Explore Missouri’s Great Outdoors
Fall is the prime season to explore the great outdoors! With all of the incredible parks and public lands in Missouri, there are plenty of options to consider. But there is only one Missouri national park that encompasses 134 miles of clear, free-flowing, spring-fed waterways: Ozark National Scenic Riverways.
Located in southeast Missouri, Ozark National Scenic Riverways was established by Congressional legislation on August 24, 1964, to conserve and interpret the unique cultural and natural resources of the Current and Jacks Forks rivers. The riverways offer an abundance of outdoor recreational activities for those to connect with nature, including camping, canoeing, hiking, horseback riding, birdwatching and stargazing.
The riverways is the first federally protected river system and provided the inspiration for the National Wild & Scenic Rivers Act. Created by Congress on October 2, 1968, the act safeguards the character of our nation’s unique rivers while recognizing the potential for their appropriate use and development. It encourages river management that crosses political boundaries and promotes public participation in developing goals for river protection.
You can explore Ozark National Scenic Riverways and Missouri’s five other national park sites with the Missouri National Parks Passport Challenge. The Passport Challenge is an adventure that will take you across the state of Missouri and reward you for visiting the Show-Me State’s best-kept secrets… its national parks (including Jefferson National Expansion Memorial!).
You have until December 31, 2017, to complete the Challenge and enter to win the Grand Slam Grand Prize: four tickets to a St. Louis or Kansas City home baseball game, plus a one-night hotel stay.
We hope to see you at Ozark National Scenic Riverways (and at the rest of Missouri’s national parks!) this fall.