2 In Hiking + The Outdoors/ Missouri/ Travel

Ha Ha Tonka State Park: Day Trip

This past month Alex and I took a day trip to Ha Ha Tonka State Park in Southwest Missouri.  I had never been there before, but I am guilty of not really taking the time to explore my own state, and I’m trying harder to do this more, so, this is where we began!

The Ruins of the Old Coach House

The Ruins of the Old Coach House

Ha Ha Tonka is a gorgeous park with so much to offer!  There are caves (one was used by counterfeiters as a headquarters in the 1830’s), sinkholes, a HUGE natural bridge, 15 miles of hiking trails, and even the ruins of a burnt down castle.

A View of Ha Ha Tonka Spring from the Castle Lookout

A View of Ha Ha Tonka Spring from the Castle Lookout

The Castle Ruins

The Castle Ruins

Fall Refections in The Lake of the Ozarks

Fall Refections in The Lake of the Ozarks

The Ha Ha Tonka Spring

We did quite a few of the hikes that day, but my favorite was probably the Spring Trail.  We started under the Natural Bridge and around the Colosseum Trail.  Then you wind through parts of the forest and then you come  out on the Niangua Branch of the Lake of the Ozarks.  The trail continues along this arm, and these beautiful, tree-covered cliffs rise up behind it, and in the fall- wow!  I have never seen such beautiful fall views!  You just have to sit on the edge of the water and take it all in.  You finish this trail by following the arm around to a spring coming out of the base of a cliff and the you have to ascend 316 stairs, but the view from the top of that is spectacular!

Fall Reflections

Fall Reflections

The Spring Trail

The Spring Trail

The Spring Trail

The Spring Trail

Hiking the Devil's Kitchen Trail

Hiking the Devil’s Kitchen Trail

My other favorite trail was the Devil’s Kitchen Trail.  We climbed up in the Counterfeiter’s Cave (but sadly found no money), and passed over more bluffs and different rock formations.

Alex Hiking

Alex Hiking

The Natural Bridge

The Natural Bridge

Me in Counterfeiter's Cave

Me in Counterfeiter’s Cave

I can’t wait to go back in the summer to do some swimming and hiking!  It was the perfect place to start my Ozarkian Adventure to really open my eyes to the beauty of my own state.

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2 Comments

  • Reply
    Tyler Jewell
    December 13, 2010 at 12:47 pm

    JABBER ABBER!

  • Reply
    Sandy N Vyjay
    August 2, 2017 at 1:26 am

    The Ha Ha Tonka state Park looks very inviting. The spring looks so ethereal and the landscapes and rock formations, are wonderful creations of nature. I was particularly fascinated by the natural bridge. It looks lovely.

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