A Special Place to Take the Family
Taum Sauk Mountain State Park:
A Special Place to Take the Family
By Janet Price, Park Naturalist,
Mo. Dept. of Natural Resources
Cool. I'm here on the Mina Sauk Falls Trail in Taum Sauk Mountain
State Park. This is a special place 7,028 acres designated
as the St. Francois Mountains Natural Area, the largest natural
area in Missouri.
I notice a lot of special things here, like the view across rolling
hills covered with treesNothing but green as far as the eye can
see. I also notice the feeling I get standing at the highest point
in Missouri, standing "on top of the world."
Mina Sauk Falls is the tallest waterfall in Missouri, dropping
132 feet over a series of ledges. The view from the falls carries
me miles away into one of the last remnants of wilderness in Missouri.
I notice all of these things that make this place special. Here,
it's not a question of destination, of being somewhere else. It's
about the journey, of being where you are, of noticing. It's what's
along the way that really counts.
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources thought this place
was pretty special, too. Here at Taum Sauk Mountain State Park,
the very ruggedness of the area has kept human influence to a
minimum. Winding mountain roads bring you to the flat top of Taum
Sauk Mountain, surrounded by broad, rounded summits of nearby
mountains.
It's an easy walk along a paved trail to the highest point at
1,772 feet. But that's where the "easy" ends. The three-mile
Mina Sauk Falls Trail gets progressively harder as you go over
steep, rocky ground. It's 1.5 miles downhill to Mina Sauk Falls
(and 1.5 miles back uphill!) This wet-weather falls is best visited
in the spring rainy season: in dry weather, the falls may do little
more than trickle. Allow at least two to three hours to make this
rugged loop. Be sure to bring plenty of water!
Don't be fooled, thoughThe view from the falls is pretty spectacular
any time of year! It's been called one of the prettiest views
in the entire Midwest! Summer displays a carpet of green, broken
only by the flat-topped hydroelectric power plant in the distance.
Fall brings an array of colors, unbeaten in the largest crayon
box! And winter opens it all up, showing off glades and rock walls
otherwise hidden in a cloak of leaves.
Feel adventurous? The Taum Sauk Section of the Ozark Trail continues
on below the falls. This rugged thirteen-mile trail passes through
the Devil's Tollgate, an eight-foot-wide passage in 30-foot-high
volcanic rock called "rhyolite". The trail skirts through
the talus (loose rock) of Weimer Hill, across the face of Proffit
Mountain, and reenters civilization at Johnson's Shut-Ins State
Park. You'll pass through several glades (dry rocky areas), home
to the unusual collared lizard. This silent lizard is often called
"mountain boomer," sometimes said to predict the coming
of rain.
It's a pretty "wild" trail. But if you're going to hike
this one, be ready! Plenty of water, food, a map and compass are
necessities on this trail! Allow ten hours or more to complete
the trail, one way. It's a tough hike, but well worth it, if you're
up to the challenge!
Taum Sauk Mountain State Park is a special place. It offers an
experience, a sense of being a part of something bigger than you
are, of being a part of the "whole." This place offers
a chance to become a part of the natural world.
Oh, look there's a vulture flying in the valley. I'm higher
than he is. Cool.
Taum Sauk Mountain State Park is south of Ironton in Iron County.
Take State Highway 21 south from Ironton to County Road CC. Taum
Sauk Mountain State Park offers 12 primitive campsites (first-come,
first-served) and several picnic areas. For more information,
check out the internet website at www.mostateparks.com. You can
also write for information about the park or trails in care of
Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park, HCR 1, Box 126, Middlebrook, MO
63656 or call 1-800-334-6946 (toll-free) or 573-546-2450 (direct).