Meramec State Park
115 Meramec Park Drive
Sullivan, MO
One of Missouri's oldest state parks, with more than forty caves, miles of bluff-top trail, and a clear river made for floating, right off Route 66.
Meramec is one of Missouri's oldest and largest state parks, and it earns both titles. Set along a clear stretch of the Meramec River near Sullivan, it protects more than forty caves, high river bluffs, hardwood forest, and springs, all knit together by more than a dozen miles of trail. It opened in 1927, and a few years later the crews of the Civilian Conservation Corps, a Depression-era public works program, began building trails, shelters, and rustic stone buildings into the landscape, many of which still stand.
The land here has a long human story. Several of the park's caves were used by Native peoples long before settlers came, and in the 1800s part of the ground became an iron works, whose faint remnants can still be found. Today the park balances all of it, protecting the caves and river while opening them up to swimmers, floaters, hikers, and anyone who wants to walk into Fisher Cave with a guide and a light.
What Guests Love
- More than forty caves within the park, with guided tours of Fisher Cave in the warmer months
- The Meramec River running right through it, ideal for canoeing, tubing, and summer swimming
- Bluff-top trails like the Bluff View Trail, with long views down over the river
- The stone-and-timber look of the older park buildings, built by Depression-era work crews
Worth Knowing
- Fisher Cave is seen only on a guided tour offered in the warmer months, so check the park schedule and plan around tour times
- Cave tours carry a small fee typical of Missouri state parks, while the trails, river access, and grounds are free
- River floating is best in late spring through summer, and outfitters near the park rent canoes and rafts when water levels allow
- The visitor center is a good first stop for trail maps and to learn about the caves before you set out
Details
Sullivan, MO
Learn about Meramec State Park
A park built on caves
With more than forty caves, Meramec is riddled with the kind of underground world that makes Missouri the Cave State. Most are left wild and closed to protect the bats and formations inside, but one, Fisher Cave, is open to the public on guided tours in the warmer months. It is a memorable one: a passage of tall calcite crystal deposits and thirty-foot columns, with claw marks left on the walls by bears that denned here long ago, all shaped by water over an immense stretch of time.
Because a park guide leads every Fisher Cave tour, the visit comes with the story of how the cave formed and who used it across the centuries. The tour is a walk rather than a crawl, but the cave stays cool and a little damp, so a light layer and shoes with grip make it more comfortable. It is one of the best cave experiences on this stretch of Route 66, and one of the reasons the park draws visitors back.
The river and the bluffs
Above ground, the Meramec River is the heart of the park. Clear and gentle over most of the summer, it is a favorite for canoeing, tubing, and swimming, and outfitters near the park rent boats when the water is right. Gravel bars make good spots to pull over and picnic, and the river's slow bends give an easy, unhurried float suited to families and first-timers.
For those who would rather stay dry, more than a dozen miles of trail climb through the forest and out onto the bluffs. The Bluff View Trail is the popular one, a walk to the edge of high dolomite cliffs with sweeping views over the river valley below, while the longer Wilderness Trail runs deeper into the backcountry past caves, springs, and quiet woods. Between water and trail, the park easily fills a full day in any warm-weather month.
Visiting Meramec State Park
The park lies just off Interstate 44 near Sullivan, simple to reach and simple to combine with the Route 66 towns nearby. The grounds, trails, and river access are free, while Fisher Cave tours carry a modest fee like other Missouri state park caves. Tours run mainly from spring into fall and can fill on busy weekends, so it pays to check the schedule and aim for a tour time when you arrive.
Start at the visitor center for maps and a look at the park's caves and history, then decide whether the day leans toward the river, the trails, the cave, or all three. Bring water, sun protection for the open bluffs, and a layer for the cave. It is a big, generous park with something for every kind of traveler, from a lazy afternoon float to a real hike, all set in the kind of Ozark river country that makes the drive worth slowing down for.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Sullivan
Cuba Route 66 Murals
About 20 miles
The town of Cuba, the official Route 66 Mural City, painted with a dozen large outdoor murals of local and highway history, free to walk any time.
Onondaga Cave State Park
About 18 miles
A public state park whose National Natural Landmark cave holds towering formations along the Meramec River, toured by park guides in the warm months.
Maramec Spring Park
About 25 miles
One of Missouri's largest springs, a vast clear pool beside the ruins of a 19th-century iron works, with a trout stream and shaded picnic grounds.
Meramec River
At the park
The clear Ozark river running through the park, popular for canoeing, tubing, fishing, and summer swimming below the bluffs.