Adventure # 3
This trip was the second leg of our adventure, see previous post about Elephant Rock. The weather was unseasonably warm, a balmy 80 degrees and it was partially cloudy. On this trip it was Lea and I and her 2 kids, ages 10 and 8.
The Shut-Ins is about 14 miles from Elephant Rocks and we saw many of the same people at both parks. The drive to the park takes you through a windy country road with trees on both sides. We made the trip in early October and the leaves where changing. They say that the East Coast is the place to see the best fall leaves. I say save your time and money and just take a trip towards this park. The leaves were absolutely gorgeous and the drive alone this time of year was worth it. A side note, if you have a tendency to get car sick these roads may do it. Lea and the kids said their stomachs hurt while driving but they had also been on their phones reading so that may have speed the process up. The other thing that I recommend is keeping your phone charged. This area is very remote and phone services is iffy. I think I went from 25% battery life to 0% in no time due to phone working overtime to search for services. Good news is GPS never went out and Lea had a full charge.
The park is pretty easy to find and the signs lead us right to the Shut-ins. There was plenty of parking and not very crowded for a Saturday afternoon, we got there about 3 pm. There is a Ranger Station with Restrooms and a changing station. It says there is a store, I did not go in to see if it was open or not. There are other parts of the park with trails but we just focused on the shut-ins. The main trail to the Shut-Ins is paved and a portion
of it is decking. The trail marker states it is a 2.25 mile loop. Walking down the trail there are some nice wooden benches that look custom made. A little way down the trial is the first river access. The river is absolutely crystal clear, not muddy at all. One thing I forgot to mention is that there is a color system associated with the water levels in the shut-ins. We went on a green day which means the water levels are safe and that all areas of the park or open. There is also yellow which means use caution, river is up but areas are open and red, river is high and shut-ins are closed. It may be wise to check out the website for the flag color before planning your trip (we didn’t and got lucky).
I hadn’t been to the park since I was 12 years old but I remembered the high bluff. The kids wanted to go into the water but that area was a bit crowded and I wanted to show them the high bluff. The trail remained smooth and well maintained. To get to the top of the bluff we had to go up a lot of stairs. By the time we reached the top we were a bit winded and our legs were feeling a bit of a burn.
The views from the top of the bluff are great. The combination of the unique rock formations, the colors from the changing trees, and the height we were at on the bluff just made everything we saw so much better.
There is a small path that branches off from the main trail at the top of the bluff. We decided to take that. It is very narrow and winds through the hillside. The trail is dirt with large rocks and roots at some parts. Watch your step. Also the trial is near the edge of the cliff. I hate heights so I just watched my footing and tried not to look down. The trial winds back and forth getting us
closer and closer to the water. There was a cut path from the main trail that was very steep but was a quicker route to the river. We decided to take it. It was very steep and slippery. We had two falls, Lea once and then Lea’s daughter. Clumsiness must run in the family. Eventually we made it to the bottom and to the river itself.
Having taken the harder path to the water we were rewarded with a section of the river all to ourselves. We came across these rocks right before we got to the river, I love their color.
Even though it was October the temperature was 80 degrees and the water felt great. Earlier in the week I was scrapping frost off my window, at the end of it I was wading in a river. Welcome to the Midwest, where a person can experience all 4 seasons in one week. The water was super clear and we were able to see several different species of fish.
By this time it was starting to get late and we were getting hungry. We started to head back to the entrance. The problem we ran into was the trail we took to get down to the river was too steep to go back up it. So we had to pick our way across the large rocks in the river until we made it back to the deck trail. This made the hike very challenging but it gave us access to some really good water falls (mini ones) that we wouldn’t have seen if we would have stayed on the main path.
This park checks all off our boxes off. It has water, swimming, challenging hikes, great views and wasn’t that crowded the day we went. The kids had a blast and we plan on going back and bringing our swim suits next summer. This park is at the edge of the distance we travel for a day trip but its proximity to Elephant Rocks makes it even better. If you have never been I would recommend checking it out.
Want to check it out?
Address: 148 Taum Sauk Trail Middle Brook, MO 63656
Length of Trail: 2.5 mile loop (if you follow the whole trail, it is easy to get distracted by the water or other off shoots)
Kid Friendly: Yes, the kids will love this one. The route and length you decide to hike will probably be based on what age kids you bring. You can gain access to the river just going down the paved and wooden area of the trail so you could bring a stroller. Be sure to bring the swimsuits and a life jacket if you plan to swim in the deeper areas.
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