Park Information
As of Friday, June 5, 2020, the visitor center and office is open for the public. Based upon Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) recommended COVID-19 capacity limits for occupancy, the visitor center limit is 20 guests at a time. Hours of operation include 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Monday and closed Tuesday and Wednesday. For more information on the health and safety measures in place, visit https://mostateparks.com/response.
Due to highway bridge construction on Highway 122, motorists traveling on US 41 will need to divert onto County Road AD and continue to intersection with Guide Ave (gravel road) and will intersect with Highway 122 beyond bridge construction; a turn to the west will lead motorists into Van Meter State Park.
Annie and Abel Van Meter State Park features remnants of the Missouria Indian village that sat at the Great Bend of the Missouri River, marked on a map by Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet in 1673. A hand-dug earthwork -- Old Fort -- and several burial mounds lie within the park’s boundaries. The state’s Indian history is interpreted in displays and exhibits at the park’s Missouri’s American Indian Cultural Center. For outdoor enthusiasts, the park features hiking trails and an 18-acre fishing lake. Trails lead visitors through the Oumessourit Natural Area with views of the freshwater marsh and through bottomland and upland forests. The park’s lofty trees shade picnic sites, picnic shelters and a campground.
