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Pershing State Park
660-963-2299

Visitors get an up-close look at the wetland landscape along the boardwalk trail.

At a glance...

29277 Hwy. 130
Laclede, MO 64651

660-963-2299

Acreage: 3,565.66
Year Acquired: 1937
Activities: camping, fishing, picnicking, swimming, hiking - backpacking  - interpretive trails

6/26/08 -- The boardwalk is temporarily closed due to flooding.  Surrounding highways are flooded in spots so access to the park may be limited at times.


The outstanding features of what is now Pershing State Park attracted Gen. John J. Pershing during his boyhood years and continue to attract visitors to the park today.

A hike down the 1.5-mile boardwalk or 6.5-mile Riparian Trail allows visitors to glimpse a slice of presettlement Missouri. Visitors can see an active meandering stream with oxbow sloughs and cutoffs, a gently sloping upland forest, a mature bottomland forest and an expansive river bottom prairie, marshland and swamps. Other hiking trails, totaling 3.5 miles, allow for wildlife viewing and naturalist-led walks.

For visitors wanting to savor more of this 3,527-acre wetland masterpiece, the park provides a shady campground with electric and basic campsites, modern restrooms, hot showers and laundry facilities. Four small lakes and Locust Creek provide anglers with an opportunity to catch a variety of fish. Several picnic sites, a picnic shelter and an enclosed shelter with kitchen facilities make Pershing State Park an ideal location for family reunions.

Whether for a few hours or a few nights, come explore the natural features of Pershing State Park that make it a rare natural jewel in northern Missouri.

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