"HP #19! Easy to follow road to the top, and nicely laid out trail. Great viewpoint of the Nat’l Forest to the north before the trailhead. Did not get a chance to go up the lookout tower as the weather was cold, windy and cloudy. " — sklarguy • Jan 16, 2026

"Flights for work into Memphis were all on time but my reserved Budget rental was nowhere to be found. They said they ‘had no more cars’. 🤦‍♂️ Once I got that sorted out and checked into my hotel at 12:30am in MO I started to get geared out for Taum Sauk in the morning (2.5 hours away) - I realized then that my Garmin charging cable pins were broken and I couldn’t charge my watch and I knew that if it wasn’t on Strava it clearly didn’t count at all and all would be lost! 😂 So after I sacrificed a USB cable to Macgyer a makeshift charging cable it was 2am. So with little sleep, I drove the 2.5 hours to Johnson’s Shut In’s State Park - named for the resulting gorges and rock gardens (shut-ins) from the east fork of the Black River. Fun fact: Johnson’s Shut In’s was the site of one of the most cataclysmic dam failures in American history. In the predawn blackness of December 14, 2005, the Taum Sauk Reservoir atop nearby Proffit Mountain suddenly collapsed and in only twelve minutes sent 1.3 billion gallons of water roaring seven thousand feet down the mountainside and into the heart of the park. I could have simply driven to the top of Missouri, but what fun would that be. Instea..." — wiweasel • Oct 8, 2024

"Since I had stayed in the area for a couple days, I had to visit the Arch. I went to the St. Louis City High Point in Sublette Park first, then came here. The HP is still behind the construction fence of the Old Courthouse, which is not scheduled to be finished until next summer. My hope of going up the Arch was dashed, finding out tickets for the day were sold out." — SteveM_StickMan • Aug 18, 2024

"A mid afternoon hike up in the hot humidity to this state highest prominence point (also the highest point of a state park). The Fire Tower road made it relatively easy. Unfortunately the tower was fenced off preventing any climbing, although it looked secure." — SteveM_StickMan • Aug 17, 2024

"Visited "the rock" after a short walk on the Mina Sauk trail. Went over to the lookout tower nearby but with the tree growth, views are getting limited. Almost missed the Jack's Glade trail and memorial along the Ozark Tr. Glad i stopped! #30 State H.P. with this one!" — SteveM_StickMan • Aug 17, 2024