Located in the Amidon Memorial Conservation Area, the Castor River Shut-Ins are a perfect place to wade in the water, swim and enjoy nature. The shut-ins are located just east of Frederickstown, Missouri in the heart of the St. Francois mountain region. The area is a nice day trip from St. Louis since it is about 2 hours away. The Castor River Shut-Ins are the only known pink granite shut-ins in Missouri.

From the parking lot, there is a short trail that leads back to the shut-ins. We started our adventure where the crystal clear creek feeds into the shut-ins.

The area is filled with large boulders and rocks and beautiful swimming holes. Water rushes around the rocks creating small waterfalls.

We worked our way down stream by rock hopping, climbing and wading through the water.

Once at the bottom of the shut-ins, the area opens up to a large swimming hole and a large gravel bar.

After finding the trail and taking it back to the parking lot, we pulled out the map of the conservation area and did some more exploring. At the intersection of CR 253 and CR 208 we turned left. On the map there is a place on this road where you must ford the Castor River. While we were there, river levels were not too high so we were able to cross easily. If water levels are high, do not attempt to cross.

After crossing the river, there is a parking lot to the left. We pulled in there and took the trail back to a swimming hole. This area was beautiful! A large, pink granite rock slopes into the clear waters of the Castor River creating a perfect place to swim. Just across the river is a beautiful waterfall created by a small stream flowing into the Castor River.

Another well-known shut-in in Missouri is Johnson Shut-Ins near Lesterville, Missouri. We chose to visit the Castor River since dogs are allowed at these shut-ins since it is a conservation area while they are not allowed at Johnson Shut-Ins, hence the happy puppy picture below.

We found a lot of great information at Local Treks so be sure to check out his posts as well!