Finger Lakes State Park

This article is about the park in Missouri. For the park in Alaska, see Finger Lake State Recreation Area.

Finger Lakes State Park
A cyclist off-roading in the park
Map showing the location of Finger Lakes State Park
Map showing the location of Finger Lakes State Park
Location in Missouri
Map showing the location of Finger Lakes State Park
Map showing the location of Finger Lakes State Park
Finger Lakes State Park (the United States)
LocationBoone County, Missouri, United States
Coordinates39°05′26″N 92°19′00″W / 39.09056°N 92.31667°W / 39.09056; -92.31667[1]
Area1,128.69 acres (4.5676 km2)[2]
Elevation722 ft (220 m)[1]
Established1973[3]
Visitors114,226 (in 2022)[4]
Governing bodyMissouri Department of Natural Resources
WebsiteFinger Lakes State Park

Finger Lakes State Park is a public recreation area consisting of 1,128 acres (456 ha) in Boone County near the city of Columbia, Missouri. The state park is unusual in that the site was reclaimed after having been strip mined for coal.[5] It is one of two state parks in Missouri used for off-road vehicles. The history of the other, St. Joe State Park, is also connected with mining. It is adjacent to Rocky Fork Lakes Conservation Area.

History

Between 1964 and 1967, the area was known as Peabody Coal's Mark Twain Mine, from which the company removed 1.2 million short tons (1.1 Tg) of coal. In 1974, Peabody donated the land to the state for use as a park. The state restored the site with federal grant money that was issued with the intent to demonstrate the conversion of strip-mined land to recreational use.[6]

Features

The park has many hills and gullies that are crossed by more than 70 miles (110 km) of trails for off-road motorcycles, ATVs, and motocross. A 1.5-mile-long (2.4 km) corridor of water, created by joining small isolated lakes left from the mining operations, is used for canoeing, fishing, swimming, and scuba diving.

Activities and amenities

Activities at the park include camping, fishing, kayaking, picnicking, swimming, mountain biking, and ATV riding.[5]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Finger Lakes State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ "Finger Lakes State Park: Data Sheet" (PDF). Missouri Department of Natural Resources. November 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  3. ^ "State Park Land Acquisition Summary". Missouri State Parks. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  4. ^ "Missouri State Park Attendance For January - December, 2022" (PDF). Missouri State Parks. February 3, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "Finger Lakes State Park". Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
  6. ^ "General Information: Finger Lakes State Park". Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved September 29, 2014.