Missouri Park List

If you enjoy the easygoing serenity of a quiet village, then Arrow Rock is the place for you. Once a thriving riverport, the town is dotted with architectural treasures from the past. Limestone gutters of carefully carved blocks line the main street, marking the toil of earlier generations. Wooden ...

A massive stone gateway greets visitors to Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park, framing the broad avenue that leads up the hill to the large bronze statue of Dr. Edmund A. Babler, the park's namesake. Jacob L. Babler's love of nature and his desire to commemorate his brother, ...

Battle of Athens State Historic Site interprets the northernmost Civil War battle fought west of the Mississippi River along with providing recreational opportunities. Some of the land and buildings included in the site were part of the once-thriving town of Athens. Located on the Des Moines River, 19th ...

It was once called "the largest and best arranged dwelling house west of St. Louis." Today Oliver Anderson's mansion is best known for the three bloody days in 1861 when it was a fiercely contested prize in a Civil War battle between the Union army and the Missouri State ...

In the mid-19th century, settlers found Bennett Spring to be an ideal spot for grist and flour mills. Today, most people come to Bennett Spring State Park to struggle with the rainbow trout, or just to marvel at the 100,000,000 gallons of clear, cool water that gush from the ...

Boating, fishing and abundant waterfowl have made Big Lake State Park one of northwest Missouri's most popular outdoor recreation areas. The park is located on Missouri's largest oxbow lake, which was formed by the Missouri River before its course was controlled by channelization. Located just off Interstate 29 halfway between ...

Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge is located on 6 units, in various counties, along the Missouri River in the state of Missouri. The majority of the 4,500 acres that make up Big Muddy NFWR are located in the floodplain of the river. The Refuge was established ...

Driving along the rural highways in southeast Missouri, travelers may notice an abundance of farmland. Amid this farmland though, near East Prairie, 1,029 acres of the area's original landscape has been preserved and stands out above the rest. This island of trees in a sea of agriculture is known ...

Heavily forested hillsides, clear-flowing streams and solitude are all features to be found within Big Sugar Creek State Park. Nestled deep within southwest Missouri, Big Sugar Creek State Park preserves a portion of the Elk River Section of Missouri's Ozarks. This area of the state has a distinct natural history, ...

Blue Springs Lake is a part of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Little Blue River Project for flood control, recreation and other water resource development. This park complex contains a large number of recreational features that are managed, through a partnership, by Jackson County. A wide array ...

If you are intrigued by the mystique and lore of simpler times, then relive the days of yesteryear by a visit to Bollinger Mill State Historic Site. The 19th-century mill and its neighboring covered bridge offer a glimpse of now-rare Americana that once might have been expected around many ...

In 1804, Lewis and Clark reported the presence of many saltwater springs in the area that now comprises Howard, Cooper and Saline counties. The largest of these salt springs was the Boone's Lick. The area around this spring was ideal for settlement and for many years "Boone's Lick Country" ...

Sitting atop a 120-foot bluff, Bothwell Lodge State Historic Site can't be missed by travelers heading north on Highway 65 from Sedalia. This castlelike building was constructed between 1897 and 1928 for a prominent Sedalia lawyer, John Homer Bothwell. Bothwell was active in local politics, represented Pettis County for ...

A trip to Castlewood State Park gives visitors a first-hand look at the area's glorious past. At the same time, the natural beauty of the Meramec River and the surrounding open spaces offer a serene escape from urban life. Between 1915 and 1940, thousands of St. Louis residents traveled by ...

The sparkling waters and scenic lands of Clarence Cannon Dam and Mark Twain Lake provide countless opportunities for outdoor recreation -boating, swimming, fishing, picnicking, camping, hiking and hunting to name a few. Visitors can find developed recreation areas such as campgrounds, beaches, playgrounds, boat ramps and full service marinas. ...

The 3750-acre Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge is adjacent to the Mississippi River. Although it is protected by a levee, the refuge provides flood storage in periods of high water. Refuge habitats include managed wetland units, semi-permanent and permanent marshes, bottomland hardwood forests, and native grasslands. The ...

High above the Missouri and Osage rivers, visitors to Clark's Hill/Norton State Historic Site can absorb the intriguing history of the hill, which will take them back to the epic journey of captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark. On June 1-3, 1804, they camped at the base of what ...

Whether it is boating, swimming, water skiing, camping, picnicking, sightseeing, hunting, or fishing, Clearwater Lake and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers can meet your recreation needs. The absence of private boat docks appeals to those seeking a "wilderness lake," permitting boaters freedom to find a bit of unspoiled shoreline ...

The Civil War may have ended in 1865, but vivid memories of the "Lost Cause" lived on for decades at the Confederate Soldiers Home of Missouri. Opened in 1891, the Confederate Home provided refuge to more than 1,600 veterans and their families for nearly 60 years. These veterans hailed ...

The rolling green hills and deep ravines of Crowder State Park provide 1,912 user-friendly acres where visitors can camp, picnic, hike - or just take it easy. The camping area includes modern restrooms and showers, a dumping station and a laundromat. Picnic sites are located throughout the park and ...

Cuivre River State Park lends a wilder, Ozarkian flavor to the otherwise predominately agricultural landscape of northern Missouri. Although not far from St. Louis, the park is a nature lover's paradise. A stroll through the park in the spring when many woodland wildflowers are in bloom or in the ...

Current River State Park is currently under development and therefore not open to the public. The Missouri Department of Natural Resources has acquired a new state park along the Current River and off of Hwy. 19, north of Eminence in Shannon County. Current River State Park will be developed ...

Deutschheim State Historic Site captures the culture and heritage of the German people who migrated to Missouri in the mid to late 19th century. Their home interiors, tools, implements, garden plantings and architecture quickly became a reflection of Missouri's diverse culture. The Pommer-Gentner house, built in 1840, is a ...

A barn-red mill nestled among green trees beside blue waters rolling over a rock dam create the colorful setting of one of Missouri's most picturesque historic sites. Dillard Mill State Historic Site interprets one of Missouri's best-preserved, water-powered gristmills. Completed in 1908, Dillard Mill sits along Huzzah Creek and was ...

Imagine giant granite rocks standing end-to-end like a train of circus elephants. That's what you'll see at Elephant Rocks State Park. About 1.5 billion years ago, hot magma cooled forming coarsely crystalline red granite, which later weathered into huge, rounded boulders. Standing atop a granite outcrop, one of the ...

Settled by French-Canadian habitants in the late 1740s, the village of Ste. Genevieve has been inviting visitors to enjoy the charm of its narrow streets, shops, museums and historic homes for decades. Located amid Ste. Genevieve's National Historic Landmark District, the Felix Vallé House State Historic Site offers visitors ...

While enjoying a day at Finger Lakes State Park, visitors may hear more than just the sounds of nature. The steady humming and ever-changing pitch of off-highway motor vehicles may linger in the background, as OHV use is the most popular activity at the park. Once the site of a ...

Missouri's first legislators met in the buildings of the First Missouri State Capitol State Historic Site to undertake the task of reorganizing Missouri's territorial government into a progressive state system. From June 4, 1821, to Oct. 1, 1826, heated debates of state's rights and slavery filled the rooms of ...

Today, the Arcadia Valley in Iron County is a peaceful setting in one of Missouri's most scenic areas. But in 1864, the valley was the scene of one of the largest and most hard-fought battles waged on the state's soil - the Battle of Pilot Knob. Confederate Maj. Gen. Sterling ...

One of America's highest ranked military officers, Gen. John J. "Black Jack" Pershing, spent most of his childhood years in the small town of Laclede. There is little in Pershing's boyhood history to suggest that one day he would become a national war hero. Pershing was born Sept. 13, ...