Arrow Rock State Park
We visited Arrow Rock on the first warm, sunny spring weekend and had a wonderful time. The drive north of I-70 is scenic with rolling hills, farms and animals, and the quaint little town of Blackwater. Adjacent to the state park is the town of Arrow Rock, a National Historic Landmark, and you must take a stroll through. Beautiful homes and buildings take you back in time to the nineteenth century.
Hiking through the canopy of trees and winding streams make you forget the world you left behind. The are remnants of early expeditions and discoveries located throughout. The combination of nature and history fills you with feelings of peace and simple joy.
There are many great trails with several places to enter or exit. We followed this creek down past the old well and Big Spring. From our campsite we went mostly downhill, so we got our exercise on the way back up the hill to the playground. The little ones needed to be carried a couple of times and lifted down over some rocks, but they did fine most of the way.
Big Spring offered a watering hole for pioneers traveling along the Santa Fe Trail.
Lewis and Clark passed by here in 1804. You can see the Missouri River in the distance.
Our campsite was huge! Because we arrived on a Friday morning, we were the only ones there for awhile and had our pick of the sites. But by five or six, most sites were taken. If you plan to arrive in the afternoon or evening, we recommend reserving your site through the Missouri State Park website. Our site was in the basic area. (The electric sites are in another loop and a few are on the fishing lake.) It was difficult to find a level spot to pitch a tent because all the sites slope. The park attendant informed us that they do allow people to pitch their tents in the open space in the center of the loop as well. Our site did have a fairly level spot, though. The other drawback to these sites was the bathroom. It was old and a bit gross. It was fine for using the restroom, but we used the showers located in the electric area, which were in better shape and bigger.
At dusk we watched some bats flying around and when it got dark raccoons scurried through the trees in search of our food scraps.
The four-acre Big Soldier Lake offers a relaxing spot for anglers young and old. There is a handicapped-accessible ramp as well. Although we didn't catch any fish, we did see some frogs, an otter, and a snake.
A winding road leads to the playground, a huge picnic area, and an old shelter equipped with two fireplaces and grills.
The narrow roads are great for biking and you can follow them right into Arrow Rock for a nice stroll through history.
As part of an effort to allow the Missouri River to return to its natural state, in 1994 the Big Muddy National Fish and Wildlife Refuge was created. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working to acquire more property located on the floodplain of the river between Kansas City and St. Louis. This is a great conservation project "... for the development, advancement, management, conservation and protection of fish and wildlife resources."
Visitors can enjoy hiking, boating, fishing and hunting throughout the refuge as well as view and appreciate the waterfowl and other migratory birds. Most areas are only accessible by foot, so bring plenty of water and snacks, if needed. Also visit their website for more information and precautions: http://www.fws.gov/midwest/bigmuddy/
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danielle@fullcirclechild.com