I've lived in this area all my life and this is definitely my favorite hiking spot, it has great…read moreviews. And for me, great memories. It doesn't have anything too monumental or special about it, but it doesn't have too to be a great spot! once you get to the end of the trail there's a stream/waterfall that's a great place to sit and enjoy the nature. And climb around on some cliffs as you can see in the pictures. Once you're to this spot you can walk to Johnston shut-inns from there, (11 miles) if you're looking for an all day hike that ends with swimming. Maybe have someone bring a car there first so you don't have to walk all the way back Directions to Taum Sauk can be confusing for someone who has never been, assuming you'll be heading south through Arcadia/ironton, you'll keep going south after those towns for a few miles. Then make a right on CC hwy, it's on a turn and a hill so don't be afraid to pass it up and turn around somewhere, rather than lock em up and cause a scene. After you're on CC hwy eventually there will be a Y in the road, to the left is a tower you can climb. To the right is a gravel road, follow that and it leads to the trail. There's a nice lookout on that road on the way to the trail as well. I hope this review helped, and don't forget to respect the land. Happy trails

Great place to hike with amazing views. The waterfall will only be flowing if you come during or…read moreafter heavy rain, though.

Beautiful area no matter where you go along the riverway. Wonderful canoeing and kayaking, horse…read moreback riding and hiking. River bluffs, caves, waterfalls, cold clear spring fed water. Doesn't get any better than this. Get out with the kids and enjoy!!

Beautiful State Park!! Water is crystal clear and clean. Beautiful walking trails with lots of…read morescenery.

I recently visited Sam A. Baker State Park for the first time for a family reunion. I'm not sure…read morehow large of a park it is, as our family had reserved one of the first pavilions in the park, but there was a store near the front of the park so I imagine it's a pretty large one. Sam. A Baker seems to be a popular place. There were quite a few people camping in tents and RVs there a couple of weekends ago. I'm not the camping type and I only stayed during the day, so I can't say anything for the camping amenities. -1 star for the facilities. They had no running water inside. There was a place outside of the restrooms for washing one's hands and feet. However, there was no soap and no hot water. I feel that was rather unsanitary. I waded out in a river for the first time in my life. That was fun! I'd like to go again sometime.

We almost ran out of time to make the stop at Elephant Rocks State Park, I am so glad we didn't. It…read moreis definitely worth the drive to this wonderful place. The trail is well maintained and accessible. But if you can you will want to walk around the huge granite stones. We have to go back again soon!

This is one of my favorite places to go in the summertime! It's handicap accessible, and a pretty…read moreeasy trail to walk. Although it's easy, there are tons of huge and beautiful rocks the kids love climbing on. It's just a really peaceful place. The trail is approximately 1 mile long.

This was a cool cave, but what made it exceptional was the tour guides Macy and Ethan. Macy,…read moreanswered all of our questions and was funny. Ethan, was our escape room expert/guide he was very kind and really got into character which made the experience even better. Overall, this was a very unique and fun cave experience!

Blacklight tour was awesome!!! Dane was a great guide that gave us a awesome overview of the cave!!!read more

This was the last of three trails that we hiked today. Parking spots were so limited but we were…read moreglad that we went around 2pm and were able to find a parking spots for our group. We hiked the western loop today. This trail was only 1 mile total. It has quite some interesting rock formations. There were more falling leaves on this trail than the other two trails we hiked today. The sleep downwardness of this trail was of a great challenge.

This is a great little hike if you want something not too large. It's great as they have two…read moredifferent entrances from either side of the road. The one we chose the waterfall has two different trails. I would say we spent about an hour exploring, but it was also very wet so we took our time. We had children with us and they very much enjoyed it and thought it was a lot of fun exploring There's a lot of beauty and the waterfalls are great, but only Really have the waterfalls when there has been a lot of rain Highly recommend checking it out. It's only about an hour from the St. Louis area.

I am not quite sure how I made it alive walking 15 miles and climbing an equivalent of 200 flights…read moreof stairs in a span of 7 hours (according to my Fitbit), but I'm so glad I did it! The Mina Sauk Falls Trail leading up to the waterfall was absolutely amazing and was worth it. The Mina Sauk Falls Trail is a loop and intersects with the Ozark Trail. The waterfall was not hard to get to, but definitely was a rocky path. If you want to get to the bottom of the waterfall, you'd need to do some minor rock climbing. The Ozark Trail was another beast on its own. The path is very rocky and elevation varied a lot (depending on which end of the loop you came from). People had a lot of walking sticks, which was a smart move! I didn't have one of my own, but would have been nice on some parts!

Taum Sauk Mountain State Park is located in the St. Francis Mountains and is the highest point in…read moreMissouri~ 1,772 ft which is well worth visiting as the views are wonderful! Take a picnic, camp, hike the rustic trails or enjoy a bottle of wine at sunset while over looking the views! The tower also is fun to climb and look out! Beautiful part of Missouri and worth your time for relaxation!

I stay here every year. I find it hilarious seeing reviews of people complaining about no tvs or…read morecell service. Clearly non outdoors people showing up wanting Hilton in the woods. These are great affordable cabins on the river, nothing fancy. If you are staying in this area it's because you want to be outside the whole time. This is for those that want to play on the river but not sleep in a tent.

We stayed this weekend in a jacuzzi room for our anniversary. We had seen the place for years and…read morewere always curious so we decided to give it a try...boy were we pleasantly surprised. The staff was very friendly and helpful, and the room was immaculately clean when we arrived. Super cute decor. Huge jacuzzi tub! The location to central to alot in the Laurel Highlands we were able to get up and hike the next morning we checked out and make it back in time to pack up. The price was so affordable (which is why I was kind of worried it was a fleabag) and there is plenty of parking. Didn't get to zoo this time but next time for sure! Cannot stress how happy we are with our stay. We are bringing our family up for a night this fall and have decided to do our anniversary here every year. LOVE THIS PLACE.

I went here with a group for hiking today. It has a lot of different trails. Our group did the…read moreWhispering pines trail today as one of our three trails that we hikied. It was close to 4 miles long. The leaves were so pretty during today fall weather. Crossing the water was a great experience here. Parking can be harder at times due to the parking space availability and how popular this location is. There were several locations for a nice picnic. Some people in our hiking group camp here last night as well.

Beautiful Park near St. Genevieve. Play area for kids. Facilities near play area and parking…read more Enjoy a peaceful walk