Backpack camping is a great way to disconnect from the day-to-day and reconnect with nature.
The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) allows walk-in camping on over 100 conservation areas around the state.
Here are six places to go backpacking in central and northeast Missouri. The following conservation area sites offer hiking trails and beautiful scenery among other things:
• Deer Ridge Conservation Area (Lewis County) — https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4qt.
• Rudolf Bennitt Conservation Area (Randolph and Howard counties) — https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4qv.
• Spring Creek Gap Conservation Area (Maries County) — https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4ck.
Spring Creek Gap Conservation Area is in Maries County, approximately 10 miles southeast of Vienna and 14 miles north of Rolla on old Highway 63.
This 1,816-acre area was acquired in three parts, starting with the 1948 purchase of a 280-acre parcel known as the Vichy Towersite.
The Conservation Department purchased an additional 1,495 acres in 1978 from Dr. A.W. Strickle and added a 40-acre tract in 1980.
Spring Creek Gap, with its combination of forests, woodlands, steep topography, dolomite glades and old fields, is an extremely scenic area, especially during the fall color change.
