It was a standard state park setup where your neighbors were 50 feet from you on either side, but there was plenty of space to stretch out. Loops 1-3 are electric hookups, Loop 4 is basic sites, and Loop 5 is walk-in. They came by every so often preparing sites for new campers and checking on us. The front gate worker was the most informative and helpful state park employee we’ve ever met and was very welcoming. We were most surprised at how clean and pristine everything was. Every activity was a short drive from the campground.Įven with it being 10 years old, everything seemed somewhat new. The drive out there was not too bad and was on major roadways. We’d definitely recommend trying to go when it’s a little cooler as the swimming area is a car ride away. The park flooded in 2005, caused by a pump storage plant reservoir failing, and the park was rebuilt and reopened in 2006 through 2010, including a new campground. Finding the summit and trail system from this bushwack requires decent route finding skills.Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park is a park on the East Fork Black River in Reynolds County, Missouri. The north branch is a nice side trip bushwack that passes a 10'+ waterfall and some nice shut-ins and eventually climbs to the west slopes of Taum Sauk Mountain. Just before you come to Taum Sauk Falls, Taum Sauk Creek branches. The trail heads up and around the falls and on to the summit of Taum Sauk Mountain and the Taum Sauk Mountain trailhead. Once beyond Devil's Tollgate, the trail continues upstream to the base of Mina Sauk Falls. After crossing to the south side of the creek, the trail turns east upstream and eventually comes to a nice feature called the Devil's Tollgate through which the trail passes. If you continue east along the Ozark Trail from Proffit Mountain you will eventually drop down to Taum Sauk Creek. This requires decent route finding skills, not only to find Wildcat Mountain, but to find your way back to the Ozark Trail or cross country along a broad saddle to Taum Sauk Mountain itself. The views from up here are quite impressive as part of the summit is covered with rocky glades and thin tree cover.Ī more strenous bushwack is possible east from the east slopes of Proffit Mountain to the summit of Wildcat Mountain (over 1,760' but considered part of Taum Sauk Mountain). A short side trip will bring you to the broad summit of Proffit Mountain at 1,720' near a large powerline (yuck!). As shown in the attached topo map, the trail then follows along the southern slopes of Proffit Mountain for several miles. The route then begins to switchback up to the top of the lesser southwest summit of Proffit Mountain at 1,656'. With a few short off-trail side trips, this route actually allows you to summit two additional 1,700 foot mountains between Johnson Shut-Ins State Park and Taum Sauk Mountain State Park.įrom the trailhead the trail initially crosses the East Fork of the Black River and heads north before heading east along a smaller drainage. This route should not be attempted without first visiting the Ozark Trail Council web site and reviewing the Taum Sauk Section. A very good trail map as well of tons of other useful information is available from the Ozark Trail Council. They can also direct you to the Ozark Trail trailhead to access Taum Sauk Mountain. The best time to do this route is in the spring or fall with the end of October providing some of the best fall colors in the country.Ĭall ahead or check in at park headquarters to assure you park in an overnight spot as this route requires a long 12-13 mile hike or overnight backpack with a car shuttle. The park restricts capacity to prevent overcrowding as the Shut-Ins (rocky section of river with pools and cascades that make great swimming holes) are popular with swimmers. Head west on SH N for over ten miles to the well signed park entrance on the left.Īrrive early on hot summer weekends to avoid having to wait to enter the park. To reach the park travel north on SH 21 from Arcadia or south from Potosi. This route follows the Ozark Trail and starts at the Johnson Shut-Ins State Park trailhead. I thought I would add this route as a challenging alternative to those who would rather not take the easy route to the summit of Taum Sauk Mountain.
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