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Big Sugar Creek State Park

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Hike a trail back into history. Big Sugar Creek State Park is a rugged landscape of rare shrubs and trees not often seen anymore in Missouri. Visitors can find solitude in hiking through shady upland woodlands and sunny grassy glades while passing near numerous rock ledges. Notable plants such as the Ozark Chinquapin tree and low prickly pear cactus can be found along with animals such as armadillos and birds such as scarlet tanagers.

Park Hours

Park Grounds:

Sunrise to Sunset

Missouri State Parks and Historic Sites
May 23, 2013
Fifty years ago, if you had arrived at the natural tunnel in Bennett Spring State Park, you would have seen a lake. Around 1964, a dam created from gravel and silt and reinforced with rebar and concrete blocked the upstream entrance of the natural tunnel. There is no record of how long the resulting lake lasted, but historical accounts state the dam failed after heavy rains, leaving only the portion of the structure seen today at the end of the trail. Walk the Natural Tunnel Trail today and imagine what it would have been like 50 years ago. For more information about this trail, other trails at the park, and all the other things you can do at Bennett Spring State Park, visit mostateparks.com.