DNR
Home PageGeneral Information
Historical Information
Nature's Waterpark
The swift waters of the East Fork Black River flow through a canyonlike gorge called a "shut-in" in the 8,549-acre Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park.
These igneous rocks were formed nearly 1.5 billion years ago when violent volcanic eruptions threw ash and hot gases into the air. As these materials settled to the ground and cooled, they formed the rhyolite rock seen at the park today.
About 500 million years ago, shallow inland seas covered the already-ancient and eroded mountains. These seas buried the igneous rock under several thousand feet of sedimentary rock, such as dolomite. Following major uplifts of the entire Ozark region about 250 million years ago, the seas retreated. Rain and wind eroded away great volumes of sedimentary rock as streams carved downward through the soft sedimentary rock layers to the igneous rock below.
For 250 million years, swirling water followed cracks in the igneous rock. Water-borne sand and gravel carved potholes, chutes and spectacular canyonlike gorges. Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park is one of Missouri's most outstanding examples of such features. These canyonlike shut-ins are the principal feature of the 180-acre Johnson's Shut-Ins Natural Area.
Outstanding recreational opportunities are available in the 1,110-acre East Fork Wild Area. The 4,874-acre Goggins Mountain Wild Area exhibits the highest wilderness quality of all existing state park wild areas. The major portion of the park's geologic and biologic diversity is protected in these wild areas. Trails through these remote wild areas offer visitors opportunities for hiking, backpacking, equestrian use, bird watching, nature study and photography.
NOTE: This is historical information. For current trail status, please visit the Recovery Update page. Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park serves as an important trailhead for the Taum Sauk Section of the Ozark Trail. A portion of the Taum Sauk Section of the Ozark Trail between Taum Sauk Mountain State Park and Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park is temporarily closed due to damage from the reservoir breach. The trailhead at nearby Goggins Mountain Trail has been designated as a new trailhead for the Ozark Trail while the department works on a temporary reroute of the trail through the main area of the park. Watch for Ozark Trail signs at the Goggins Mountain Trailhead.
Located in the scenic St. Francois Mountains, Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park retains many wilderness qualities. Outstanding natural features characteristic of these mountains include glades, gravel washes, fens and forests of oak, hickory and shortleaf pine. The 18-acre Dolomite Glade Natural Area is relatively rare in the St. Francois Mountains region. A sensitive, rare area saturated by groundwater seepage makes up the nine-acre Fen Natural Area. Part of the park is included in the 7,028-acre St. Francois Mountains Natural Area. This, the state's largest natural area, has been given this designation in recognition of its outstanding natural and geologic features.
More than 900 species of plants, some rare, have been recorded in Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park. Natural communities can be found in bottomland woods, upland ridges, bluffs and fens. Glades also occur in the wild areas. These rocky openings in the forests support drought-adapted plants and animals commonly found in deserts of the southwestern United States, such as prickly pear cacti and scorpions. The unusual eastern collared lizard, when disturbed, will stand upright and run on its hind legs.
