Big Oak Tree State Park

Big Oak Tree State Park
Boardwalk trail through Big Oak Tree State Park
Map showing the location of Big Oak Tree State Park
Map showing the location of Big Oak Tree State Park
Location in Missouri
Map showing the location of Big Oak Tree State Park
Map showing the location of Big Oak Tree State Park
Big Oak Tree State Park (the United States)
LocationMississippi County, Missouri, United States
Coordinates36°38′46″N 89°18′18″W / 36.64611°N 89.30500°W / 36.64611; -89.30500[1]
Area1,028.68 acres (4.1629 km2)[2]
Elevation289 ft (88 m)[1]
Established1938[3]
Visitors24,162 (in 2022)[4]
Governing bodyMissouri Department of Natural Resources
WebsiteBig Oak Tree State Park
DesignatedMay 1986

Big Oak Tree State Park is a state-owned nature preserve with recreational features encompassing 1,029 acres (416 ha) in East Prairie, Missouri, United States. The state park was established in a large expanse of drained cropland in 1938 to protect some of the largest trees in the state and in the nation.[5] The park was declared a National Natural Landmark in May 1986, recognized as a rare, untouched wet-mesic bottomland hardwood forest in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain portion of the Gulf Coastal Plain.[6]

  1. ^ a b "Big Oak Tree State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference parkdata was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference geninfo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "Missouri State Park Attendance For January - December, 2022" (PDF). Missouri State Parks. February 3, 2023.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference parks was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference nnl was invoked but never defined (see the help page).