On April 9, 2017, Missouri State Parks celebrated it’s 100th Anniversary. In 2016, Missouri State Parks kicked off a quest to celebrate their milestone achievement: The Missouri Centennial Passport. The public was encouraged to visit all 88 state parks and historic sites in Missouri and get their passport stamped. Those completing the passport would be entered into a drawing for prizes. Angie and I purchased our passports last Memorial Day Weekend, and got our first stamp, at Onondaga Cave State Park (a side note: we were charged $10.00 when we saw passports on sale everywhere else for $5.00).
The passport quickly became more than just getting a stamp in a book. Instead it became about moments, bonding time with family and friends. It became about adventures. It became about family memories we will cherish for the rest of our lives. Here are a few of the exciting moments I have had in the last 11 months chasing stamps for the Centennial Passport:
- My coworker, and friend, Priscilla and I spent our lunch hour driving to Van Meter State Park during our break from training. We got all the way out there to find the office was closed for lunch. We did not yet know that you could still get a stamp even if the park was closed by taking a photo of the code and sending it to the Department of Natural Resources. That was an important lesson to learn.
- My Mother, Daughter, and even Brother spent and entire Saturday driving around the Central Region visiting parks and collecting stamps. The laughter and jokes in that car on that day linger. We got 5 stamps that day. We visited a civil war site, geocached in a park for veterans, and we learned that the descendants of Daniel Boone mined salt in Missouri from saltwater springs, and we visited the historical picturesque town of Arrow Rock.
- During our trip to the new Echo Bluff State Park last August we were blessed with a rainy day. We used that time to roam the back roads of the Ozarks to visit four different state parks. While visiting Current River State Park, my husband decided to throw a fishing line in the pond/lake there while waiting for me to get my passport stamped. He pulled the biggest bass out of that water that I have ever seen. (Don’t worry ya’ll he put it right back in there for the next visitor to meet.)
- Making it to Big Lake State Park over Labor Day Weekend with Meeghan and our kids to find a bald eagle in the midst of eating his dinner. He was only tolerant of my photo taking skills for so long before he flew away!
- Casually driving to Watkins Mill State Park and Watkins Mill State Historic Site and spying a beautiful spotted owl in a tree just off the road. The world stopped as I stopped the vehicle and just watched him watch me.
- Road Tripping with Coworkers to St. Louis via Jefferson City. We decided to take a less traveled road so we could pit-stop at Deutschheim State Historic Site in Hermann, MO.
- Having grown up in love with the house on the bluff (Bothwell Lodge State Historical Site) and getting excited to finally visit it. Only to have driven to it 3 times and never catch it open. While the grounds are pretty the little girl inside of me still wants to visit the inside. Maybe one day.
- In March 2018, Myself, The Short Chic, Angie, Z, and my mother all hopped into the Todd’s “carvan” and went for an 1800 mile road trip to collect stamps from the St. Louis and Southeast Region. We hit 32 state parks in three days! We went from Troy, MO to New Madrid, MO taking us all to the boothill for the first time in our lives. We walked to the point where the Mighty Mississippi River meets the Missouri River. We met a former Kansas Citian at the home of Scott Joplin. We met a current Northlander at Dr. Edmond Babler Memorial State Park. We arrived at Sandy Creek Covered Bridge an hour before the park opened. We visited Don Robinson’s grave site on the anniversary of his death while visiting one of the newest state parks on the land he donated. Angie and I made a late evening trip from Popular Bluff to Thayer just to arrive at Grand Gulf State Park after hours. Despite a locked gate and darkness we did got that code!
- This past weekend, with only 6 parks left, my family took me to Joplin, MO for a weekend getaway. We visited 4 parks on Saturday including Big Sugar Creek State Park and Nathan Boone Homestead State Historical Site. We hiked at Big Sugar Creek and followed the creek bed for miles. We found morel mushrooms and all kinds of spring plants blooming. While at Nathan Boone Homestead, we enjoyed a wonderful chat with the park ranger and leisurely strolled around the grounds.
- Sunday, April 9, we had 2 parks left to visit. We decided to go to Prairie State Park first and finish at Harry S. Truman’s Birthplace. We found wildlife before we formally entered Prairie State Park, we almost ran over a water snake on the road. Luckily for him, we missed him but he did have to deal with us backing up and snapping photos of him. At the park the ranger, Katie, was so nice that I felt guilty for not picking Prairie as my ending place. Katie gave us some direction to find the bison that roam freely in the park and we set off to find them. We did find the bison along the Standstone Trail with no real effort other than fighting the wind. As we went to grab our cameras for photos, my dearest husband realized he had dropped his cell phone somewhere along the trail. Unbelievably, he found it and we bailed on the rest of the hike and proceeded to our last stop.
- As we approached Lamar, MO it was past lunch time. We were hungry but we decided to grab a snack and eat after we visited Harry S. Truman’s Birthplace. Wayne kept joking that the ranger could get sick and close early so we had to finish as soon as possible. We arrived at the park office around 1:30. Bubbling with excitement I told the ranger that I was not only just there for a stamp but I was there for my 88th stamp. She was super nice and helped me finish the certification process. Afterwards, she provided us with a tour of the home Harry S. Truman was born in. I loved seeing my kids realizing how privileged they are when they see a home without running water, or electricity, or in my son’s case a full size bed that is smaller than his own bed.
The most common question that I have been asked is what is my favorite park. I have decided that is a hard question to answer. I have so many favorites, but I have come to realize that my favorites are all from places where I had a conversation with someone. A connection. Maybe not a forever one but an “in the moment” connection. So thank you to the rangers at Trail of Tears State Park and Nathan Boone State Park for just being nice and chatting with us. Thank you to the employee at Rock Bridge who did not close early that day so I could rush in from site seeing to stamp my book at the close of business (or maybe a little after)! Or the employee at The Battle of Pilot Knob who allowed us to explore the historic site even though he had reached the end of his day. To Aaron at Onondaga Cave State Park for helping us get into the park last year among the flooding. Thank you, and I am sorry, to Katie at Prairie State Park. I do wish I had certified with you! To all the Park Rangers and Volunteer Staff, you are the face of the Missouri State Parks system and you do a great job! There would not be a celebration without you all and your hard work.
When I walked into Harry S. Truman’s Birthplace State Historical Site on April 9, 2017, I did not realize it was the actual 100th Anniversary. I was trying to finish my passport before my own birthday. Angie told me after I called her with the news that I had finished. I can’t think of a more perfect way to finish this journey.
So, what is your favorite Missouri State Park? I can now say, “Oh, I have been there!”
Thank you to everyone who walked a part of this journey with me.
Located south of Salem, north of Eminence on Highway 19, Echo Bluff State Park is less than three hours from St. Louis, a little over two hours from Springfield, easily accessible from Highway 60 and Interstate 44. For us Kansas Citians, it is a jaunt (five and a half hours) but worth every minute!
The towering limestone bluff along Sinking Creek, that is the parks namesake, is absolutely impressive but it is Echo Bluffs State Park lodging options that will draw all of you to the park. Campers are going to find a pretty impressive campground that offers 62 sites; 43 of those are full service with water, electric and sewer! While shade in the campground is sparse right now, you will find level concrete pads, large modern shower facilities, bathrooms, and a dump station all easily accessible. Campers looking for something a little less populated and rustic will find 12 primitive walk-in camping sites hidden among the tall mature trees.
For the non-campers in your life who like to tag along on your adventures, Echo Bluff has lodging for them as well. The Betty Lea Lodge (named after Missouri Governor Nixon’s mother) has 16 standard rooms and 4 suites for rent as well as a gift shop and market, a full service restaurant, a great room and a lodge deck making this lodge the center-point of the park. For families who need a little more space than a hotel room, Echo Bluff State Park has modern 2 and 4 bedroom cabins as well as 4 stacked duplex cabins that can be rented individually or for extra large groups. While the water at the campground may not be on all year long, the lodging at Echo Bluff is available year round so guest can enjoy the Ozarks through the spring bloom, the summer sunshine, the fall leaves and even the frozen winter.
Long before construction began on this new park the property was home to generations of campers and Echo Bluff State Park has honored some of that history. From 1929 to 1986 the land was home to a youth summer camp called Camp Zoe where youth from St. Louis spent several weeks each summer enjoying the great outdoors. Missouri State Parks has left the original Camp Zoe Lodge in place as well as the original horse barn. They have also named one of the hiking trails after a former staff member, Painter. On the contrary, from 1986 to 2014 this property was home to a different Camp Zoe but still an important piece of this lands history. During this time the land was owned by a Grateful Dead tribute band frontman who held music festivals commonly known as Schwagstock. In 2014 he was arrested and subsequently imprisoned for “maintaining a drug environment” after the government raided and subsequently seized the property. Missouri State Park acquired the property through auction. In talking to locals during our visit, this more recent colorful chapter lingers and lives in hushed whispers.
The park has a day use area that will keep either the leisure traveler or the experienced outdoorsman busy. Sinking Creek runs throughout the park and brings swimming, wading, floating, and fishing. Wayne spent several hours in the rain fishing and was happy to have caught five or so small mouth and rock bass. Children of all ages will enjoy a splash park as well as a playground. There were no activities scheduled during our visit but the park also has a beautiful amphitheater.
If bigger water activities are your desire, Sinking Creek is a tributary to the Current River and is near the intersection with another river, The Jacks Fork. Within a few short miles of the state park you will find several outfitters to help you spend a day floating down the Ozark Scenic Riverway. One outfitter, 
On our second day at the state park, we enjoyed a float trip down the Current River. We used 
We barely made it back to the park by the time the rain clouds opened. The rest of the weekend was wet. Wayne and I got up super early Saturday morning to roam the park in between downpours. I am so glad we did because it was the last moments of non-rain we had. We decided to take a road trip to enjoy the local area as a way of dealing with the rain. We visited Current River State Park (almost across the highway from Echo Bluff). Wayne brought along his fishing pole and within three cast caught a beast of a large mouth. I think he would have stayed there all day if we would have let him. Instead, we had him drive us over to Johnson Shutins, Elephant Rock State Park, and The Battle of Pilot Knob State Historic Site. It was a long day of driving but everyone had a really fun time visiting some of our favorite places.
After our long road trip and the fact that it was still raining, we opted to forgo our campfire meal and eat dinner at the full service restaurant at The Betty Lea called Creekside Grill. The restaurant is actually pretty small so they sat us and two other large groups in some conference space used as overflow seating. Our experience with Creekside Grill started off pretty rocky. As soon as we were seated, one of the other large group , who were obviously from St. Louis, ramped up their conversation about who to root for this football season now that they are without a team. The gist of this conversation was that they had two choices; the Arizona Cardinals (formerly from St. Louis) or the Kansas City Chiefs. Well let’s just say it was not a pleasant experience when foul language coupled with bashing of our side of the state welcomed us as we were settling into our seats. I did enjoy their looks of horror as my husband introduced ourselves and proudly let them know where we were from. Jerks.
The dinner menu at Creekside Grill is a little upscale: Mushroom Studel, Catfish, Buffalo Meatloaf, Smoked Chicken, BBQ Ribs to name a few of the option available. Prices run between $15 to $20. (The kids meals were $5.00.) We started with slow service; the table seated after us got their drinks and salads before we even got our drinks. Overall, the food was consumed but it was not anything so fantastic that I have to tell you about it nor am I rushing back to have something again.
On our last morning there, the “old folks” invited us to breakfast at the Creekside Grill so we would not have to make a mess before tearing down. Our experience with them the night before was so mediocre I thought it was a good thing to give them a second try. As we approached the restaurant we were not greeted, we watched staff clear and set up tables without once speaking to us. There was no sign telling us to “seat ourselves” so we just stood watching the waitresses work until we finally asked if we could be seated.
The buffet consisted of coffee, orange juice, fresh fruit, muffins, biscuits, gravy, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, and potatoes. When we arrived, it was obvious the buffet table was wrecked: food spilled all over and the food supply was depleted. The waitresses never once showed any action to attend to the buffet table until we specifically asked. Unfortunately, the quality of food was not any better. The coffee was weak, the biscuits were hard and overcooked, and I am sure the eggs were powdered eggs made to serve the masses. I have had better quality food at hotels that offer a free breakfast with your stay and this was a $9.99 per person breakfast. I think I expected more from this Lodge who is clearly trying to portray a more upscale experience. I do believe the workforce in the restaurant are young and inexperienced. I just hope someone with experience steps up and provides some training so the quality of service can match the experience before our next visit.
While I would say we were less than impressed with the restaurant, we were very impressed with the overall park. From the impressive limestone bluff to the natural iron guard rails that run throughout the park, from the beautiful Wheeler Bridge (named after the Governor’s Father-in-Law) to The Betty Lea Lodge, from the splash park to the original Camp Zoe Lodge the park is beautiful! It is a place we will plan to return to time and again.
Roam With Friends 