johnson's shut-ins state park

Johnson's Shut-ins is a true gem hidden in the Ozark Mountains. The rock formations in the actual river cut out over time the action of flowing water is amazing. The new visitors center and campground are some of the best in the entire state and almost worth their own review. We love the cabins. Couple all this with the fact that you can actually get in the river and play in & around the cool formations, in what amounts to a natural water park, and you get to experience something that is truly one of a kind. Don't let the name fool you, this place is worth the time and effort. I'd plan an entire day if you have time but it can be squeezed in in less time.

Beautiful Rock formations that the water and glaciers formed. In the middle of the river are rocks, smooth enough to sit and sun on as the water flows thru and around. It is seems like many little hot tubs with bubbles. But the water is not hot, it is regular temp of the river. Hiking trails and camping there too. Plenty or places to swim. But don't bring bottles and cans to the river leave them in your car. They worry about trash in this beautiful place.

For a state park this was crowded more like white water. We walked all the way down hoping to see something g really pretty but saw people all over

On our way from St Louis to Van Buren we stopped and saw some Civil War sites and happened to be near by to Johnson's Shut Ins. We decided to take a detour and see it. Was well worth the time we spent getting here. got to take some great pics and spend some time lounging in the rocks and water. Just wish we had more time to sit in the water and enjoy the sunshine. Bring your swim suit, towel and definitely a camera. Its something you should put on your agenda

I am a geologist and have visited Johnson's Shut-ins many times. Even after traveling the world, it still ranks in my top 10 places. First off it IS a natural site, not a theme park, so be cautious. Secondly, enjoy the swim, but walk the trails too. Be sure to go to the visitor's center and view the terrific videos that explain the geology, the landscape and the horrible flood (man-made) that happened in December, 2005. This was my first visit back here since the flood and I was blown away by what I saw. It is as close as you can come to what things might have looked like after a glacial outburst flood in the north. They have down a terrific job of reconstructing the park and explaining the event. If you want to have the place pretty much to yourself, I recommend a late fall visit. The river is down, so you can really explore with some safety, and no one is here. The St. Francois "mountains" are unique in the true sense of that word. This is just one of many places to explore. Highly recommended.

This is my favorite Missouri State Park. We have been here on several friends and family trips even though it is a 4-5 hour drive from home. I have also taken groups of boys to play in the waters of the shut-ins. Basically a shut-in is a narrow gorge in a stream or river where the water is forced into a falling constriction. It is like a boulder ridden water slide. You climb around between the pools of water and small water "falls". It is a great workout. There is a nice swimming hole at the end/bottom. The rest of the park is well done, even though we don't make much use of that. You can check out their site at http://mostateparks.com/park/johnsons-shut-ins-state-park. Hit the visitor center and see what the flood was all about. The recovery efforts performed to restore the park are astonishing.

We were staying in the area to see Fort Davidson in Pilot Knob and decided when we were finished with that, we would see just what this "shut-ins" park was and we are so happy that we did.What a beautiful place! Wonderful, wonderful visitor's center. Very well done with lots of information about the man-caused flood that almost destroyed the park in 2005.We drove to the walking trail that takes you to the shut-ins. Such an interesting geologic site. We don't know that much except what we learned from the visitor's center but that helped. There are quite a few steps but they are after you get to the main shut-ins area. So you wouldn't have to take them if you didn't want to.So happy we took the time to visit here. Would love to come back again.

Wife and I visited for two days and stayed in loop 3 with our tent. Very nice, clean bath house. Scour trail hike was interesting and the visitors center was very interesting. The Shut-ins rock formations on the Black River are wondrous. We'll be back for sure. Wish they had wifi in the campgrounds though.

This was another stop during our Glamping Weekend. The Shut Ins are great! You take a boardwalk of sorts there and there are stairs leading down to the shut ins. Lots of rocks to climb with pools of water trapped between. Very cool!

This is the coolest place I have ever seen. My friend and I took our 7 year old daughters here and we stayed at the campground cabins which were so nice and cute. We went around 2 pm so it would be warmer in the day for swimming. The water was very cold but refreshing. It was busy as it was a Saturday. There are so many facets to the Shut In's. Tons of rocks to climb (very slippery!!) Then more shallow pools to very deep pools where people were diving off the rocks. If you don't want to get in the Shut Ins you can walk along the overlook. They girls found tadpoles so they had fun with that. There is a cute store with food and souvenirs and a visitor center which tells about the geology. The Shut ins is a very short walk from the parking lot.

Johnson Shut-ins is an awesome place to go spend the day to BBQ, picnic, walk trails and swim. It is amazing how nature has made this beautiful natural winding river through rocks into little pools and little waterfalls to sit and play in. As you climb down you can maneuver your way through the rocks and make your way down to the swimming area at the bottom and it doesn't stop there you can go a little further down stream through some more rocks wither deeper water and rocks for climbing and jumping. Be mindful of the signs posted for areas that are not safe to jump. I have been going here for many year and now take my kids here. I even recently took my 2 year old. It is a little slower getting down with little ones but just go prepared. Wear good shoes for climbing in water and wear clothes for getting wet while climbing. Also a tip is to bring either a waterproof box or zip-lock bags for anything you want to take down with you but you don't want to get wet. You can have a great time for hours here and don't forget to visit Elephant Rocks State Park which is only a few miles away. Have fun and stay safe.

Johnson's Shut-ins is an excellent place to have fun. The huge rocks in the river are fun to climb and maneuver around, and they are beautiful to look at. This place is worth taking a visit to and having a picnic with the whole family.

Johnson Shut Inns look like something that is man made but totally made by nature! We loved climbing all around and jumping off the rocks into the water! my children(6 and 9) couldn't believe it was free for so much fun. We were leery along the 3 1/2 hour drive but it was definitely worth it! We left a cooler in the car to make sandwiches half way thru the day. Defiantly take water shoes.....We went on one of the trails, it was quite a work out. It is a beautiful place to go to and have fun. One has to pay attention though because it can be dangerous. My kids and I love to camp. The campground is very clean and well maintained. We love the cement pads for the campers, the extra long picnic tables, and fire rings. They offer full hook ups; electricity, sewer and water. There are a lot of trees on many of the lots for shade. They even have a camp store. But beware there is very little to no cell phone reception. I do not recommend for children under 3 unless they are extremely coordinated.

Johnson Shut Inns look like something that is man made but totally made by nature! Take enough time out of your trip to visit the Visitors Center, the video of the TaumSauk Reservoir break is very interesting. It was amazing to us the time and effort that the State has taken to make the park a great place to visit once again!

My tweens loved climbing all around and jumping off the rocks into the water! They couldn't believe it was free for so much fun. We were leary along the 2 hour drive from St. Louis, but it was definitely worth it! You don't really need to haul towels down to the water. It was a bit of a pain worrying about carrying our stuff when we were trying to climb around. We brought a picnic lunch as there are lot of nice, shady tables to eat at before you head down the trail. No food allowed at the Shut-ins.