Came here whilst on holidays in the States with my fiancée and her friends. Firstly we loved the drive through the forest going towards the viewpoint. Got to the viewpoint and we had amazing views of the Mississippi River. We then hiked on 1 of the great trails but we then had to turn back due to bad weather!! Really fun morning here though!!
We stayed in the full service campground. If you want to be on the Mississippi River, this is the place but be ready for the trains to be even closer than the water. We knew this going in, so more amusing than annoying. (Think My Cousin Vinnie with trains and river barges.) Easy set up on flat sites. The bath/shower house is quite a way down the road. Drove it at night. The Visitor Center is very well done. It explains this tragic time in our history well, thoughtfully and respectfully. The ranger there was helpful too. We took the Lake View Trail at the basic camping area. It said it would take over 2 hours. We did it in 1.25 but we were moving along. Challenging but fun! The overlook at the River offers breathtaking views. Not a bike friendly place but very pretty. Off the beaten path: Gas and ice are 5-10 miles away. Plan Ahead!
A little group of us reserved a basic tent site for camping so that we could view the meteor showers in the night. I wasn't expecting how very clean the restrooms were and the showers were some of the cleanest I've ever experienced camping. The camp hosts were SO friendly (their dogs were too). Our tent site was spacious enough and included a fire ring, picnic table and covered table. We were allowed to take our lawn chairs down to the lake and lay and watch the meteor showers until 4:00 a.m. with NOBODY to bother us. SUCH a magical night and so clean and just downright beautiful! The next morning we looked around and found some awesome trails (all very well marked) and also found the overlook which was breathtaking (view of the Mississippi). We finished our day at the visitors center and museum... I wish we would have had the time to view the historical movie about the Trail of Tears. The museum is definitely worth the time to visit. I can't wait to bring the family back on a summer day and swim in the lake. The beach was so clean and sandy with marked swimming areas. I hear the fishing is good here too! The drive through the park reminded us all of being in the Smoky Mountains. Definitely one of Missouri's treasures!
Park is located on an historic waypoint of the trail of tears. RV campground was small but well appointed and quiet. Trails offer some pretty amazing views of the Mississippi river.
We enjoyed our visit to Trail of Tears State Park this past Monday, but unfortunately the Visitor Center was closed. Check before you go to confirm that it will be open on the day that you want to visit. We were unable to get this information from the website. There are plenty of picnic areas and there is an outdoor toilet facility.
We camped by the lake at two of the basic sites with 3 families. We had happened to book smaller sites, but we made them work. The camp host(ess) was extremely friendly and helpful! The only true downfall of the park was the amount of poison ivy growing EVERYWHERE! Our hike on the Lake Trail was like wading through a sea of poison ivy. We've been to many state parks and have done a lot of hiking, but have never experienced anything like this!
This place is awesome! It has so much to offer. So many hiking trails and so much interesting historical knowledge along the way.
Try to visit the little visitors center to get a history of the park/Trail of Tears before you visit the scenic overlook above the Mississippi River. Be sure to check the hours of the visitor center because it is often closed on Tuesdays. Watch the short film in the center. It is a very well done reenactment of what happened when the Cherokee were forced from their homes.Good picnicking, trails to hike, & camping available. There are no services close by the park & it's just a tad tricky to find so be sure to use your GPS.
Nice quiet place for camping and the public swimming area at the lake is the best beach in the county. The hiking trails are very well used and marked. Fishing in the lake is fine and fishing on the river is enjoyable but I would not eat anything out of the river.
The park has a lovely visitors center. The rest of the park's charm would be pretty rustic with few amenities and mostly self exploratory. The hiking trails are somewhat primitive with natural aids of rocks and logs for support when necessary. However, beware of your limitations. The terrain is fording steep inclines and deep ravines. The signs may say moderate becasuse of a 2.5 - 3 mile length but it is quite a grunt. The view of the Mississippi river and railroad was quite impressive and the fall foliage beautiful but if you are herding small children or have limitations just say no! The sheperd hill trail is fun but challenging and you will work up a sweat even in crisp temperatures!