finger lakes state park

We drove out to Finger Lakes State Park and Rocky Fork Lakes (conservation area nearby) after a fresh snowfall. It was so peaceful to enjoy the scenery as the park is very quiet this time of year.

They have some nice BBQ areas for family and groups with decent bathrooms, We always go to hike the Kelley branch trail which is about 3 miles in the loop. Some hills make it a really good work out and it's nice to be able to hike a loop and not an out and back.

The park was owned and used by Peabody coal, leaving huge strip pits, that are now used as lakes. There is camping for both RV and primitive, a small stadium & track for dirt bikes and ATVs, as well as trails. There is swimming, boating (with canoe rentals), a shooting range and many fishing places, including two with disabled access, and a nice pier. Wildlife is abundant.The park is staffed with friendly people and park Rangers. Bait is now sold. Fishing is great; the shooting and skeet ranges are unsupervised, and I have observed poor safety on several occasions.

I'm planning a road trip in the future when I will take my street-legal dirt bike in my truck. I decided to check out Finger Lakes State Park while I was in Columbia. The staffer in the entrance station was very helpful in explaining the layout of the park, the activities and the rules. I then drove around to the various trail heads, track and campground to check things out.The trails appear to be well maintained and the campground looked quite nice. There were seniors camped there in RVs that did not appear to have either an ATV or dirt bike, so this park does appeal to a larger crowd.I was pleasantly surprised at the canoe rental and the channels they had created between the various lakes. I'd consider doing that when I'm tired of riding my motorcycle.The humidity and insect level was quite a bit higher than in Columbia but I that is the result of all of the lakes and forest so if you come prepared with insect spray or netting you should be good.I'm looking forward to trying out the trails on my next visit.

A beautiful day was even more special in the tranquility of this park. The staff was very patient and helpful to us as we had never kayaked before. The water is a mix of very still and a little lazy current on the lovely "kayak trail" so ideal for novices. Rental price for kayaks was very reasonable but no charge to bring your own. Buoys marked the route.

This is a motorcycle and atv park. Expect the sounds of buzzing engines cruising up and down dirt trails. If you're okay with that, then you have found the best park in mid-MO! There are many things to do other than riding your atv: the fishing is great! A lot of bass and bluegills! There's a swimming beach with a changing room; full electrical camping with shower house; motor cross track with events; and a picnic area. This park also butts up to Rocky Fork conservation area which is managed by MO dept of conservation. Rocky Fork has a big trolling motor-only fishing lake and multiple strip pits and a shooting range. The whole area has been planted back to a natural environment and is wild and free-feeling. There's a lot to do here. It is a country-boy's paradise.

It is the home of every MU student. You can swim, boat, bring your own, find a cow pie? I'd never seen one before. But the scenery is outstanding. GO!!

We just enjoyed 3 days of basic tent camping. The campground was nice and relaxing, good for ammature campers. We spent one morning on the Kelly Trail hiking and saw so much wildlife! The playground at the camp was nice too. However, the water was gross! I wouldn't call it Finger Lakes, I'd call it Stagnant Ponds. Couldn't catch any fish cause we kept getting snagged on seaweed and the "swimming beach" made me ashamed that it's in Missouri; black mud, green frothy water, too much seaweed, and lots of frogs/Mosquitos at the waters edge. Every bit of my common sense told me NOT to get in it if I care about my health! But our young family had a great time catching frogs instead lol!!! Would go back, just wouldn't plan to fish or swim, would hike and relax only instead. Trail requires very experienced mountain bikers with steep drop offs from very narrow, windy, loose rocky trails.

We packed a picnic basket and spent an afternoon here. It is so peaceful, the only sound we heard the entire time was chirping from birds. There were a couple fishermen around but everyone seemed to be enjoying the silence and nature. I love the fact that it's not very far out of Columbia, but it feels so far once you're in the park surrounded by all the trees.

Too much noise for my personal liking. Great for those wanting to ride dirt bikes. Nice shooting range, but usually very busy.

This park is not only a great location but has almost anything you might want to do! There is camping, places for a fire pit, shooting ranges, hiking trails, atv trails, swimming and much more!

This is a nice state park. You can camp, ride atvs, dirt bikes, fish, shoot skeet, and target range. They have many many acres of riding trails, and a race track. I use to come here all the time to ride. Now I just come to shoot guns

My family likes to ATV ride and enjoy the outdoors. This is a great location to do both. The staff is always friendly.

Used to take the kids here every summer to swim. It has a nice beach and big swim area. My kids loved watching the fish. The water is pretty clear. You only have to contend the the noise of ATVs riding through the trails surrounding the park. Great fishing too.

I went to check out the beach because it was about to open. There was a staff member there preparing for opening. He was friendly and helpful. When I was there, I was reminded about what a nice place it is. It is very clean, very beautiful. Several people were fishing. It was a very relaxing place to be.