The northern half of Missouri is not where most people familiar with the state would expect potential wilderness to be found. This region is rich in agricultural soils, and much of the area has seen more than a century of farming. However, tucked amid all the farmland remain a few small patches of thriving wild lands. Smith Creek is one such area, spanning Callaway and Boone Counties, and bursting with wilderness qualities. A rare find in this part of the state, Smith Creek is one of Missouri’s most cherished wild lands.
At only 2195 acres, Smith Creek is a small gem situated in the outer Ozark border country. But what Smith Creek lacks in expansiveness it more than makes up for in charm. Named for a tributary of Cedar Creek which normally flows all year, this stream has carved a beautiful bluff-lined valley through the otherwise rolling uplands of central Missouri. The bluffs are composed of Burlington limestone, and in some places the elements have weathered the stone into picturesque pinnacles, buttresses, and gothic arches. Several small tributaries flow along rock-bottom chutes whose surfaces have been worn smooth by centuries of flowing water. Small waterfalls dot the watercourse, and sculpted rock ledgades line long stretches.
View of Smith Creek
© Carrie Yonley
A recent acquisition adds a mile and a half of frontage on Cedar Creek, the stream which anchors the entire area. Creek frontage holdings such as this, with its Ozarkian bluffs and quaint swimming holes, are scarce in the Cedar Creek Unit of the Mark Twain National Forest. This addition gives the Smith Creek Area the most significant frontage ownership in the entire unit. Moreover, this stretch of Cedar Creek is the most scenic, wild, and natural in character, making it all the more ripe for wilderness designation.
Just a twenty minute drive away from the growing cities of Columbia and Fulton, and thirty minutes from Jefferson City, Smith Creek is a wilderness oasis for central Missourians. Day hiking, overnight backpacking, and occasional horseback riding are popular with visitors, and a Boy Scout trail traverses the area. Hunters come out to the area for deer, squirrel and turkey. In spring, wildflower walks are peaceful and rewarding, taking advantage of the colorful displays. Given all these recreational possibilities, Smith Creek provides a tranquil and scenic respite to residents in the region, and is especially treasured because of its uniqueness in an underserved part of the state.
© Carrie Yonley
The Smith Creek area is part of a proposal by the Missouri Wilderness Coalition to permanently protect seven areas in the Mark Twain Forest. For more information on the proposal or the Coalition — an informal alliance of individuals and organizations dedicated to protecting the remaining wilderness and wild areas on the public lands in Missouri — visit www.mowild.org.
