Boone County State Parks and Historic Sites: A Guide

Boone County has two state parks, one state historic site and a stretch of the Katy Trail that runs past McBaine, Rocheport and Hartsburg.

Map

• Park

Rock Bridge Memorial State Park and Finger Lakes State Park are both on the Columbia side of the county, and Jewell Cemetery State Historic Site is inside Columbia. The pages we checked list no entry fee for any of them; camping and off-road riding are the exceptions. This guide is one of five in our state parks series, which also covers Howard, Cooper and Callaway counties.

Rock Bridge Memorial State Park

Rock Bridge Memorial State Park is at 5901 S. Highway 163 in Columbia. It is known for its caves, sinkholes and hiking, and it became a state park in 1967. The park’s page lists scrambling, hiking and biking, and “some of the state’s most popular hiking trails.”

• What to see: The Devil’s Icebox Boardwalk passes over a 125-foot natural tunnel, a sinkhole and Devil’s Icebox Spring. Connor’s Cave and the Rock Bridge itself are open year-round to explore on your own. Devil’s Icebox Cave is closed to protect bats.
• Trails: The Grassland and Karst trails pass restored grasslands and sinkholes. The Gans Creek Wild Area can be explored on foot or horseback. Trail lengths are not on the main park page; use the park’s trail map. The trails hotline is 573-398-7001, ext. 3.
• Hours: Park grounds are open sunrise to sunset all year. The park office is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.
• Camping: Primitive group camping only, by advance reservation. There is no regular campground.
• Water: No lake or river access is listed. The water here is underground, in the cave and spring.
• Also there: Picnic sites, two reservable picnic shelters, a playground and an orienteering course with 30 permanent markers, open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
• Accessibility: The park page links to an accessibility page but does not describe features.
• Contact: 573-449-7402. Directions on Google Maps.

Finger Lakes State Park

Finger Lakes State Park is at 1505 E. Peabody Road in Columbia, in Boone County. It sits on a reclaimed coal strip mine. Peabody Coal removed more than 1.2 million tons of coal there between 1964 and 1967 and donated 1,028 acres to the state park system in 1974. Today the park covers 1,128 acres, with nearly a dozen small lakes left by the mining, joined by dams and canals into a strand over a mile and a half long. See the park’s page.

• Off-road riding: It is one of two ATV parks in the state system, with more than 900 acres of off-road motorcycle and ATV trails and a motocross track. Permits are $6 per vehicle per day for ATVs and motorcycles, and $10 for UTVs, per the park’s off-road rules page. Entry to the park itself does not require a permit.
• Trails: The Kelley Branch Mountain Bike Trail is 3.8 miles. A water trail for paddlers is 4.5 miles.
• Water: A swimming beach, fishing for bass, bluegill, crappie and catfish, canoeing and kayaking. Boats may use trolling motors only.
• Camping: Basic and electric sites (30- and 50-amp) with modern restrooms and hot showers. Showers and modern restrooms are open April through October. Sites can be reserved up to 12 months ahead at 877-422-6766. Nightly rates are in the park’s 2026 rates sheet, not on the page we read. The special-use group area is $2 per person per night.
• Hours: Grounds are open 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. April through October and 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. November through March. The park office is open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. April through October and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. November through March.
• Accessibility: The park links to an accessibility page; no details are listed on the main page.
• Contact: 573-443-5315. Directions on Google Maps.

Jewell Cemetery State Historic Site

Jewell Cemetery State Historic Site is a small, shaded family cemetery on South Providence Road in Columbia, a quiet pocket beside a busy road. George Jewell deeded it in 1841 to his son William and grandson Thomas, and more than 40 of his descendants are buried there. The earliest grave dates from 1822 and the most recent from 1968. About 20 unlettered limestone blocks at the back are presumed to mark the graves of people enslaved by the Jewell family. Charles Henry Hardin, Missouri’s 22nd governor, is a descendant of George Jewell. William Jewell, for whom William Jewell College in Liberty is named, is also buried there. The state took over the site in 1967. See the site’s page.

• Hours and fees: None are posted. Call 573-449-7402; Rock Bridge Memorial State Park is the contact for the site.
• Accessibility: Parking is in a mostly level gravel lot, and the gate may be too narrow for some wheelchairs, according to the state.
• Directions: Google Maps.

Katy Trail State Park in Boone County

The Katy Trail is a 240-mile rail trail between Clinton and Machens, and Boone County has the stretch around Rocheport. The park’s page calls it “the longest developed rail-trail in the country.” Trailheads in the county:

• Hartsburg, mile 153.6: parking, restrooms and water. American Legion Park Camping is nearby, and the Globe Hotel Bed & Breakfast is in town.
• McBaine, mile 169.5: parking and a restroom. The Columbia MKT Trail, an 8.9-mile spur run by the City of Columbia and Boone County, joins the Katy just west of McBaine and runs to downtown Columbia.
• Rocheport, mile 178.3: parking, restrooms and water at nearby businesses, bike rental at Meriwether Cafe and Bike Shop, and several bed and breakfasts.

The trail is open sunrise to sunset. The state does not run camping along the trail; nearby public camping includes Hartsburg’s American Legion Park and, as primitive camping, the Diana Bend (mile 181.5) and Davisdale (mile 182.2) conservation areas. Only pedestrians, bicyclists and, in designated areas, horseback riders may use the trail. Gas-powered vehicles are banned. Electric-assist bikes up to 20 mph are allowed. Pets must be leashed. At trailheads with modern restrooms, water is shut off and restrooms close from roughly November through March. The state says the majority of the trail is accessible to people with disabilities. Call 573-449-7402.

Which state parks are just outside Boone County?

• Boone’s Lick State Historic Site, on Highway 187 at Boonesboro in Howard County, tells the story of the salt works that drew settlers up the river.
• Arrow Rock State Historic Site, in the village of Arrow Rock, has the 1834 J. Huston Tavern, a museum and a visitor center.
• Missouri State Museum and Jefferson Landing State Historic Site in Jefferson City. The state’s museum page says Jefferson Landing was closed from June 1 through Oct. 16, 2026, while the Capitol and the museum stayed open, and that tours from Oct. 17 on are booked online or by calling the museum at 573-751-2854. The state’s Park and Site Status Map has not always matched that page, so call before you go.

Free maps for your trip

• Missouri highway map: MoDOT says the official state highway map is available free of charge. Request one on that page or call 1-888-ASK-MODOT.
• Fishing and hunting booklets: The Missouri Department of Conservation lets Missouri residents request free print copies of its fishing and hunting regulation booklets.
• Park and trail maps: Missouri State Parks says trail maps for every trail are available. Start with the pages for Rock Bridge, Finger Lakes and the Katy Trail.

Planning a ride? Read parking and shuttles for a Katy Trail ride from Rocheport, then see the new $5 MDC camping permit that starts in March 2027. In Hartsburg, there is a new flower farm. Directions to the Rocheport trailhead.