Ha Ha Tonka State Park


Useful Information

Location: 8 km southwest of Camdenton, Camden County. Exit U.S. Hwy. 54, on Route D.
Open: NOV to MAR daily 8-sunset.
APR to OCT daily 7-sunset.
[2006]
Fee:
Classification: SpeleologyKarst cave KarstCollapsed Cave
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Address: Ha Ha Tonka State Park, 1491 State Road D, Box 113M, Camdenton, MO 65020, Tel: +1-573-346-2986.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

1905 castle constructed.
1909 area proposed as Missouri's first state park by Missouri Gov. Herbert S. Hadley.
1942 castle destroyed in a fire.
1978 became State Park.

Description

The most popular attraction in this park is a ruined European style castle. The wealthy businessman Robert Snyder had the stone castle constructed in 1905 as a private retreat, but he died before it was completed. His sons completed it and rented it as a hotel, but in 1942 it was destroyed in a fire, and became a ruin. The romantic place impresses with its view from a 75 m high bluff, overlooking the Ha Ha Tonka Spring and Lake of the Ozarks.

The castle has nothing to do with karst, but the huge karst spring it overlooks does. Ha Ha Tonka Spring, the 12th largest in the state, is the second most popular attraction of the park.

After talking about most popular attraction, lets talk about the most interesting and weird attractions of the park It contains a well developed karst landscape with almost all possible karst features. Karst springs, caves and sinkholes are rather common. But there is also a huge natural bridge, the remain of a collapsed cave.