Taum Sauk Mountain

Taum Sauk Mountain is the highest point in Missouri, a wild, forested summit rising to 1,772 feet in the ancient St. Francois Mountains of the southeastern Ozarks — some of the oldest exposed rock in North America. Protected within Taum Sauk Mountain State Park, the high country is a rugged, remote landscape of igneous rock, glades, oak forest and the wildest scenery in the state, far from the lowland Ozark plateau.

While the actual high point is a gentle wooded spot marked by a survey marker, the park’s real reward lies along its rugged trails: a strenuous hike leads to Mina Sauk Falls, the tallest wet-weather waterfall in Missouri, where a creek cascades some 130 feet over ancient rhyolite ledges, spectacular after rain. The Ozark Trail crosses the high country, leading deeper into the wild St. Francois Mountains and toward the dramatic Devil’s Tollgate rock formation. With the state’s highest summit, its tallest waterfall and its ancient, rugged wilderness, Taum Sauk Mountain is a treasured wild landmark of the Missouri Ozarks.

Taum Sauk Mountain State Park offers rugged high-country recreation — visiting the highest point in Missouri (a short walk to the survey marker), hiking the strenuous trail to Mina Sauk Falls (the state’s tallest wet-weather waterfall), and following the Ozark Trail deeper into the wild St. Francois Mountains, past the dramatic Devil’s Tollgate formation and toward Johnson’s Shut-Ins. Camping, backpacking, glade exploring and birding round out the experience. The combination of the state’s highest summit, its tallest waterfall and the rugged ancient wilderness makes the park a premier destination for hikers in the Missouri Ozarks.

Spring brings the fullest, most spectacular flow over Mina Sauk Falls (a wet-weather waterfall best after rain or snowmelt), along with glade wildflowers, while fall brings color to the rugged mountains and crisp hiking, a premier autumn time. Summer offers green forest and warm glade exploring, and winter quiet, bare-mountain trails. Mina Sauk Falls is best after rain and in spring (it can dry up in summer); fall color and the spring falls and wildflowers are highlights. Come prepared for rugged, remote trails in any season.

Taum Sauk Mountain, long known as the highest point in Missouri, lies in the ancient St. Francois Mountains, a landscape of billion-plus-year-old igneous rock that predates the surrounding Ozark plateau. The mountain’s name comes from Native American (Piankashaw) heritage. Nearby, the Taum Sauk pumped-storage hydroelectric plant’s upper reservoir famously failed in 2005, sending a flood through Johnson’s Shut-Ins. Protected as Taum Sauk Mountain State Park, the high country preserves the state’s highest summit, its tallest waterfall and the rugged ancient wilderness for the public.

Taum Sauk Mountain rises 1,772 feet in the St. Francois Mountains, built of rhyolite and other volcanic rock more than 1.4 billion years old — among the oldest exposed rock in North America, formed in violent ancient volcanism — that has resisted erosion to leave the high summit and rugged terrain standing above the younger surrounding Ozark plateau. Mina Sauk Falls cascades over the ancient rhyolite ledges, and the Devil’s Tollgate is a dramatic cleft in the volcanic rock. The billion-plus-year-old igneous rock created the state’s highest, most ancient and rugged mountain landscape.

The forests, glades and creeks of Taum Sauk Mountain host white-tailed deer, foxes, wild turkey, black bear (returning to the Ozarks), and a rich community of birds, while the rare igneous glades shelter collared lizards, tarantulas and specialized plants and animals, and the creeks support aquatic life. The biodiverse, rugged St. Francois Mountains support diverse Ozark wildlife, including glade specialists found in few other places. The park is a fine place for wildlife watching and birding amid its ancient mountains, glades and the wild high country of Missouri.

Taum Sauk Mountain State Park protects a biodiverse and ancient St. Francois Mountains ecosystem, where the high igneous summit, the rhyolite glades, the oak-and-pine forests, the creeks and Mina Sauk Falls support diverse plant and animal life, including glade specialists adapted to the hot, dry, rocky openings on the billion-year-old volcanic rock, and rich forest communities. The high elevation and ancient rock add distinctiveness. Protecting the glades, the forests, the creeks’ water quality and the wild high country sustains both the ecology and the rugged scenery of the highest, most ancient mountains in Missouri.

Taum Sauk Mountain, the highest point in Missouri with the state’s tallest waterfall, holds a special place as the literal high point of the state and a beloved wild landmark of the ancient St. Francois Mountains. The rugged summit, Mina Sauk Falls, the Devil’s Tollgate and the wild Ozark Trail country have drawn hikers and adventurers to the state’s most rugged and ancient wilderness. Taum Sauk embodies the wild, remote beauty and the deep geological history of the Missouri Ozarks, a treasured destination and the rooftop of the state.

Taum Sauk Mountain State Park is in the St. Francois Mountains of southeastern Missouri near Ironton and Arcadia, off State Route CC from State Route 21, about two hours south of St. Louis. The park is free to enter. It offers a road near the summit with a short walk to the high-point marker, the strenuous trail to Mina Sauk Falls and the Ozark Trail, a campground, and picnic areas. The trails are rugged and rocky. The access road is winding. Check Missouri State Parks for trail conditions and access before visiting.

Missouri State Parks protects the high summit, the rhyolite glades, the forests, the creeks and Mina Sauk Falls of Taum Sauk Mountain State Park. Visitors help by staying on the trails to protect the fragile glades and their specialized plants and animals, packing out everything, protecting the creeks’ water quality, respecting wildlife, being bear-aware, and following park rules. Protecting the glades, the forests, the falls and the wild high country sustains both the distinctive ecology and the rugged scenery of the highest and most ancient mountains in Missouri.

Taum Sauk’s trails are rugged, rocky and strenuous — the hike to Mina Sauk Falls is demanding, with steep, uneven, sometimes slippery terrain, so wear sturdy footwear, carry plenty of water and food, and allow time for the round trip. Keep back from the cliff edges and the tops of the falls. The glades and rocks can harbor snakes (including venomous species); watch your step. This is increasingly bear country, so be bear-aware. Watch the weather, tell someone your plans on longer hikes, and respect the rugged, remote wilderness.

The park is free to enter. Stay on the trails to protect the fragile glades and back from cliff edges and the tops of the falls. Camp only in designated areas; backpack along the Ozark Trail per its rules. Store food in bear country. Pets must be leashed. Drones require authorization. Collecting is prohibited; protect the glades and rare species. Pack out all trash. Check Missouri State Parks for current rules, trail conditions and the Ozark Trail before visiting this rugged high-country park.

Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park, Elephant Rocks State Park, the towns of Ironton, Arcadia and Pilot Knob (with the Fort Davidson Civil War site), and the rugged St. Francois Mountains lie near the park, with the Ozark Trail linking the high country and the city of St. Louis about two hours north. The ancient mountains and the Ozarks define the region. Taum Sauk, the highest point in Missouri, anchors a scenic and rugged region of ancient mountains, shut-ins, glades and trails in the southeastern Missouri Ozarks, a centerpiece of an outdoor adventure.

Visit the highest point in Missouri (a short walk to the marker), then take the strenuous, rugged trail to spectacular Mina Sauk Falls — the state’s tallest waterfall, best after rain or in spring (it can dry up in summer) — continuing on the Ozark Trail to the dramatic Devil’s Tollgate if you’re ambitious. Wear sturdy footwear, carry plenty of water, watch for snakes in the glades, be bear-aware, and visit in spring for the falls and wildflowers or fall for color. Pair Taum Sauk with nearby Johnson’s Shut-Ins and Elephant Rocks.