Taum Sauk Mountain State Park
Encyclopedia
Taum Sauk Mountain State Park is located in the Saint Francois Mountains
in the Missouri
Ozarks
. It is centered around Taum Sauk Mountain
, the highest point in the state.
The park has a rustic campground, a paved trail to the highpoint, picnic facilities, and a lookout tower from which a good view can be had; the dense forest on the mountain obscures the view from most other vantage points. Taum Sauk State Park is in a common jurisdiction with Johnson's Shut-ins State Park
, and together they comprise the second largest state park in Missouri. These parks and the adjacent Bell Mountain Wilderness Area
are part of a large wilderness area that is very popular with hikers
and backpackers
and includes the Taum Sauk section of the Ozark Trail
.
Mina Sauk Falls, the highest waterfall in Missouri, is on Taum Sauk and can be visited by hiking a rugged trail that makes a three-mile (5 km) loop from the highpoint parking area. These falls normally have water cascading over them only during times of wet weather. At other times they are reduced to a trickle or less.
The park is near Bell Mountain Wilderness
and Johnson's Shut-ins State Park
.
Saint Francois Mountains
The St. Francois Mountains in southeast Missouri are a range of Precambrian igneous mountains rising over the Ozark Plateau. This range is one of the oldest exposures of igneous rock in North America....
in the Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
Ozarks
The Ozarks
The Ozarks are a physiographic and geologic highland region of the central United States. It covers much of the southern half of Missouri and an extensive portion of northwestern and north central Arkansas...
. It is centered around Taum Sauk Mountain
Taum Sauk Mountain
Taum Sauk Mountain in the Saint Francois Mountains is the highest natural point in the U.S. state of Missouri, 1,772 feet above mean sea level.The topography of Taum Sauk is that of a somewhat flat ridge rather than a peak....
, the highest point in the state.
The park has a rustic campground, a paved trail to the highpoint, picnic facilities, and a lookout tower from which a good view can be had; the dense forest on the mountain obscures the view from most other vantage points. Taum Sauk State Park is in a common jurisdiction with Johnson's Shut-ins State Park
Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park
Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park is a Missouri state park on the East Fork Black River consisting of in Reynolds County. The park is jointly administered with adjoining Taum Sauk Mountain State Park, and together the two parks cover in the St...
, and together they comprise the second largest state park in Missouri. These parks and the adjacent Bell Mountain Wilderness Area
Bell Mountain Wilderness
The United States Congress designated the Bell Mountain Wilderness in 1980. The wilderness area now has a total of . Bell Mountain is located within the Potosi-Fredericktown Ranger District of the Mark Twain National Forest, south of Potosi, Missouri in the United States...
are part of a large wilderness area that is very popular with hikers
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
and backpackers
Backpacking (wilderness)
Backpacking combines the activities of hiking and camping for an overnight stay in backcountry wilderness...
and includes the Taum Sauk section of the Ozark Trail
Ozark Trail
Ozark Trail may refer to:* Ozark Trail , a hiking and backpacking trail in Missouri* Ozark Highlands Trail, a hiking and backpacking trail in Arkansas* Ozark Trail , an early network of locally maintained roads and highways...
.
Mina Sauk Falls, the highest waterfall in Missouri, is on Taum Sauk and can be visited by hiking a rugged trail that makes a three-mile (5 km) loop from the highpoint parking area. These falls normally have water cascading over them only during times of wet weather. At other times they are reduced to a trickle or less.
The park is near Bell Mountain Wilderness
Bell Mountain Wilderness
The United States Congress designated the Bell Mountain Wilderness in 1980. The wilderness area now has a total of . Bell Mountain is located within the Potosi-Fredericktown Ranger District of the Mark Twain National Forest, south of Potosi, Missouri in the United States...
and Johnson's Shut-ins State Park
Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park
Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park is a Missouri state park on the East Fork Black River consisting of in Reynolds County. The park is jointly administered with adjoining Taum Sauk Mountain State Park, and together the two parks cover in the St...
.