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January 2024 by Rebecca Gypsysol
CAMP HOST REVIEWMy husband and I were camp hosts/handy hosts for Rock Bridge Memorial State Park from July 1st through August 22nd, 2023. This review will pertain directly to our experience working with park staff. If you want to know what the park and trails are like, there are plenty of other reviews and they are quite generous.Unfortunately, we cannot in good conscience recommend RBMSP as a work camping opportunity for other workcampers. We have truly never seen a more poorly managed park, and the worst part of it was, many of the issues we identified were endemic to the Missouri State Parks division of the Department of Natural Resources. If I had been a MO state resident and seen the way the state 'manages' natural public resources with my taxpaying dollars, I'd be pretty unhappy, but I digress.Without making this any longer than it needs to be, here are our two biggest issues:1. The park superintendent, Ben Nagy allowed and turned a blind eye to an unhoused individual with a violent criminal record named Dominic essentially moving into the park and living out of his vehicle five to six days out of the week. Multiple park visitors, a couple of them elderly folks who came to walk their dogs, approached me and my husband while we were working to express concern and anxiety over him being there (one elderly lady told my husband that the man had "said ugly things" to her and that he scared her). We reported each and every interaction we had, but both Nagy and his supervisor, the deputy regional director, Melanie Robinson-Smith, along with what appeared to be the entirety of the Missouri Park Police system just shrugged and said there wasn't anything they could do. Right before we left, one of the young female staff confided in me that Dominic had begun showing up earlier and earlier (or had never left the park that night), right around the time she showed up, and that he had been parking his vehicle closer and closer to where she needed to access the office building each morning. She was the first to arrive and was usually alone for nearly an hour before anyone else showed up. When I asked her if she had told her supervisor, the park naturalist, Roxie Campbell, she said that Roxie had laughed at her and told her to deal with it. It concerned me so much that I called Nagy and told him about it. That young woman's hours were cut to almost nothing.2. The park did not have adequate waste disposal infrastructure to deal with the wildlife, namely the dozens and dozens of raccoons. They had all learned to climb up into the dumpsters and to squeeze (or chew and squeeze) their way down into the containers. But once they got in, they could never get out. So unless park staff remembered and took the time to drive around to each dumpster, raccoons could stay trapped for days. There are more reasons than I can list here for why this is a major environmental and ethical issue. As soon as they were released, they came right back the next night. Additionally, they were very territorial about those dumpsters and would hiss and snarl at people. My husband had spent a lot of time down at the parking lot for the Devil's Ice Box, repainting the restrooms. One morning, a raccoon decided it wanted to get into the smaller can he was using to prop the bathroom door open. When he tried to shoo it away, it attacked him and bit his foot. Luckily, he was wearing steel-toed work boots. Imagine if he had been a child? This is a massive safety issue, and no one wanted to address it. I am assuming nothing has changed yet, but I sincerely hope I am wrong. There does not appear to be any proactive management or planning going into operations at the park to any extent. It is an embarrassment of what a park could be.I wish that I could leave a more positive review. Some of the staff were genuinely good people who we became friends with. Unfortunately, none of them had the power to be the change they wanted to see in that park, and neither did we. If you are considering working here, please be prepared.
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January 2024 by Milene Losada
Beautiful place
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January 2024 by Greg Gray
Trails were muddy, but groomed pretty well. If you're quiet, we've seen plenty of white tail deer - especially on the south side of park.
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December 2023 by Bertie Horne
Beautiful, nice trails.
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December 2023 by Garrett Williamson
Great for family
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November 2023 by Katie Franke
Great park with some really cool geological features! The Devil's Icebox trail is a boardwalk with tons of steps, but there are a lot of traditional dirt trails as well.A creek runs through the park, and it looks like it would be a lot of fun to play in during warmer weather!Restrooms: There are 4 pit toilets. Three of them were out of toilet paper.
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November 2023 by shashank bajpai
Nice state park and plenty of picnic tables and deers
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November 2023 by Aimee Smith
I absolutely love Rock Bridge! I love hiking year-round on the many miles of trails. Trails available for a range of abilities (although not wheelchair accessible). I do recommend using a map if unfamiliar with the area. Lately, I've been exploring the Shooting Star Trail, which is just past Pierpont. RBMSP is my happy place.
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October 2023 by Rhonda Fox
Beautiful in the fall!! ? start at springbrook trailhead for a short hike to the natural ‘rock bridge’, or hike to ‘devils ice box’! You will want a flash light if you want to explore… not very stroller friendly since there is lots of steps.
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October 2023 by Cindy Pace
The Devils Icebox is a must see! While its not huge, its a fun hike and kids will love to explore. Be sure to wear good hiking shoes/boots and bring a flashlight even in daylight to explore the cave. We were lucky to see bats roosting in the ceiling. The park could use better markers along the trails
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September 2023 by Janelle Satt
Beautiful park! Clean restrooms available. Make sure you have a map or cell phone to navigate some of the trails as it can be a little confusing at times.
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September 2023 by C J
We visited early September. The trails are well maintained. Most of the distance of the yellow trail is wooden stairs and paths when going up or down an incline in the woods and over a stream. You can walk along the stream under the "rock bridge," which is the limestone formation in my photo. The green trail still has a little bit of elevation but without the wooden path. I was fine using regular running shoes and wasn't wishing for hiking boots.Restrooms: They are pit toilets (no flush/ running water)
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September 2023 by Memozx
Is a natural wonder known for its unique geological formations, including the namesake rock bridge. This natural stone bridge was carved by the force of water over thousands of years, creating a breathtaking landscape that attracts hikers, nature enthusiasts, and photographers.
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September 2023 by P van wijk
Huge park, with a lot of trails from a short walk of half a mile to the devil's ice box to a hike of several hours , the short one to the devil's ice box is really easy and can be done with kids , but for the other trails you need to bring good shoes and enough water. Cell service on the trails is limited to most of the time not existing.Restrooms: Most trail start points have toiletsDog-friendliness: Saw several people with a dog, be sure to bring enough water for your dog
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August 2023 by Zach Eldridge
Awesome trails to hike and only a few minutes from Columbia. Great place to take in the forest scenery, explore the cave-like rock formation, and see some local wildlife.Bring bug spray, wear hiking shoes of you plan on taking trails other than the walkway, and stop by Pierpont for a meal after the hike.
