These Missouri State Parks Are Perfect for a Cheap Getaway

The Bennett Spring State Park is one of the first state parks of Missouri and still draws visitors today that includes nature lovers and fishermen looking for memorable experiences. The park encompasses a valley cradling Bennett Spring and offers an area of recreation and peace that has welcomed multiple generations of anglers. Anglers will find a spring branch full of rainbow trout and other fish. While fishing is the most popular activity within Bennett Spring State Park, there are several other recreational activities and amenities available in the park, including hiking trails, cabins, campgrounds, and a dining lodge.

26250 MO-64A, Lebanon, MO 65536, Phone: 417-532-4338

The grounds of the Castlewood State Park were once a party spot for St. Louisans during the early 1900’s. While the dance clubs are now gone, the lush valley and meandering Meramec River remain. This state park contains trails for mountain biking and hiking that vary in difficulty, offering trails for beginners to the most experienced of mountain bikers and hikers. Castlewood State Park is thought to be one of the St. Louis area’s best destinations for mountain biking. Many recreational facilities, wide meadows abundant with wildlife, and good fishing opportunities also make this park popular for an escape or adventure.

1401 Kiefer Creek Rd, Ballwin, MO 63021, Phone: 636-227-4433

The Cuivre River State Park offers a bit of the Ozarks within the northern region of Missouri. The park is one of the most rugged and largest of Missouri’s state parks. Cuivre River State Park provides a Ozarkian, wilder setting to the mostly agricultural landscape of the surrounding region, giving nature lovers a paradise not too far from the city of St. Louis. The natural and wild area of the park offer several different activities, such as wildlife observation, photography, backpacking, and hiking. Lake Lincoln provides fishing, boating, and swimming, while campers will find both modern and primitive campsites.

678 State Route 147, Troy, MO 63379, Phone: 636-528-7247

Romantic Missouri State Parks

The Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park has been a huge stone gateway for family gatherings and cookout for Missourians for generations, as well as a place to simply spend some quality time with friends. The park features equestrian trails, trails for bicycling and hiking, Civilian Conservation Corps architecture, and camping facilities, all providing guests with a destination to get away from everything, only minutes away from the city. The River Hills Visitors Center houses various displays that interpret the animal and plant life found within the Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park, as well as interpretive programs.

800 Guy Park Dr, Wildwood, MO 63005, Phone: 636-458-3813

The Elephant Rocks State Park, as the name suggests, is home to elephant-shaped boulders, the stars of an unusual state park within southeastern Missouri. These elephant-shaped rocks were created from granite dating back 1.5 billion years and stand end-to-end in the park like a train of elephants in a circus. The park’s Braille Trail offers an easy way for visitors to view these giant boulders, and was designed especially for those with physical or visual disabilities. This trail meanders the the main area of the elephant boulders. The park also includes the ruins of a railroad engine house and picnic tables.

7406 Hwy. 21, Belleview, MO, Phone: 573-546-3454

The George Washington Carver National Monument offers some insight into the man who was once known by the nickname of the “Plant Doctor.” George Washington Carver would tend to a secret garden while he observed the daily operation of a farm of the nineteenth century. Nurture and nature influenced Carver on his journey for education, leading him to become a renowned humanitarian, educator, and agricultural scientist. The Carver Trail is a an easy, one-mile hike through the park. The loop is self-guiding and leads visitors through tallgrass prairie, across streams, and through woodlands. Activities for children are offered as well.

5646 Carver Rd, Diamond, MO 64840, Phone: 417-325-4151

Missouri State Parks for Families

Ha Ha Tonka State Park is a place where history and nature come together, home to excellent geological features and interesting history. This fascinating state park can be considered a geological wonderland, filled with sheer bluffs, a giant natural bridge, caves, sinkholes, and the twelfth largest spring in the state of Missouri. The ruins of the park’s stone castle overlook all of these geologic wonders, offering spectacular views of the Ha Ha Tonka Spring and the Lake of the Ozarks. Boardwalks and trails make it easy to explore all of the park, and there are picnic tables as well.

1491 State Road D, Camdenton, MO 65020, Phone: 573-346-2986

The Harry S Truman National Historic Site allows visitors to explore the surroundings that President Harry S. Truman knew from his early life of modest ambition up through his career in politics and finally his years following being president of the United States. Guests can learn more about the life of the country’s 33rd president, as well as that of his family. Guided tours of the Truman Home are available for a fee and are offered on a “first-come, first-serve” basis. Visitors can also take a walk through the Truman family farm or watch the park film.

223 North Main St, Independence, MO 64050, Phone: 816-254-2720

The Hawn State Park consists of sandstone canyons, sandy-bottom streams, cliffs, and hills of oak trees and stately pines that all create one of the state’s most scenic and significant landscapes. The almost five-thousand-acre park provides an place for everyone to experience nature’s splendour. Bird watchers are drawn to the park for the array of different bird species, hikers come for the excellent hiking trails, and geology enthusiasts come to view the variety of types of exposed rocks. Visitors will also find a backpacking trail of ten miles in length, picnic tables on a woodland floor, and a campground.

12096 Park Dr, Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670, Phone: 573-883-3603

Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park is a one-of-a-kind destination filled with ancient beauty. The park makes for a special and memorable place for anyone to visit with the geology and wilderness quality of the state park and the St. Francois Mountains that surround it. The rugged character of the Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park provides an ideal backdrop for relaxation, exploring nature, splashing around the shut-ins, having a picnic, hiking, and camping. The immersive natural playground serves as the main attraction in the 180-acre of the Johnson’s Shut-Ins Natural Area, which is just a small portion of the park’s 8,549 acres.

148 Taum Sauk Trail, Lesterville, MO 63656, Phone: 573-546-2450