State Parks Stories
Missouri State Parks invites you to explore the world of nature our state has to offer. Read our stories and find a state park that's close to you.
New Water Trail Dedicated at Finger Lakes State Park
Finger Lakes State Park is marking National Trails Day on June 7 by dedicating a new trail. If you want to explore it, bring your water shoes instead of hiking boots.
North of Columbia off U.S. 63, Finger Lakes State Park gets its name from the slender lakes formed when pits left by a prior coal-mining operation were dammed and filled with clear water. Peabody Lake is the largest and now has a 4.5-mile water trail that lets paddlers explore the narrow waterways.
Dad and Daughter Plan 1,500-mile State Park Bike Ride
Rachel Ruhlen and her dad, David Ruhlen, are going on a little bike ride to some of Missouri’s prettiest places.
Spring Bird Migration Underway
They come quietly in the night, announcing their arrival at daybreak by filling the woods with their songs.
Hermann Celebrates German Composer
Bach, Brahms and Wagner are three of the big names of the Golden Age of Classical Music, but another prominent German-American composer had roots in Hermann.
His name was William H. Pommer and he was the grandson of German immigrants who arrived in the Missouri River Valley in the early 1800s. He was the youngest son of Fredric Pommer, one of the six children who moved with their widowed mother, Caroline, to Herman in 1839.