Northern Missouri
Pershing State Park preserves wet prairie and Locust Creek bottoms
Pershing State Park near Laclede protects a remnant of the wet prairie and bottomland that once covered northern Missouri's river valleys, a distinctive outdoors anchor in a farm county.
Pershing State Park gives Linn County a landscape note that is not only about John J. Pershing. Missouri State Parks describes it as a slice of pre-settlement landscape, with a boardwalk and hiking trail through wet prairie, a meandering stream, oxbow sloughs, cutoffs, and bottomland forest.
That is the part that makes the park feel local. Much of northern Missouri is now farm fields, county roads, and small towns. Pershing preserves a wetter bottomland picture of Locust Creek country before drainage, straightened channels, and row-crop farming changed the valleys.
It is also a practical outdoor anchor. State Parks lists Locust Creek and four small lakes, plus camping and trails. The park sits near two other Linn County story places: the Gen. John J. Pershing Boyhood Home State Historic Site and Locust Creek Covered Bridge State Historic Site.
Because this is wet ground, conditions matter. Boardwalks, trails, and low areas can be affected by weather and high water. Use Missouri State Parks for current trail status, camping details, and advisories before planning a visit.
Where to see it
- Pershing State Park
Use Missouri State Parks for current trail, camping, advisory, and status details.
References
More from Linn County: browse every local note for the county.
Last checked against the sources above: July 1, 2026.