Rock Bridge Memorial State Park - Columbia, Mo
Posted by: 
trailhound1
N 38° 52.390 W 092° 19.541
15S E 558494 N 4302918
Rock Bridge Memorial State Park contains a wide diversity of natural and cultural resources to explore. Some of Missouri’s finest examples of karst topography, restored grasslands, forests and streams rest within park boundaries.
Waymark Code: WMD6H4
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 11/26/2011
Views: 11
Visitors in the park will notice many sinkholes, caves, underground streams and small springs, all characteristic of a topography known as " karst." The park’s most prominent karst feature, the rock bridge, was separated from the rest of the cave system when a portion of the cave roof collapsed.
Visitors can explore the natural wonders of the park along hiking and bicycling trails. Streams, bordered by bottomland forests and surrounded by forested hills, flow through the park. Gans Creek Wild Area features Gans Creek, surrounded by high bluffs with small glade openings, rare plants and moist shaded hillsides. This area can be explored on foot or horse. Grassland and Karst trails wind through restored native grasslands and past scattered wooded sinkholes, which provide habitat for wetland plants and animals.
Visitors, using only a map and a compass, can find their way through these wooded areas using the park’s orienteering course. Park staff lead tours of Devil’s Icebox Boardwalk and Connor’s Cave for groups who make arrangements in advance. Summer bat emergence programs and other programs are offered to the public.
Picnic sites, scattered throughout the park, offer a quiet place to enjoy lunch or rest after a day of hiking. A reservable picnic shelter and playground equipment make the park a great place for family gatherings. Primitive camping for non-profit organizations such as Scout, youth and educational groups is available by making advanced reservations.
Park Type: Day-Use and Overnight
Activities:
picnic, hiking, bicycling, horseback riding, caving, educational activities, primitive camping
Park Fees: Not listed
Background:
Rock Bridge Memorial State Park owes it existence as a public area due to the efforts of Professor Lewis Stoerker, once part of the University of Missouri faculty. He initiated the purchase of this land for public use as a memorial to his nine-year-old daughter Carol, who was killed when struck by a car. It was dedicated by then Governor Christopher Bond on the 50th anniversary of the State Park Board.
Date Established?: 1967
Link to Park: [Web Link]
Additional Entrance Points: N 38° 53.052 W 092° 19.888
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