Ha Ha Tonka State Park

Ha Ha Tonka State Park is a 3700-acre park on the Niangua Arm of Lake of the Ozarks in Camden County. The park features several miles of hiking trails traveling through a variety of interesting geological features, including caves, sinkholes, a natural bridge and other features of karst topography. Perhaps the most interesting attraction is the ruins of Ha Ha Tonka Castle, built in the early 20th century. Destroyed by fire in 1942, only the stone walls of the mansion remain. There are two designated natural areas in the park - Ha Ha Tonka Oak Woodland Natural Area and Ha Ha Tonka Karst Natural Area.

Contact Information:

1491 State Road D

Camdenton, MO 65020-9801

Phone: (573) 346-2986

Map:

Trails:

Castle Trail:

Length: 0.4 miles

Blaze: Yellow

Castle Trail leads from the lower parking on Castle Ruins Road and leads to the upper parking and then the castle, passing the Carriage House Ruins on the way.

Colosseum Trail:

Length: 0.7 miles

Blaze: Yellow

Colosseum Trail is a figure-8 loop trail starting from the parking on Natural Bridge Road. The trail leads under the Natural Bridge and then around the Colosseum. Climbing up, the trail follows Devil's Kitchen and Spring Trails leading over the Natural Bridge then splitting to end back at the parking.

Dell Rim Trail:

Length: 0.3 miles

Blaze: Red

Dell Rim Trail starts at the upper parking on Castle Ruins Road and leads past the water tower around Whispering Dell and then follows Devil's Kitchen and Colosseum Trails to an overlook into the dell.

Devil's Kitchen Trail:

Length: 1.25 miles

Blaze: Brown

Devil's Kitchen Trail starts at the Ha Ha Tonka Oak Woodland Natural Area parking and leads to its namesake cave and the Devil's Promenade. The trail crosses Post Office Road and then Road D and begins following Spring Trail and Colosseum Trail. After crossing over the top of Natural Bridge, the trail crosses Road D again and leads back to the parking.

Island Trail:

Length: 0.5 miles

Blaze: Green

Island Trail begins from Spring Trail near the old mill, crossing a bridge to the island then climbing steeply up to Balanced Rock. The trail then leads down and makes a loop around the island.

Spring Trail:

Length: 1.5 miles

Blaze: Blue

Points of Interest:

Balanced Rock:

Balanced Rock is along Island Trail on the west end of the small island.

Carriage House Ruins:

Devil's Kitchen:

Devil's Kitchen is a sinkhole with a shelter cave inside it. There is a chimney in the back of the cave.

Devil's Promenade:

Devil's Promenade is a steep concave bluff wall.

Ha Ha Tonka Castle:

Ha Ha Tonka Castle was the dream of wealthy Kansas City businessman Robert Snyder. Construction began in 1905, but Mr. Snyder was killed in a car accident the following year. His sons completed the castle in 1922, but it was destroyed by fire in 1942.

Ha Ha Tonka Spring:

Natural Bridge:

You can walk both over and under the Natural Bridge on Colosseum Trail.

Water Tower:

The water tower supplied water to the castle using a pump to get water up from the spring.

Blog Entries:

12-Oct-2018: Ha Ha Tonka

External Links:

Missouri State Parks website: https://mostateparks.com/park/ha-ha-tonka-state-park

Missouri Department of Conservation website for Ha Ha Tonka Karst Natural Area: https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/ha-ha-tonka-karst

Missouri Department of Conservation website for Ha Ha Tonka Oak Woodland Natural Area: https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/ha-ha-tonka-oak-woodland