Visit in the spring, after a rain, for the best view. Many of the waterfalls in the Show-Me State are wet-weather falls. These natural water features add another layer of beauty to the area’s lush landscape. Along with waterfalls, you’ll find shut-ins – chutes and pools created by fast-moving streams flowing around dense volcanic rock. Most of Missouri’s waterfalls are located deep in the Ozarks. The sight and sound of water flowing over rocks – in a powerful rush or delicate trickle – have a way of drawing you in. ![]() Even though this park is known as a popular swimming destination, we would recommend coming here in the fall to just chill at the campsite and/or focus on hiking at Elephant Rocks and surrounding areas.There’s something irresistible about a waterfall. We were able to buy firewood at $5 a bundle which we picked up at the big wood shed next to the shop. As we frustratingly learned, wifi is offered, however, we were better off just not using it as it was terrible, but good enough to get an emergency text in. We definitely ended up spending too much time shopping there just because they had a lot of cool trinkets. They had cool drinks and snacks for a much needed break. It had everything at reasonable prices (I double checked REI and Amazon pricing, and should’ve picked up some stakes). This was the nicest camp shop we’ve ever been to. The bathrooms were only a hundred feet away from site 412. The restrooms were in a big concrete structure which had private rooms with a private shower and flush toilet. The bathrooms were cleaned regularly however, due to the amount of people using them, they got dirty fairly quickly. There were lots of shaded areas which was a welcomed break from the sweltering heat. There were children’s playgrounds open, but we didn’t partake due to COVID. It’s a great picnic or day-use area with big rocks to climb and hike through with tons of beautiful scenery. We are rating hiking at a 4/5 even though the best hiking is a 20 minute drive to another State Park great for day hiking called Elephant Rocks State Park. To the left as you walk in is a more shallow swimming area and to the right is a deep swimming area. In addition to the rocky area, there are two big swimming areas. These slides seemed to be hit or miss, as some were fun but others were very dangerous or too sharp. We learned the term “shut-in” refers to a place where the river is met with hard rock that is resistant to erosion, which causes the water to flow quickly creating a natural water park with natural slides. There is not really a good place to set your things, but we just found an area and claimed it as our home base. Once you finally reach the end of the half-mile long walkway you will see the shut-ins. ![]() We ended up bringing a little bag with reusable water bottles, towels, and our belongings. Be prepared as there are food and disposable container restrictions and there is a LONG walk to get to the water. We got there around 10am and were among the first people there. The shut-ins were about a 10 minute drive from the campsite. Loop 5 offered a little more distance but it was walk-in only.Īfter spending the day before sweating non-stop, it was great to be able to cool off in the water. It was a standard state park setup where your neighbors were 50 feet from you on either side, but there was plenty of space to stretch out. Loops 1-3 are electric hookups, Loop 4 is basic sites, and Loop 5 is walk-in. They came by every so often preparing sites for new campers and checking on us. The front gate worker was the most informative and helpful state park employee we’ve ever met and was very welcoming. We were most surprised at how clean and pristine everything was. Every activity was a short drive from the campground.Įven with it being 10 years old, everything seemed somewhat new. ![]() The drive out there was not too bad and was on major roadways. We’d definitely recommend trying to go when it’s a little cooler as the swimming area is a car ride away. The park flooded in 2005, caused by a pump storage plant reservoir failing, and the park was rebuilt and reopened in 2006 through 2010, including a new campground. ![]() Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park is a park on the East Fork Black River in Reynolds County, Missouri.
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