Most of the time when I go hiking I like to be among trees. But I also have a special appreciation for the serenity of the wide open spaces of the prairie. Joplin happens to be conveniently located at the crossroads of the hills and forests of the Ozarks and the edge of the great plains, so I can easily visit two wildly different landscapes.
With some nice weather I headed about 30 miles north to Prairie State Park to take some black and white photos. I’ve visited this state park many times but never explored the trails or interior portions of the park…honestly I always assumed that it all pretty much looked the same.
A gravel road somewhere in northern Jasper County.
Many people might find a trail like this boring, but I rather enjoyed it. This view is a relic of what much of northern and western Missouri used to look like.
Some old railroad tracks crossed through the central part of the park.
This was a neat spot along the “Sandstone Trail” which follows along a small creek. Here, at a bend in the creek there are some rock outcroppings and a small grove of trees that would probably be welcome shade on a hot summer day. I think this would be a really great spot to hang out or have a picnic in a grove of trees surrounded by prairie.
I ended up hiking about 5 1/2 miles in a loop from the visitor center. I had a great time exploring the park and was glad to finally discover there was more to this place than a quick drive through to look at the bison. Now, I’ll have to go back when the wildflowers are in bloom if I can tolerate the heat!
Ryan, you have an eye for beauty that most people miss.