Branch State ParkThree boat ramps open onto sprawling Long Branch Lake, with a marina store, swimming beach and day-use area…
Mark Twain State ParkBluffs over Mark Twain Lake in the Salt River Hills of north-central Missouri, in stands of oak, hickory and…
Meramec State ParkThe Meramec River runs past majestic bluffs, woods and a dramatic cave entrance, with more than 13 miles of…
Montauk State ParkA shady green retreat at the headwaters of the famed Current River, where the park's springs and tiny Pigeon…
Morris State ParkCrowley's Ridge is a geologic oddity — a strip of low hills rising 200 feet above the Mississippi flood…
Onondaga Cave State ParkTowering stalagmites, dripping stalactites and active flowstones make Onondaga Cave a National Natural…
Pershing State ParkA boardwalk and hiking trail wind through wet prairie beside a meandering stream with oxbow sloughs, then…
Pomme de Terre State ParkTwo shorelines, Hermitage and Pittsburg, on Pomme de Terre Lake, with a marina and boat ramps for bass…
Prairie State ParkTallgrass prairie once covered more than a third of Missouri and less than one percent remains, much of it…
Roaring River State ParkA deep, narrow valley in the rugged southwest Ozark hills, and one of three Missouri state parks stocked with…
Robertsville State ParkThe Meramec River and Calvey Creek border the park, with a boat launch and easy water access for fishing and…
Rock Bridge Memorial State ParkMinutes from Columbia, with some of the most popular hiking trails in the state and a look into Missouri's…
Rock Island Trail State Park47.5 miles of developed rail-trail from Pleasant Hill to Windsor on the old Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific…
Route 66 State ParkThe Mother Road, at a park whose visitor center is the former Bridgehead Inn — a 1935 roadhouse that stood on…
Sam A. Baker State ParkThe ancient St. Francois Mountains above the cool water of the St. Francis River and Big Creek. Anglers find…
Shepherd of the Hills State ParkMissouri State Parks lists this park as closed, with no public access at present. Its own page publishes…
St. Francois State ParkForested ridges and cool hollows make a retreat from everyday life, with three hiking trails — one open to…
St. Joe State ParkOne of two off-road vehicle parks in the Missouri system and the premier one, with many trails set aside for…
Stockton State ParkThe clear water of Stockton Lake is made for water skiing, scuba diving, swimming and fishing, and a…
Table Rock State ParkBranson's natural getaway and a base camp for the area's attractions, on the shore of Table Rock Lake. Marina…
Taum Sauk Mountain State ParkThe highest point in Missouri, in 7,500 acres of the St. Francois Mountains. Wooded slopes and rocky glades…
Thousand Hills State ParkForest Lake is the centerpiece, its wooded shores and broad savannas recalling a less developed northern…
Trail of Tears State ParkNine of the thirteen Cherokee detachments forcibly relocated to Oklahoma crossed the Mississippi here in the…
Trails of the Roger Pryor Pioneer BackcountryA set of designated backcountry trails, among them Blair Creek and Brushy Creek. Each one permits only…
Wakonda State ParkSix clear lakes draw thousands of migratory waterfowl each year, making this a bird lover's park. Anglers…
Wallace State ParkAn island of serenity less than an hour from Kansas City, with a 6-acre lake to fish and four scenic trails…
Washington State ParkPetroglyphs, quaint hiking shelters and Ozark overlooks define this park, with three rugged trails and easy…
Watkins Woolen Mill State Park and Historic SiteWaltus Watkins spent half a century building here, and much of it survives — a home and a three-story woolen…
Weston Bend State ParkSecluded picnic sites and sweeping views of the Missouri River from an overlook accessible to people with…

Historic sites & museums 35

Arrow Rock State Historic SiteA once-bustling river town, now a serene village of Boone's Lick Country architecture. Eat in the J. Huston…
Battle of Athens State Historic SiteHistoric buildings and a mile of Des Moines River frontage make this a quiet place to hike, picnic or camp…
Battle of Carthage State Historic SiteA quiet meadow and the spring that made this an encampment for both Union and Confederate troops before the…
Battle of Island Mound State Historic SiteThe site of an 1862 skirmish of national significance: the first time Black soldiers engaged in combat during…
Battle of Lexington State Historic SiteOliver Anderson's house was called the best-arranged dwelling west of St. Louis before it became the center…
Battle of Pilot Knob State Historic SiteIn September 1864 the Arcadia Valley saw one of the largest and hardest-fought battles on Missouri soil, when…
Bollinger Mill State Historic SiteA four-story mill and the covered bridge beside it, shown on guided tours limited to ten people. The tour…
Boone's Lick State Historic SiteA short hike leads to the remnants of one of Missouri's first great industries: salt. Lewis and Clark noted…
Bothwell Lodge State Historic SiteA 31-room, 12,000-square-foot lodge built atop two natural caves by Sedalia lawyer John Homer Bothwell…
Clark's Hill/Norton State Historic SiteThe Lewis and Clark Expedition camped at the base of this hill from June 1 to 3, 1804, and William Clark…
Confederate Memorial State Historic SiteOnce the Confederate Soldiers Home of Missouri, which sheltered 1,600 Civil War veterans and their families…
Deutschheim State Historic SiteGerman American heritage in Hermann, a town known across the Midwest for it. The site preserves several…
Dillard Mill State Historic SiteA red mill on the blue water of Huzzah Creek, one of the best-preserved gristmills in the state and finished…
Felix Valle House State Historic SiteMissouri's early French roots in Ste. Genevieve. The American-Federal style Vallé house was built in 1818 and…
First Missouri State Capitol State Historic SiteThe first seat of Missouri's government, in the heart of historic St. Charles a stone's throw from the…
Gen. John J. Pershing Boyhood Home State Historic SiteThe nine-room Gothic-style house in Laclede that Pershing moved into at six, and the Prairie Mound School…
Gov. Daniel Dunklin's Grave State Historic SiteThe grave of Missouri's fifth governor, perched on a bluff above the Mississippi at Herculaneum. A quiet…
Harry S Truman Birthplace State Historic SiteThe small frame house where the only U.S. president born in Missouri came into the world. The furnishings…
Hunter-Dawson State Historic SiteA stately Bootheel mansion furnished as it was in its heyday of the 1860s to 1880s, most of the pieces…
Iliniwek Village State Historic SiteThe only Illinois Indian village site found in Missouri, on grassland high above the Des Moines River flood…
Jewell Cemetery State Historic SiteA shady, tree-filled cemetery whose peace belies the traffic on nearby Providence Road in Columbia. It holds…
Locust Creek Covered Bridge State Historic SiteAt 151 feet, the longest of Missouri's four remaining covered bridges, built of white pine in 1868 on the…
Mark Twain Birthplace State Historic SiteThe two-room rented cabin Samuel Clemens was born in, sheltered inside a museum alongside first editions of…
Mastodon State Historic SiteThe Kimmswick Bone Bed, where scientists found the first solid evidence that humans and the American mastodon…
Missouri Mines State Historic SiteLead has been big business in the eastern Ozarks since about 1720, and the former St. Joe Lead Co. processing…
Missouri State Museum/Jefferson Landing State Historic SiteExhibits on Missouri's natural and cultural history inside the state Capitol, with staff-led Capitol tours…
Nathan and Olive Boone Homestead State Historic SiteThe Missouri homestead of Nathan Boone — hunter, soldier, surveyor and Daniel Boone's youngest son — and of…
Osage Village State Historic SiteA quiet hilltop that once held about 200 lodges and between 2,000 and 3,000 people. A walking trail and…
Sandy Creek Covered Bridge State Historic SiteA red covered bridge with the picture-perfect look of an old barn, one of six built in 1872 to carry…
Sappington African American Cemetery State Historic SiteLand Dr. John Sappington set aside in 1856 for the people he enslaved, and afterwards a burial ground for…
Sappington Cemetery State Historic SiteThe grave of Dr. John Sappington, a prominent area doctor, alongside two Missouri governors. Meredith Miles…
Scott Joplin House State Historic SiteThe modest Delmar Boulevard flat where Joplin rented a room in 1902, kept as it would have been, with an…
Thomas Hart Benton Home and Studio State Historic SiteThe home and studio of the painter, sculptor, lecturer and writer, preserved as he left them. A visit shows…
Towosahgy State Historic SiteA fortified village and civic-ceremonial center for the Mississippian people who lived in southern Missouri…
Union Covered Bridge State Historic SiteBuilt in 1871, the only one of Missouri's four remaining covered bridges built to the Burr-arch truss design…

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Missouri: 56 state parks, 35 historic sites and 2 natural areas

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Parks & natural areas 58

Historic sites & museums 35

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