Outdoors

Think you've got what it takes to track down one of North America's most famous cryptids? The third annual Weston Bigfoot Search is your chance to bring home the glory—and perhaps a special trophy. Pro tip: Start practicing your Bigfoot call now.

The richly diverse Current River State Park features almost two miles of beautiful river frontage, offering ample opportunity for swimming, floating, and fishing as well as hiking, backcountry camping, and interpretive programming.

Rock climbing devotees pride themselves on inclusivity and positivity. No one is too old, too big, or too small to try the sport, and there's no shortage of opportunities for those seeking a fresh perspective on some of Missouri's most-loved places.

Once referred to as the Thermopylae of the West, the Battle of Pilot Knob was one of the bloodiest in the Civil War in Missouri, and it marked the beginning of the end for the Confederate forces under Maj. Gen. Sterling Price.

It's tulip time in Missouri. These harbingers of spring are in full bloom, and there are a number of opportunities around the state to take in their beauty—and maybe pick a bouquet or two. But don't wait. They won't be here much longer.

At one time, more than one-third of Missouri was covered in prairie—a landscape known for wide-open expanses of verdant grassland. Although much of this habitat has since been depleted, efforts are underway to conserve what remains.

Bennett Spring State Park is well-known among anglers for its excellent trout fishing, but visitors also enjoy its hiking trails, Niangua River access, campgrounds, cabins, and meals served in the park's rustic 1930s dining lodge.

A favorite of conservationists and Scouts, this hilly hideaway in the St. Francois Mountains features a number of special superlatives: highest mountain peak and tallest waterfall in Missouri, and one of the rarest plants in the United States.

Now is the time to indulge in Missouri’s favorite mushroom—the morel. In Reeds Spring, this festival brings together first-time and experienced foragers alike for a mushroom hunt in an Ozark canyon bottom, followed by a night of live music.