Many Missouri state parks cater to fun and games like fishing and tubing. Not this one. You can scale the state's highest peak, Taum Sauk Mountain (1772ft) and cool off under one of the state's tallest waterfalls, 132ft Mina Sauk Falls. Both are reached by trails through rocky, raw forest that are just challenging enough to make it interesting. The view of the Ozarks from the summit – especially in fall – is sublime.
Taum Sauk Mountain State Park
Top choice in Missouri
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
5.93 MILES
This popular state park has enormous billion-year-old rocks – most far larger than any pachyderm. Some stand end-to-end like circus elephants and are good…
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7.92 MILES
At lush and sprawling Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park, the swift Black River swirls through canyon-like gorges (shut-ins). The swimming is some of the most…
Nearby Missouri attractions
5.93 MILES
This popular state park has enormous billion-year-old rocks – most far larger than any pachyderm. Some stand end-to-end like circus elephants and are good…
2. Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park
7.92 MILES
At lush and sprawling Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park, the swift Black River swirls through canyon-like gorges (shut-ins). The swimming is some of the most…