Perfect place to enjoy the forest and nature. The upper trail is a little more challenging but worth the trek. read more

Mastodon State Historic Site - Mastadon State Park - Parks Near Me - Imperial, Missouri

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What a fun place to enjoy a Sunday morning. Our dog Chloe love it here. I recommend to come here early in the morning because this place gets really crowded after 11am. We saw quite a lots of minnows, one turtle and a few crawfish here. This place has several trees around so it does offer some shades to sit and enjoy the creek. The creek water feels cool and refreshing. read more

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Mastodon is a very nice State Park. The trails are well-maintained, and the park is full of history and nature. I recommend this spot if you're in the area! read more

Stopped by with my family and had a great time On the trails. Will definitely make a return trip with my Children read more

This is such a great spot to get the kids out of the house and to explore. Bring hiking shoes, swimming suites, and a lunch because you won't want to leave! read more

Great hidden gem! Worth the 30 minute drive (just past Arnold, Mo). Picnic site with BBQ grills and Bathrooms were plentiful. There is a great playground and stream near picnic site and trails were accessible. The Museum was small but very informative and fun for the entire family. There is a $4 charge for entry (12 and under free), but well worth it. read more

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Since we are still trying to be fairly cautious and not travel, I tried to make this holiday weekend feel like a mini camping "staycation." Last night we had a campsite in our backyard and made smores over a little fire! Today, the staycation continued with a trip south on 55 to Mastodon State Historic Site for a short hike and frolicing in the creek. Pro-Tip: don't park at the museum, which is the listed address. The parking lot there is very small and usually hard to find spots. There's a picnic site on Seckman Road that offers tons of parking as well as a playground and restrooms. We trekked on two different trails today, Limestone Hill Trail and Spring Branch Trail, which is the first trail you'll encounter when you park on Seckman Road. This trail is extremely flat and well manicured. It's perfect for an easy summer stroll for anyone of any fitness capability. This trail also has access to the creek. More on that to come! For a bit more of a challenge, safely cross Seckman Road to get on Limestone Hill Trail. This is a much more challenging trail. There are stones along the trail, so pay attention. It's a 1.75 mile loop with the first half uphill. While the trail was fairly busy, there was plenty of space to allow other hikers to pass safely. Our dog, Clyde, really enjoyed jumping up onto the rocks to get a bird's eye view of the trail! He was so excited to explore. We came back down the hillside to finish off the Spring Branch loop and to let Clyde cool off in the creek. The water was crystal clear and chilly. The creek is made up of smooth stones, so had we been sticking around for the whole day to hang out, we would have put on our water shoes. There were so many families on the banks of the creek. It felt like a kid-run float trip! Folks had coolers, chairs, mats and seemed to be pretty setup for the day. It seems like this would be an awesome way to get away from the house and still stay socially distant. Spring Branch offers a lot of different creek access points, but we find that the best one is in the Special Use Site. You cross a bridge to a large open field. This access point had several picnic tables on the creek bank and families had full lunch spreads ready to go. The picnic area in the parking lot offers two bathrooms. My boyfriend used the facilities and said they were pretty clean for a public park! That's rare. There was also a really big playground that was actually open. The picnic areas have small grills to use and are well spread apart to keep your distance from people who are not in your quarantine bubble. Overall, this park is a perfect morning or afternoon getaway. You feel like you're far enough from the city without needing to pack snacks for the trip. read more

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Really fun place to go to just explore, many creeks and a ton of cool rocks! It is a decently large area so theres a few cool run off trails as well. You'll run into a few people but nothing too crowded so its a nice place to get some peace and quiet! read more

Excellent creek along the southern part of the spring branch trail. Great for kids during the summer months. Bring a net to catch minnows, tadpoles, crawfish, and other small critters. Would recommend wearing water shoes as the rocks in the creek can be sharp. read more

Mastodon State historic site is amazing! We love coming here to hike with the kids. There is a creek that isn't too deep that the kids all love playing in in the summer - if you're lucky you can find some fossils and some pretty cool rocks. They have a small playground that is pretty well-maintained for a public park playground - our kids really enjoy it and we always see other kids playing on it as well. A lot of the paths are wide enough that you could take a stroller if you wanted to - but be warned they are a little bit bumpy so take an outdoor stroller!! read more

Good park to get a short 3.5 miles hike in. Close to Arnold and easy to access. I go here all the time

This was an awesome place to keep cool and entertain kids in the summer! During the time of the pandemic when our local pool was closed, we visited Mastadon several times. The creek is located at the entrance that does NOT include the visitor's center and most trails. There is a small playground, parking lot, picnic area there. You follow the only trail and hit the creek within a few minutes. From there, you can find a spot on the rocky shore or keep walking as there are many spots you can claim. This made it easy to find a spot and be able to spread out and not be near others. I found a favorite spot that best met our needs, which I am not going to disclose here because I don't want to give it away! It gets busiest right where the trail meets the creek. The creek is mostly very shallow. Even very little kids can wade safely without a life jacket. This was the best part. My 3 and 5 year olds could be independent, in eyesight, and no fear. It might get deeper if there are heavy rains. Make sure to bring what you'll need for the day and get there early to get the best spot! Must haves are water shoes (it's all little rocks), chair for anyone sitting, food/snacks/water, and toys for the kids. My kids loved bringing buckes and shovels and nets to try to catch fish and crawdads (all easily bought at the dollar store). Don't forget the sunscreen and bug spray either! read more

This is a great little spot to visit. They have 3 different trails ranging from flat (wheelchair accessible) to relatively intense. I love to bring my dog to play in spring branch creek. I hike limestone hill trail several times each week and find it a great workout that never gets too easy. There is a great little museum (beautiful architecture) where you can learn about this little gem of a historic site and learn about the history of the area. If you enjoy geology or paleontology you will likely get a kick out of seeing the striations in the rock along the trails and visiting the museum to learn more about the dating and creatures that lived in this area. Limestone hill trail has a lot of washout on the trail so if hiking this one, plan for steep inclines, roots and rocks, and uneven surfaces. Nice rock formations and varying views of nature in the middle of suburbia. Spring branch trail is perfect for those wanting leisurely stroll for all ages it has a pretty wooded center with a winding creek throughout different portions of the trail. Wildflower Trail is a short trail with stairs and various ups and downs. Good little trail with pretty rock formations and nice wooded views. read more

Well maintained and good for walking. Provides common area for gatherings and has a playground. Pets are often taken on the main paths.

GPS took us to a picnic area first. Only found the museum by chance. It's cute but maybe could be updated. I'd like to know more information about the adjoining house. But nice pretty little spot for a walk. read more

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One of my favorite state parks. Like Meg said there are two parks. Visitors can not get from one to the other by foot. Both are worth going too. The museum is in the part directly off the outer road. Great trail. There are a lot of steps to go down. This used to be a quarry. Bikes are not allowed on these trails so you will only have pedestrian traffic. The other entrance is around a mile south of the main entrance off Secman road. This has the kids play ground and more hiking trails. There is talk about opening another section of the park where the dairy farm used to be. They are asking for any information from the community about it. The cave entrance has been barred for years so don't plan on caving. One last side note the mastodon in the London Natural History museum came from here. read more

This was my trail when I lived in Arnold. Off Seckman on the South (parking) side is a little river/creek & low flat areas to hike. Across Seckman- there is a loop trail. I usually went left (clockwise) because the climb up the hill is more gradual. read more

We stopped here in the middle of a long road trip. We were traveling with 3 dogs and were looking for someplace we could let them off leash for some fun because they'd spent long hours in the car for days on end and were real troopers about it. I found this park via google. We went in one entrance and walked on a nice trail through the woods. There were quite a lot of wooden stairs going down and I was a little worried about going back up them, especially since my dog doesn't like open stairs and I was afraid I would have to carry her up! Fortunately the trail looped around and the uphill portion was gentle and sloping with no stairs. Very enjoyable. At the bottom of the stairs there was an info board about finding Mastodon bones. At the top there was a visitor center, which may have some actual bones, but it was closed for the lunch hour. We had read on google that there was a stream where people and dogs could wade- we didn't see it so we asked someone and they said we needed to go into the park via a different entrance- we did and found a very nice picnic area with lots of parking, and access to a stream where indeed all the people and dogs could frolic in the water. We all had a great time doing so! read more

You can go here 50 times and still have a new adventure. The creek is amazing and a fun experience for kids. I've walked the trails with my dogs and have always felt safe. read more

Four stars is a bit generous, but I just can't bring myself to give only three (A-OK) stars to a state park that is pretty unique. Let's be honest: who thinks about what was going on in Jefferson County during the Pleistocene epoch? Anyone? My point exactly. So to learn about the megafauna and Clovis culture that inhabited what was to be suburban St Louis 12,000 years ago is pretty cool. Did you know there were giant sloths (as in, Sasquatch sized) in addition to Mastodons roaming around? I thought that was pretty interesting. But on the other hand, the museum is informative, but small, and I would also add a bit incomplete. For example, the museum makes virtually no mention of the fact that the Kimmswick Bone Bed was also a lime quarry. You find this out by walking the trail. That seems like a fairly significant piece of history to gloss over in the museum. Oh, and the mastodom skeleton that is the highlight of the museum? It's not even from the area...it's from Wisconsin! The mastodon excavated from that site was sold to the British Museum. The hiking trail around the Bone Bed is almost half a mile long and makes for a nice, brief hike. If I lived close by, I'd definitely take advantage of the hiking opportunities. The museum is OK, all things considered, it just isn't as complete as it could be. read more

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Museum not worth it but going to the trails is a great way to get out in nature with family. Good creek for kids to play in.

How can you not enjoy getting out of the house for a bit and taking in a piece of nature? Took the dog here for a little hike today and it was peaceful and enjoyable. We have to work our way up to doing all the trails. Today we went to see the bone bed and it is pretty cool to know you stood right where prehistoric creatures walked many many moons ago.....The place is well manicured and clean. Will be returning here often. read more

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This park is actually two separate areas. There is the visitor's center and the picnic area. There are two trails at this park. One is about 1/2 mile, is in the picnic area, is flat and parts run next to a creek. The other is several miles and is a loop up a steep hill. This trail can be accessed from either site, but most often from the picnic area. There is only two places to stop and rest (e.g. a bench). One is about 1/2 up on the left hand part of the loop and the other is at the very top. There are no trash cans or water access, so bring water and you will have to carry out your trash or dog waste. Lots of dogs are brought to this park. Trail up hill his fairly challenging so don't try if not stable or mobility issues. Enjoyable and challenging hike for you and your fur babies. You may end up carrying small children as there are sections that are pretty steep and can wear them out. Loop trail read more

Awesome place to go. Creek is not too deep so safe to take toddlers for play with water. And playground is also good for kids to play. You can bring food and spend whole day. read more

Great museum! My granddaughters really enjoy going. The short film is neat too. Staff is always friendly and helpful. The museum is very clean too. The trails are a nice bonus. read more

Love this park , kind of small but decent play ground , nice trail , also a nice little creek to cool off in . ! My little family and I go here often ! read more

This is a great local place for a nice challenge hike. Families can hike the trail, people with pets. Plenty of parking. A few different options. Longer and shorter trails. Easy to find. If you are a beginner to hiking this is a good trail for you to check out. read more

Great place to visit. Excellent displays and informational. Not a big place so it doesn't take long to visit. Beautiful trails.

Mastodon State Historic Site is an archaeological and paleontological site in Imperial, Missouri, containing the Kimmswick Bone Bed. Bones of mastodons and other now-extinct animals were first found here in the early 1800s. The area gained fame as one of the most extensive Pleistocene ice age deposits in the country and attracted scientific interest worldwide. Archaeological history was made at the site in 1979 when scientists excavated a stone spear point made by hunters of the Clovis culture (14,000 - 10,000 years ago) in direct association with mastodon bones. This was the first solid evidence of the coexistence of people and these giant prehistoric beasts. Today, the 425-acre (1.7 km2) property preserves this National Register of Historic Places site and provides recreational opportunities. A museum tells the natural and cultural story of the oldest American Indian site one can visit in the state's park system. A full-size replica of a mastodon skeleton highlights the exhibits. A picnic area, several trails and a special-use campground offer chances to explore the land where the lives of Native Americans and mastodons once intertwined. Now, that we have all the historical stuff out of the way i can give my own opinion of this lovely state park. I had no idea this place was here till i moved out to jefferson coounty when i was 13. Since then, i have become a fan of this place not only because of the historical aspect, but because it is quite a park for those who love to hike and enjoy the scenery. One must be careful when hiking because the park is split as seckman travells through it, on the other side of the main part is a series of picnic places and a lovely little childrens play area. Everyone can get something out of this park! read more

Three parks in one. Two sections upper and lower. First the main entrance off outer road will bring you to the museum which is kind of small. For a nominal fee watch the movie and check out the skeletons. Then walk outside down to the bone bed. Second is that it's a great place to hike. Lower level flat trails that run by creek and woodland. If your in good shape take 2 mile loop on hillside. Third if you have kids a decent playground Also checkout the crystal clear creek the kids will love it. Both at the lower level entrance off Seckman road. read more

Very interesting information center on the Mastodon and other animals and indigenous people living at the same time. Trails are terrific and a must see. Don't pass this place up. read more

Just off of I-55 at the Kimmswick exit is this historical park. I became more enthused with it after a stl250 cake was placed there (its still there as of this writing). I visited there in the summer of 2014 but I returned recently since I was in that area. The park has 3 recreational trails; unfortunately I didn't take the time to cruise through them. I did go inside the museum. It's $4 admission to just stand inside one big room. If you are an ancient world history enthusiast you'll be intrigued. Some cool statues here and there, but not very much to offer. Otherwise I didn't think it was worth any money to just go in that short museum. Don't get me wrong, I know the state of Missouri needs money as bad as Illinois. The young, college-age people working there were not friendly at all and they just didn't want to be there, it seemed. Just thought I'd throw that out there. Overall, it does tell a great story of what was believed to be a huge mastodon roaming in what is now Jefferson County. read more

Mastodon State Historic Site - Parks Near Me - Imperial, Missouri

Love this place! We always enjoy our time here in the creek and always meet nice people to boot!

Review is for the museum only: If you like museums and the topic, you might like this. Simple as that. It is small and not an amazing museum, but the price matches ($4 for 13+). Free parking lot. Our GPS had us turn one road too soon, so beware of that. If you read everything, you can spend an hour or more here. There is a short video, as well as items to buy for children at the register. Go on their website to download audio commentary. They also have a number to call to listen for those without smartphones. If you're a tourist, you may want to skip this one unless it really interests you; this is not the best St. Louis metro area has to offer. For those nearby, it's worth it if the topic doesn't bore you. The highlight, of course, is the mastodon skeleton, but I also enjoyed reading about the nomadic tribes and the pathway to North America theories. Some of the information about the pathways and the eras I recalled from school, and I had also been here on a field trip as a child. I felt it was worth another visit as an adult to read fully and really take it all in. Then I'd recommend going to the Blue Owl for dessert (skip the meal--not worth it). read more

Pretty cool displays. There's like a giant sloth and some pigs and then a big scary mastodon skeleton that looks like something out of that Jurassic Park Dinosaur movie. Except mastodons are not dinosaurs. IF you went here you would know that, DUH! The trails are pretty easy and the scenery is nice so if you want to get out into nature this is a good place to go. It is also not far from the highway so it is also easy to get to. I learned a lot and I got some exercise so I will give this place 5 stars. read more

I never knew hiking was fun until I found this location. It's a great way of exercising with or without family! Favorite spot so far read more

Awesome place. Great hiking trails. The museum has an entrance fee that allows you to see the museum and the museum annex. Smallish museum, but great dioramas! Loved the complete mastodon skeleton. I also liked the fact that they put info. on the prehistoric & living animals in the same exhibit. They had a prehistoric beaver skull and a modern beaver skull. The prehistoric beaver's skull was about twice if not three times the size of the modern beaver. Boy, oh boy, would I not want to mess with that prehistoric beaver. Overall, very informational. Staff were very helpful & nice! read more

This is probably our new favorite place to hike! We did the Limestone Hill Trail. It was only about 1.5 miles and only had a short bit of up-hill - it was definitely a nice, easy hike! There aren't any look outs or any special views. But the walk is so simple and pleasant that it doesn't matter! There's also a playground and a shorter paved loop! read more

This museum is worth seeing but I doubt I will need a second visit. It was informative and I liked seeing the mastodon (as stated in an earlier review a reconstruction of several mastodons). And yes, the original one is in London. The arrowhead display was neat too, but I am just really into that kind of thing ( I have my own collection). I agree with the review that said you should watch the video first - the museum will make a more sense. They had some neat books for sale and I couldn't pass up in Missouri natural wonders guidebook. All in all it is worth the visit as it is just a unique experience..... Small museum but it is made up by its uniqueness . We got there kind of late so I didn't get to experience the hiking trails which really bummed me out. I live hiking trails and it sounds like these are worthwhile! So I will be making another trip for the hiking trails alone!! Also, the man in the museum is very knowledgable, friendly, and nice! read more

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Come prepared: swim gear, water shoes, buckets, net, beach towels/chair, & sunscreen. Beautiful park and creek!