Missouri’s Castle Ruins at Ha Ha Tonka State Park
Castle and Quarry Loop Trail at Ha Ha Tonka State Park Missouri
When thinking of castle ruins, images of the European countryside come to mind. Fortunately Missouri has a castle of its own that’s open year-round to visitors. Located in the heart of the Show Me State, half-way between Columbia and Springfield in Camdenton, Missouri, on the southern end of Lake of the Ozarks, Ha Ha Tonka State Park is home to the ruins of a 20th century castle. The 2.5 mile Castle & Quarry Loop Trail takes hikers from the Castle Ruins, through two quarries used for its construction, along classic Missouri glades with stunning views of Lake of the Ozarks, and down to a boat dock on the lake itself before returning to the ruins.
Castle and Quarry Loop Trail
Type: Loop | Rate: Moderate | Traffic: Moderate to Heavy | Distance: 2.5mi | Elevation Gain: 358ft
Experience the ruins of a Missouri castle and hike through the quarry where the materials for the building were sourced.
View this hike on AllTrails.
Missouri’s Castle Ruins
Construction on the Castle began in 1905 by Kansas City businessman Robert McClure Synder after purchasing 5,000 acres of land that would eventually become Ha Ha Tonka State Park. Tragically, Synder would not see the completion of his dream castle as he died in 1906 in one of Missouri’s first automobile accidents. The castle was eventually completed by his son’s in 1922. In 1942 the roof caught fire from sparks in the chimney burning not only the castle, but the carriage house as well.
Castle and Quarry Loop Trail
The Castle and Quarry Loop Trail is a combination of three different hiking trails at Ha Ha Tonka State Park: Castle Trail, Quarry Trail, and Lake Trail. Castle Trail (yellow blaze) is really a paved path through the oak forest from the lower parking lot to the Castle Ruins. There is a small parking lot next to Castle with ADA parking spots, but it fills quickly so this path is a nice ADA accessible trail to the ruins.
Quarry Trail (green blaze) splits off the paved path just to the west of the Carriage House Ruins. It’s a classic natural Missouri single track that is well marked and easy to follow. At 0.5 mile mark the remnants of the quarry used to source the sandstone for the construction of the Castle will become visible, though it doesn’t have the typical feel of a quarry. This was an area where the sandstone was close to and extended above ground level. A rail cart system pulled by mules was used to transport the stone to Castle site. An example of the carts used is at the western end of the Castle. You’ll pass right by it at the end of the hike.
“According to local folklore ‘Ha Ha Tonka’ is an Osage Indian term for ‘laughing waters.”
The final trail in this link-up is Lake Trail (red blaze) which leads to the boat dock on the Lake of the Ozarks. Bypassing the boat dock is an option, which will shave 0.4 miles off the hike, but it’s worth it to stand on the dock overlooking the calm turquois waters of Lake of the Ozarks.
To be honest I never would have expected to visit castle runs in Central Missouri, but thanks to the Snyder family and Missouri State Parks, a European style castle is here to enjoy for residents and visitors of the Show Me State.
Hiking Gear List
Long Sleeve Shirt - REI Co-op Midweight Base Layer
T-Shirt - REI Co-op Sahara T-Shirt
Pants - KUHL Renegade Rock Pants
Underwear - REI Co-op Everyday Boxer Briefs
Shoes - The North Face VECTIV Fastpack FUTURELIGHT Hiking Shoes
Pack - REI Co-op Flash 22 Pack
Water Bottle - REI Co-op Nalgene 1L
Camera Gear List
Camera - Sony a6400
Drone - DJI Mini 2
SD Card - ScanDisk Extreme Pro 128 GB 200 MB/s
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