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    Elephant Rocks State Park

    4.9 (43 reviews)

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    Such an amazing place I went with my eight-year-old and my nine month old mini Goldendoodle .

    Evelyn M.

    About 90 minutes from St Louis near other State Park areas. This is a several hour stop based upon only doing the 1mile paved loop or added in some of the trails off the Braille Trail. Also you can bounded as well. Several beautiful Quarles to sit and enjoy the view. Plenty of partying but open mainly sunset to sunrise

    Raquel S.

    It was a short easy hike. A must visit if you are in the area. I loved the maze through the rocks. So much fun and easy. Great views.

    Emily F.

    Went here for the first time in a while recently after going there all the time growing up. It's just as much fun as an adult as it is a kid!! So much fun hiking and climbing around. Pack a picnic and eat on top of the boulders. Can make a day of it or do a couple hours and then hit up Johnson Shut-ins or Tom Sauk mountain.

    Empty engine house
    Jessica B.

    Very cool rock park -- sheer size is impressive! More impressive is the care they've taken to make the park accessible. You can take a left fork or right fork anywhere a wheelchair would not do well. Each sign is also in Braille. It's also super kids friendly: lots of climbing encouraged, the path itself is very easy and pretty short, there's a playground at the entrance. That said, it was also very busy for it's size. We went Sunday, Nov 8 around 2pm and we're glad to have our masks handy for some parts of the trail. Everyone was respectful, just a lot more of crowd than I've seen anywhere in a while!

    A new area we explored this year.
    Mike V.

    The Boy Scout troop camps regularly. And in February, when it's typically cold, we welcome new Webelos, who soon cross over and become Boy Scouts, to join us on a campout... a campout in cabins at Johnson's Shut-ins State Park. This is our lone "inside" campout of the year, because it's during winter. On Saturday, after breakfast, the Scouts typically plan to visit Elephant Rocks, have lunch, and then visit the Black River in Johnson's Shut-ins. The same was the case this year. The forecast called for 70 degrees at home, a possible record high for February... but that was home... rain stalled over us, but it was more of a light drizzle. So we went to elephant rocks, which turned out to be clearly not dry, but also not slippery. The Scouts typically have fun playing hide and seek in the maze of large rocks (always paired with a buddy!) Not this time, but some did enjoy "disappearing" from the others in a couple large piles of rocks... we could hear them but not see them (and all was well and fun!). This trip, we started exploring at the upper right of the parking lot, and saw many areas for the first time. We still wound up on top, where we learned from the Missouri State Parks' Pocket Ranger app (app store) that "'Dumbo,' the patriarch of Elephant Rocks Site Park, shows that he is 27 feet tall, 35 feet long and 17 feet wide. At a weight of 12 pounds per cubic foot, Dumbo tips he scales at a hefty 680 tons." WOW! A great park. A great example of igneous rock (LARGE granite rocks!). A great place to enjoy the beauty of Missouri. Thank you, Missouri State Parks!

    Iris S.

    First time going to Elephant Rocks State Park. So much fun climbing huge boulders. We started with a picnic before entering the park. There are several tables under shaded areas so you can enjoy lunch. Such beautiful views!

    Sarah W.

    Cool place. Lots to see and do! Elephant Rocks is a playground for young and old! This was my first visit. I didn't know what to expect, but spent all day hopping from rock to rock. Lots of fun and a great workout.

    Melissa B.

    Tony, Noel and I was on a weekend road trip to Missouri to visit some parks that was about a day away from Nashville. We had our loveable doggie Sammi with us. The park was easy to find with the GPS app on my smartphone, and well worth the drive. We were so impressed. It is FREE to enjoy the park. We parked the car and started up the trail to the massive boulders to start our hike. It's completely wonderful and breathtaking...you don't even realize by the parking lot what to expect..the boulders are MASSIVE... We loved the afternoon we spent here. It took us about 2 hrs or so to walk the loop and enjoy the rocks, formations, water and it is a great spot for anyone at any stage of their hiking experience. We go quite a bit, so we are not beginners..and it is amazing for our dog and for the others with the smaller children. I wish we had come here before. It is amazing about the history of the quarry and the marble and what it was used in the past to make large buildings in other cities and historical buildings in the past. It is definitely a hidden treasure and if you are in the area, YOU DEFINITELY MUST GO !!!!

    So beautiful. Shady hike around massive granite boulders unlike anything I've ever seen. Breathtaking views from the top. You can keep to the paved trail, veer off on little side trails, and/or hike up the huge rocks. No rock climbing or repelling experience necessary, just good old fashioned exploring. I'm a local and go to the park all the time because we enjoy it so much.

    Jay G.

    Pros. Very big parking lot and multple pic-nic tables for large crowds or holiday traffic. Massive rocks to climb for all ages throughout park with multiple look out points Wheel chair or baby stroller friendly with off path trails for the hikers. Located near other state parks so you can make the trip a all day event. Cons : multiple bathroom facilities locked up with "No running water signs " posted everywhere and only a couple of portable potties in 1 area of the whole park not maintained . Cell phone service is almost impossible to get a signal. No vending machines or country store for ice, snacks, water etc. My family (wife and 3 kids) loved the trip and would return but definitely more prepared due to the absence of amenities and such.

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    3 years ago

    This place is amazing, the hike is easy and the views are just beautiful. I love walking in and seeing all of nature.

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    7 years ago

    This park is very cool! It has giant rocks and a lake. Beautiful views. It located somewhat close to Johnson shut ins

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    9 years ago

    Great place for kids! It's like a natural playground. The rocks are fun to climb on. It's paved so it's great for strollers.

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    16 years ago

    Great park the kids had fun hiking and climbing

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    Review Highlights - Elephant Rocks State Park

    No rock climbing or repelling experience necessary, just good old fashioned exploring.

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    Taum Sauk Mountain State Park

    Taum Sauk Mountain State Park

    4.7(6 reviews)
    6.1 mi

    I've lived in this area all my life and this is definitely my favorite hiking spot, it has great…read moreviews. And for me, great memories. It doesn't have anything too monumental or special about it, but it doesn't have too to be a great spot! once you get to the end of the trail there's a stream/waterfall that's a great place to sit and enjoy the nature. And climb around on some cliffs as you can see in the pictures. Once you're to this spot you can walk to Johnston shut-inns from there, (11 miles) if you're looking for an all day hike that ends with swimming. Maybe have someone bring a car there first so you don't have to walk all the way back Directions to Taum Sauk can be confusing for someone who has never been, assuming you'll be heading south through Arcadia/ironton, you'll keep going south after those towns for a few miles. Then make a right on CC hwy, it's on a turn and a hill so don't be afraid to pass it up and turn around somewhere, rather than lock em up and cause a scene. After you're on CC hwy eventually there will be a Y in the road, to the left is a tower you can climb. To the right is a gravel road, follow that and it leads to the trail. There's a nice lookout on that road on the way to the trail as well. I hope this review helped, and don't forget to respect the land. Happy trails

    Great place to hike with amazing views. The waterfall will only be flowing if you come during or…read moreafter heavy rain, though.

    Photos
    Taum Sauk Mountain State Park - The waterfall

    The waterfall

    Taum Sauk Mountain State Park - Beautiful day for a hike

    Beautiful day for a hike

    Taum Sauk Mountain State Park - Halfway down the Mina Sauk trail

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    Halfway down the Mina Sauk trail

    Elephant Rocks State Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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