A well-maintained park with magnificent views in any season. The Visitor Center was closed due to Covid-19, but enjoyed hiking and seeing the historical marker and memorial.

Lots of options for hiking. Great views along the river. I was expecting more interpretation. There is more information about Lewis and Clark then the trail of tears. The visitor center is closed.

We love Trail of Tears State Park. The Nature is awesome! Great hiking trails, camping, picnic areas, playground, Mississippi River overlook, and lake with a sand beach. Camped there many times and visit often.

This state park is beautiful and full of history. The hiking trails were well marked, I recommend hiking boots.the visitor center tells the story of the Trail of Tears forced March in the 1830s. Great wildlife display and Anna May was so friendly and knowledgeable. Answered all my grandkids questions. A must see.

Such a beautiful fall day. We parked at the river and watched the lazy Mississippi River slide by for an hour. Yes, no hankie pankie as we are 79 years old but I did kiss my wife yep, we still have embers burning.

Nice drivable area with several areas of interest to stop and check out. A lot of history here. There is a lake for swimming and fishing but we did neither. The Mississippi River overlook was very nice and peaceful.

Very clean lot of great trails has a lake and you can camp also has a wonderful information center

Great state park. Hiking trail moderate to difficult is a must. If healthy go for it. Enjoy Missouri

What a gorgeous park! Its tucked into the woods and surrounded by the beauty of nature. We were helped by a very well-informed park employee, and we learned a great deal about the story behind the Trail of Tears. It has a beautiful lake for swimming, gorgeous Mississippi River overlooks, and very nice camping facilities.

Views are great and theres a smaller amount of hook up sites, so its more cozy. The bad part is theres trains that go by you 30 yards back several times a day

I will be going back sometime soon. Just a Beautiful place, them Trails. And the history behind them. Theres more to learn there, than I was taught in school. Wasnt there but a few hrs today for 1st time in my life. Next trip, Id like to make a little backpackin adventure type thing of it. Be one with the Indians. Lol.

Poor signage. Disappointed the museum was not open. Trails are not well kept. But love the idea of this park.

Very beautiful place. We like the camp on the river. Not for everyone has a train track next to it. Train runs sometime at night.plus barges coming down river shines their light all over.

The lake is beautiful, and is very fun to swim in, but the rules do no allow dogs. If Im going swimming I want the whole family to come. And that includes my furry friend, so the park needs to change that rule. Allowing animals to come would be a major game changer. I would even change my review to 5 stars. But if you do not have a dog the lake and park are a perfect fit for yoyr family.

Stayed at the Riverside campground, and its... right by the river! The campground is nice, but sites 1-3 have very limited shade. Also, active railroad tracks are 15 from the campground, and they DO sound the whistle for the crossing nearby, no matter the time of day. Pit toilet wasnt nasty, and the shower house was good, but only one stall.The basic campground is well shaded and nicely kept, but youll likely be pitching your tent on gravel.The Sheppard Point and Lake Trails are both nice and scenic in their own right, but both are substantially longer than the maps at the park claim. Additionally, theres a lake with a beach, and associated swimming area. Didnt have time for the visitor center, but it looked pretty nice.

There are countless incredible views of the river. You can even see Bald Knob Cross, located near Alto Pass, IL, at some of the overlooks.

My favorite place to hike and I love going to the lake area during the summer.

Great place to go camping or just to spend the day. Everyone at the welcome/information center are very nice and helpful. Willing to assist you with question or ideas.

A nice park with decently maintained hiking trails. Definitely some great views over the Mississippi. Definitely worth visiting.

Nice campground (basic) good spacing between sites. Must have reservation, no same day reservations is kind of a bummer. Lake is nice with a small beach.

Beautiful and truly romantic

Nice, but trains come by day & night, fun if you dont mind the wistle in the middle of the night. Right on the Mississippi, but fenced off along with trains. Fun to watch the barges go up & down river. Good camp hosts. Electric sites shaded, but not full hook up. Electric sites spaced nicely, not so much the full hook up, ver very close. Hikes and lookouts are nice. Sparkling Lake and beach. Swimming & fishing. Very nice Visitors Center

Beautiful campground with many features including a Vista overlook of the Mississippi River.

Enjoyed this place after being cooped up. Was nice to watch the river flow by.

Great access to Mississippi river, boat ramp, good clean facilities. Mosquitoes are fairly intense.

Very peaceful and beautiful park

Free admission. Grounds open 7 AM -10PM. Visitor center open 9-5 Thursday - Saturday, 12-5 Sunday (NOTE: those hours refer to Fall 2018: hours change in November and its closed Dec-Feb). Camping $13-26 depending on amenities.No Verizon signal at visitors center, very strong 4G at the end of the road / Mississippi overlook. RV Dump & potable water: $10 payable to camphost 20 feet away.

Park is well maintained and has clear signage telling you things you want to know about what you want to do. Restrooms are clean for a park.

Park very nice. The park host Ken and Vicki Blair were so nice. Had a wonderful visit.

Quaint park on the banks of the Mississippi River in Southeast Missouri

We have been camping at this park many, many times. This was by far the worst experience. The campground host was near harassing . He drove by several times a day, each time having something negative to say about what we were doing. We will not go back until we know he is no longer hosting.

Absolutely one of my favorite places to go unwind when it comes to the flats.

Very beautiful peaceful place just right outside of Cape Girardeau

Great park, well maintained and beautiful scenery.

A lovely walking trail and lake, some beautiful photo ops as well, if you like nature photography this is definitely a place you must visit.

Dont miss the over look very cool!

Nice, clean, quite park.

Love going to Trail of tears. So beautiful.

First time going this place. Beautiful trees and pretty park. I drove around. I wish it wasn’t raining other wise I would hike.

Its the best fun with our family

There is so much to explore here and its well kept

Some roads were closed due to construction work and flooding. The top had a spectacular view

We spent a lovely fall weekend in Cape Girardeau/Jackson area. Flooding caused our camping reservations at Trail of Tears State Park to be cancelled, so we landed at a private campground. While in area, we still decided to still check the park out and do hiking with our pups.We stopped at the Visitor Center and spoke to the Park Superintendent (Denise, I believe). She apologized for the cancellation and explained the many trails and features the park has. We were sad to hear the park had actually opened the campgrounds on Friday afternoon (the day we were due to arrive), but understand that it is better to be safe then sorry when safety issues are concerned. We appreciate safety being a top priority!The Visitor Center has many exhibits that show the history of the area. Some are showing age with wear, but still serve their purpose.The park is very clean. The trails are well maintained with many hiking options. The roadways and parking lots appear to have been recently redone and in great shape! The staff does a fantastic job at the park and their hard-work is noticed!We hope to be back next camping season and enjoy the campgrounds too!

The trails here are great. Camping is fine and inexpensive. The nature center/history place/check in place is very cool as well. Theres a lot about local history to check out, and they hold quite a few free events.

Very nice and peaceful

Best trail Ever

Kids have an awesome time here. Clean and nice views

Nice state park for camping,walking the trails,or driving to see the views.They even have a place to swim.

Great place to take the kids to learn and explore! So beautiful!

Best place ever for camping

It is a beautiful place. The museum does a pretty good job of showing the atrocities done by white Christians.

Very nice state park. Excellent hiking trails.

Beautiful valleys and from the lookout point on the Riverside ! You can see Illinois across the water, tug boats and barges, railroad tracks are right next to the water.

Great hikking trails with well maintained paths

Wasnt bad..expected better scenery

Beautiful day!

Little chilly with the breeze but it was a great time!!

We stayed here during a road trip; $13 for an overnight stay at a Lake Boutin basic site, with no park pass required. The camp hosts were great, as was the campsite. There are reservable sites and first-come,first-serve sites. The first-come,first-serve sites seemed more roomy. Wish we had more time to explore before hitting the road!

Unfortunately, the roads leading to both the lake and the scenic overview were closed due to damage caused by flooding, so we werent able to see either of them. The sections of the park we were able to explore, however were absolutely beautiful. We camped at the Mississippi River Campground, thus had an up close view of the river. One drawback to the campground is the railroad tracks running right by it, and the trains coming through at all hours of the day and night. This really didnt bother us all that much, but some people might not deal with it very well. The visitors center has a nice little museum, which offers insight into the plight of the Cherokee Indians, who were forced to relocate by the U.S. government.The staff was extremely friendly, and helpful, and we will definitely return to this park so we can see what we missed the first time around.

Awesome all around park just gorgeous excellent staff Google trail of tears state park phantom 4k for awesome drone footage from the fall

Had a great time! Cool atmosphere. Unfortunately power was lost for a few hours. Hosts were pleasant and helpful!

Clean, tons of shade and large lots for camping.

Beautiful park. Great roads. Just very narrow and hilly. Love this place though!!!

Beautiful State park although some trails are not maintained properly. The Lake isnt the cleanest nor does it smell that great but on good days its perfect for small children

Very nice, well kept up and manned by a friendly host. I think Im the only guest in the basic camping area.

Was a very humbling experience to come to this place and learn about the struggles the Cherokee had to endure, much respect. Never forget!

I think its a beautiful park, but I do wonder if they can do something about the bugs and bees. There was a big hornet even at the front door of the nature center. Also, there is a cliff that has a bench, but so many bees and its not safe on the bench anyway. Why is there not a guardrail?

Beautiful, quiet and very well kept. The observation overlook of the Mississippi River is a must see. Also, stop in at the Visitor Center for a history lesson of the importance of the area.

Spectacular view at the overlook but due to the number of bugs all over us we couldnt enjoy it, or any other part of the park for that matter.The short movie at the visitor center was informative but the person working that day was new and couldnt answer any of our questions and the other person there was to busy talking to someone about stuff not even related to the trail of tears. What a waste of our day, we came quite a distance for more information on the subject.The new gal that couldnt answer our questions went back to her seat and was crocheting, I think she would be better served to study the history of the subject so she can answer questions in the future.

Great visitor center and Ranger, due to accident did not complete hike of Peewah trail, looking forward to returning.

The park is beautiful, the facilities are great. HOWEVER.....the gnats are so bad in the tent campground, we packed up and left after being there about an hour. We pulled in, started to set up, stopped to drench ourselves in bug spray, started a smokey fire, and gave up. We were eating and breathing in swarms of gnats. I know it is camping, but this was horrible. Its not Trail of Tears s fault, but be forewarned, the gnats are horrible right now. For the record, we were up on a ridge, away from any standing water, with a very nice breeze blowing, and they still drove us out after an hour. Nothing kept them away.

Made for a nice drive.

Beautiful park. Kept up facilities. Great views!

Great park with historical significance. Will definitely return.

Beautiful outside today walking the trails at Trail of Tears State park. So quiet and serene. Nothing but the wind in the trees and the rustling of leaves as we walked. Majesty!

We went swimming at the lake twice so far, and we love it there. It is so beautiful and peaceful, and the beach is clean.

This Park has one amazing river overlook. History lesson to be had in the visitors center. #88IN88

Wasnt very crowded. Awesome views with minimal walking involved.

Great campground with terrific camp hosts. Nice hiking trails.

Its a nice park, lots of nice views. Rangers are always around. It has camping and fishing and trails. The swimming part is ok, but the water always looks muddy, thats my only complaint.

Nice place to take family really nice camp site nice lake

Great swimming place

Experienced a wonderful time with My Team Triumph at the Yak n Run at Boutin pond thanks to the State Park Conservation staff and all the volunteers.

Very nice state park very well kept we spent at least a couple of hours here

We were disappointed the visitor center was closed on Monday and Tuesday. Too bad it couldnt be manned by volunteers. The drive through the park was pretty

We had a wonderful time even though there water at camping spot. Its beautiful many trails in take. Im right by the river Mississippi.

Beautiful place to see the Mississippi River.

Staff was very friendly, shared informative info...even let ud touch the snake

Educational an overall good place to go

Picturesque setting on the Mississippi River. Interesting muesem with loads of info on the Trail of Tears.

This park has nice picnic areas throughout the park, good hiking trails and and scenic overlooks off the Mississippi River.

I had the chance to haul some of the ashaphalt for repaving it at the end of last year..

Nice great place to bring your family of all ages nice place to fish hike bbq and swim

Great state park. A lot of history there at the park and they have a walk through display at the visitor center. Right on the Mississippi River too. Very scenic and beautiful.

Chigger, bugs, elevation change, overgrown paths. I know thats just the state parks in general. Just felt it was worse here last weekend.

Always enjoy seeing the park no matter what season it is. The Conservation Dept does a great job of maintenance and upkeep.

Staff is great and a couple beautiful vistas, however, the biting gnats are unbearable. They laugh at deet and smoke from the fireplace, even after killing hundreds with a bug zapper the next swarm will eat you alive in the next 30 seconds.

Great hiking, lots of hills.

A low-key place to unwind and relax in nature.

Beautiful place to visit!!