Taum Sauk Mountain State Park is a Missouri state park located in the St. Francois Mountains in the Ozarks. The park encompasses Taum Sauk Mountain, the highest point in the state.[4] The Taum Sauk portion of the Ozark Trail connects the park with nearby Johnson's Shut-ins State Park[5] and the Bell Mountain Wilderness Area, which together are part of a large wilderness area popular with hikers and backpackers.
| Taum Sauk Mountain State Park | |
|---|---|
 The highest point in Missouri: Taum Sauk summit | |
  Location in Missouri  Location in the United States | |
| Location | Iron and Reynolds counties, Missouri, United States |
| Coordinates | 37°34′17″N 90°43′45″W / 37.57139°N 90.72917°W[1] |
| Area | 8,732.23 acres (35.3381 km2)[2] |
| Elevation | 1,772 ft (540 m)[1] |
| Designation | Missouri state park |
| Established | 1991[3] |
| Visitors | 144,160 (in 2017)[2] |
| Administrator | Missouri Department of Natural Resources |
| Website | Taum Sauk Mountain State Park |
In 2005, the Taum Sauk Hydroelectric Power Station was damaged and a billion gallons of water flooded parts of the park and other nearby areas.[6]
Activities and amenities
editThe park has a rustic campground, a paved trail to the highpoint, picnic facilities, and a lookout tower providing a view of the dense mountain forest obscured from other vantage points.
Mina Sauk Falls
editMina Sauk Falls, the highest waterfall in Missouri,[7] is reached via a rugged trail that makes a three-mile (5 km) loop from the highpoint parking area.[8] The falls have cascading waters only during times of wet weather; at other times they are reduced to a trickle or less.
-
The contiguous Taum Sauk Mountain and Johnson's Shut-ins state parks consist of 16,050 acres (65.0 km2) in the Missouri Ozarks. -
High point plaque on Taum Sauk -
Mina Sauk Falls
References
edit- ^ a b "Taum Sauk Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ a b "Taum Sauk Mountain State Park: Data Sheet" (PDF). Missouri Department of Natural Resources. November 2017. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
- ^ "State Park Land Acquisition Summary". Missouri State Parks. Retrieved August 14, 2015.
- ^ "Taum Sauk Mountain State Park". Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
- ^ "Taum Sauk Section". The Ozark Trail. Ozark Trail Association. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
- ^ 10 years since Taum Sauk dam gave way
- ^ "St. Francois Mountains Natural Area". Missouri Department of Conservation. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
- ^ "Taum Sauk Mountain State Park: Trails". Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved September 8, 2014.
External links
edit
- Taum Sauk Mountain State Park Missouri Department of Natural Resources
- Taum Sauk Mountain State Park Map Missouri Department of Natural Resources