Established in 1926, Montauk State Park is a fisherman’s paradise. This park is located at the headwaters of the Current River and is one of three “trout” parks located in Missouri. I met up with my friend to camp for the weekend.

Basically, the park revolves around fishing. A horn at 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. signifies the start and end of the fishing day. You can buy a tag and equipment at the well-stocked lodge. There is even a fish hatchery and trout are released into the waters daily during the regular fishing season. But even if you aren’t into fishing, be sure to check this park out. It is absolutely beautiful and I really enjoyed watching and learning about fishing.

There are really only two hiking trails in this park and we hiked both. The Pine Ridge Trail starts out near the main playground, behind a shelter and crosses a small creek via a concrete footbridge. The trail then quickly heads up a steep hill to the Montauk Upland Forest Natural Area. Once you cross Highway 119, the trail remains fairly flat. Towards the end of the trail, you can see the hatchery from high above. It is not a complete loop so you will have to walk the park road back to the other trailhead.

The other trail is paved/gravel and circles the lake. It is very flat and an easy hike.

There is also a short trail that leads to the spring so be sure to check that out as well!

Four mills were constructed in this area and the last one, built in 1896, still stands in the park today. On the weekends, it is usually open for tours.

Ellie and I had so much fun exploring the park. I highly recommend that you check this park out! The campground books up very quickly so I recommend booking a campsite as soon as the window opens!

Special thanks to Nicole for letting me tag along again and also letting me hang out in their camper since it was a pretty chilly and windy weekend!