Your Fun Source for Camping, Hiking, Swimming
Sam A. Baker State Park
Your Fun Source for Camping, Hiking, Swimming
Sam A. Baker State Park, one of the oldest parks in Missouri's
State Park System, was acquired beginning in 1926 and 1927. The
park was named for the Missouri governor at that time, Governor
Samuel Aaron Baker. The park is located near Patterson, the village
in which the governor was born. Although Governor Baker did not
donate land for the State Park, he encouraged friends and relatives
to donate or sell land to the state.
Today, the park is 5,324 acres of bold relief, encompassing all
of Mudlick Mountain and the valleys on both sides. Missouri's
Department of Natural Resources operates Missouri State Parks.
The mission of the State Park System is to preserve and interpret
Missouri's native landscapes and cultural heritage, and to provide
safe and healthy outdoor recreational opportunities for all Missourians
and visitors to our state.
The Mudlick Mountain Wild Area encompasses 4,420 acres of the
park. Wild Areas are state park designated wildernesses, where
users can expect solitude and opportunities for primitive kinds
of recreation, such as backpacking or horseback riding. The "wild
area" designation means that the wilderness character of
the land has been deemed the best use for the area.
Several acres of the Mudlick Wild Area are designated as the Mudlick
Natural Area, a pristine and natural part of the park. The 1,370
acres of igneous mountain dome, deep "shut-in" canyon,
and talus fields are quality examples of undisturbed natural landscapes.
The Natural Area is home to old volcanic rock, glades, old-growth
forests, and hillsides of pure pine.
The Mudlick Trail is a system of more than 20 miles of trail on
the park that has been designated a National Recreation Trail.
This gives visitors the chance to enjoy the wilderness area. Other
trails include the Shut-Ins Trail, the nearby Wappapello Section
of the Ozark Trail, and the Hollow Pass Trail. Hollow Pass Trail
was built specifically to route horse users around the rugged
and rocky Mudlick Hollow. The park's Shut-Ins Trail takes users
to a high vertical bluff and good swimming hole on Big Creek.
The Ozark Trail travels along the St. Francois River and allows
visitors to walk or ride horses for more than 50 miles if they
so desire.
Park staff manages the open woodlands, barren glades, and pine
forest resources to preserve the diversity and pre-settlement
character of the land. Park staff use fire to keep areas devoid
of invading brush and to stimulate the original complex of grasses
and wildflowers that were a part of the original woodlands. An
abundance of wildlife makes viewing opportunities commonplace.
Deer, turkey, fish, beaver, fox, and a variety of birds, including
wintering bald eagles, are frequently spotted.
The park fronts the St. Francis River for about 2 miles and includes
about 5 miles of the river's tributary. Big Creek. These 5 miles
of Big Creek have been designated an Outstanding Water Resource.
This honor has been bestowed only on a few streams in Missouri,
and affords the creek additional protection against pollution
and other disturbance.
The entire park is listed as a National Historic District and
is included in the National Register of Historic Places. The Civilian
Conservation Corps (Co) and Works Progress Authority (WPA) of
the 1930s were responsible for construction most of the park buildings,
which include rustic cabins, restrooms, fire tower, trail shelters,
a stable, and a "blue granite" dining lodge. Most of
these handsome structures continue to function in the park today.
Eighteen cabins are available for rent from late-March through
October and the Dining Lodge serves up great food.
The fire tower, although no longer open to civilians, remains
a classic landmark on the hulk of Mudlick Mountain, and it continues
to be used by authorities to spot wildfire smoke in the region's
heavily timbered hills. The stable was converted in the early
1980s to a Park Visitor Center. Nearly 400,000 people visit the
park annually.
Modern amenities include three campgrounds and nearly 200 campsites.
Two campgrounds feature asphalt roads and driveways, designated
sites, lots of trees providing ample shade, and modern shower
houses. Many sites are improved with electric hook-ups, and each
campground has a dump station and opportunities to fill holding
tanks with potable water. The third campgrounds is a 21 site equestrian
camp.
Campers who bring their own horses may camp at this location.
Each of the designated horse campsites has tables, grills, tie-out
posts and 1/2 of the sites are electric sites. A trailhead is
located in the Equestrian Campground. Missouri's State Park System
has a centralized campsite reservation system. Seventy percent
of campsites at Sam A. Baker State Park may be reserved by calling
the Central Reservation System at 1-877-422-6766 or online at
www.mostateparks.com. All official state parks in Missouri have
the same fees and rates. Camping is currently $14 per night for
an electric site. A reservation costs an additional $8.50. Two
picnic shelters may be reserved for reunions and other large gatherings.
Numerous other individual picnic sites are scattered among trees
in the main picnic areas. A boat ramp provides access to the St.
Francois River and most visitors take refuge from summer heat
by wading, splashing, and swimming in either the creek or river.
A park concessionaire oversees the renting of cabins, running
the restaurant, a woodlot, canoe-raft-kayak rental, and a park
store, which provided camp essentials and souvenirs. They also
rent bikes, or you can bring your own to ride the 2 miles of the
bike/pedestrian path that parallels the main corridor of the park,
entering the woods and allowing streamside strolls. The bike path
is open to walkers, joggers, bikes, skates, skateboards, and wheelchairs.
The concession can be reached by calling (573) 856-4223.
The park's nature interpretation program provides a variety of
activities, including hikes, demonstrations, school programs,
and amphitheater programs. Naturalists may be contacted at the
Visitor Center at (573) 856-4424. General park information and
picnic shelter information and picnic shelter reservations are
handled at our administrative office number at (573) 856-4411.
Sam A. Baker State Park offers great vacation and weekend outings
in a most distinctive setting. The park is located on State Highway
143, north of Patterson, Mo., in Wayne County.