Big Oak Tree State Park, State park and National Natural Landmark in Mississippi County, Missouri
Big Oak Tree State Park is a forest preserve in Missouri featuring large hardwood trees spread across more than 1,000 acres. The canopy rises above 120 feet, creating a dense cover over the entire landscape.
The park was established in 1938 to protect exceptional tree specimens found in the bottomland forest. Its creation helped safeguard this forest type as it disappeared from much of the region.
The interpretive center helps visitors understand how the wet-mesic bottomland hardwood forest works and why it matters for the region. You can learn about the plants and animals that depend on this forest type to survive.
Two hiking trails lead through the forest, including a boardwalk that is easy to walk on and lets you see the surroundings. These paths offer different levels of difficulty, so visitors of all abilities can explore the area.
The park protects several trees that rank among the largest specimens of their kind in the entire United States. An Eastern cottonwood and a swamp chestnut oak are examples of these exceptional trees growing here.
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