Get outside
Things to do
Rock water slides at Johnson's Shut-Ins, float trips on the Black River, national forest trails, and a lake without a single private dock — all within the county. For outfitters and campgrounds, see the business directory.
Rivers, Parks & Public Lands
Shut-ins, float trips, a wilderness lake, and miles of national forest.
Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park
The East Fork of the Black River squeezes through hard volcanic rock here, forming chutes, slides, and pools that make a natural water park. The 9,400-acre park, assembled largely by Joseph Desloge and opened in 1955, also has a campground, cabins, stores, hiking trails, and the Black River Center. In December 2005 the Taum Sauk reservoir on a neighboring mountain failed and flooded the park, destroying the campground; the shut-ins reopened in 2009 and a new campground in 2010, and the scour trail now crosses the boulder field the flood left. In July 2026 the river hit the highest flow in the park’s history. The day-use area and campground reopened that month, but some trails, cabins, and the north day-use area stayed closed — check status before you go.
Black River at Lesterville
Lesterville is the county’s float-trip hub, where outfitters rent rafts, canoes, kayaks, and tubes for the Black River and riverside campgrounds line the banks. The river can rise fast: in July 2026, flooding forced rescues at Lesterville campgrounds. Check river levels and with your outfitter before you go.
Sutton Bluff Recreation Area
A Mark Twain National Forest campground on the West Fork of the Black River, about 13 miles from Centerville, among shortleaf pines. It has electric sites, hot showers, and a group pavilion, and it is the base for the Sutton Bluff off-road vehicle trails (a Forest Service trail permit is required, and ATV riders also need a county permit from the courthouse in Centerville). The Karkaghne section of the Ozark Trail has a trailhead less than a mile away. The Forest Service has listed the site as closed, so check before you go.
Clearwater Lake and Webb Creek Park
An Army Corps of Engineers park on Clearwater Lake, a Black River reservoir with no private boat docks. Webb Creek Park has about 31 wooded campsites (electric and non-electric), showers, a boat ramp, a swimming area, and a playground. From Ellington, take Highway 21 south 2.6 miles to Route H, which ends at the park. Recreation.gov has listed the park as closed, so call the Clearwater Lake office before you go.
Logan Creek Conservation Area
About 12,000 acres in seven blocks west and north of Ellington, between the Black and Current rivers, formerly the Powder Mill, Dickens Valley, and Logan Creek state forests. It is known for deer, turkey, and squirrel hunting, and for rare pond shrub swamps of buttonbush and swamp rose, plus forested sinkholes and a dolomite glade. Walk-in, float-in, or backpack camping only. From the junction of Highway 106 and Route B west of Ellington, take Route B north 3 miles to the main tract.
Verify before relying on this. Compiled from Missouri State Parks, the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Forest Service, the Army Corps of Engineers, and each venue’s own site. Hours, fees, and regulations change — check directly before a trip, especially for hunting and fishing seasons and limits.
