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 Roaring River State Park - Missouri
N 36° 35.117 W 093° 50.272
15S E 425045 N 4049195
Roaring River is best known for being a trout fishing haven, but it has almost everything one would want in the Ozarks.
Waymark Code: WMJ3A8
Location: Missouri, United States
Date Posted: 09/16/2013
Views: 9
Park hours: If you're not camping, it's open from sunrise to 10:00 p.m. The Nature Center is open from March 1 through Halloween; its hourse vary depending upon the season.
Lodging: The parks has both traditional, individual campsites & larger, family campsites. One campground is always open year-round. Reservations are usually necessary well in advance, especially during holidays & the height of the trout season. Fees vary by time of year. The park is also home to the Emery Melton Inn & Conference Center which contains regular motel rooms, and a number of cabins. The historic CCC Lodge is still onsite, but is no longer available for lodging.
One of the park's primary draws are the large fish hatchery and the trout fishing which it provides. At the start of the trout season in the late winter, fishermen stand shoulder to shoulder along the banks; schools have been known to empty or close. The other primary draw is the hilly Ozarks' scenery, especially the dogwoods in the spring & the colors in the fall. To help enjoy the scenery, the park contains a number of hiking trails and areas.
Park Type: Day Use & Overnight
Activities:
Special activities, such as bald eagle watches in the winter; picnic grounds; lodging includes camping, a convention center, & cabins, hiking, fishing, swimming (both in a swimming pool & the river), WiFi through campgrounds, historic one-room school
Background:
(The following information comes from the park's official website & Mrs. Team Blakelylaw's personal knowledge based on numerous visits during her girlhood in nearby springfield.)
The park is located on both sides of SH 112. The portion on the South & West sides of the highway was added to the park after 1952. The campgrounds, inn, swimming pool, ranger station, and historic school are located in this part of the park.
The Roaring River valley has been home to settlers since the very early 19th Century. Because of the river, a mill was quickly established on the site, which caused an influx of even more settlers. Shortly after the start of the 20th Century, the northern sections of the park was turned into a rod & hunt club. During the height of the Great Depression, that property was sold during a sheriff's auction.
It was purchased by Dr. Thomas Sayman, a St. Louis industrialist. A month later, in 1928, he donated all of the land to the State. A memorial to Dr. Sayman can be found in front of the CCC Lodge. Most of the facilities in the park's older portions were then built/upgraded over the next few years by the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps).
Date Established?: 1928
Link to Park: [Web Link]
Park Fees: Not listed
Additional Entrance Points: Not Listed
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