Shepherd of the Hills State Park, State park in Taney County, Missouri, United States.
Shepherd of the Hills State Park is an undeveloped 1,011-acre (409 ha) recreation area in Taney County, Missouri, closed pending public input on future uses. It borders the Ruth and Paul Henning Conservation Area and is crossed by more than two miles of Roark Creek, including a stretch of the three-mile-long East Fork Roark Creek. The site contains a one-room schoolhouse that served the former community of Garber.
The park was established in 2016 to protect natural lands in the region. The creation followed efforts to expand conservation of forest and stream habitats across the Ozark area.
The park was renamed Shepherd of the Hills State Park on May 4, 2022, replacing the earlier name Ozark Mountain State Park. The new name honors Harold Bell Wright's novel The Shepherd of the Hills, which is set in the vicinity of the park. The site lies in Taney County, Missouri, and remains closed pending public input on future uses of the land.
The park is closed while Missouri State Parks gathers public input on future uses of the land, so there is no visitor access and no marked or maintained trail system. The property borders the Ruth and Paul Henning Conservation Area, and Roark Creek crosses it for more than two miles. Check with Missouri State Parks for the status before planning a visit.
The park is closed pending public input on future uses of the land, so the one-room Garber schoolhouse cannot currently be visited. The 1,011-acre site was one of three new parks announced by Governor Jay Nixon in December 2016.
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