Finger Lakes State Park
| Finger Lakes State Park | |
|---|---|
 A cyclist off-roading in the park | |
  Location in Missouri  Finger Lakes State Park (the United States) | |
| Location | Boone County, Missouri, United States |
| Coordinates | 39°05′26″N 92°19′00″W / 39.09056°N 92.31667°W[1] |
| Area | 1,128.69 acres (4.5676 km2)[2] |
| Elevation | 722 ft (220 m)[1] |
| Established | 1973[3] |
| Visitors | 114,226 (in 2022)[4] |
| Governing body | Missouri Department of Natural Resources |
| Website | Finger Lakes State Park |
Finger Lakes State Park is a public recreation area consisting of 1,128 acres (456 ha) in Boone County near the city of Columbia, Missouri. The state park is unusual in that the site was reclaimed after having been strip mined for coal.[5] It is one of two state parks in Missouri used for off-road vehicles. The history of the other, St. Joe State Park, is also connected with mining. It is adjacent to Rocky Fork Lakes Conservation Area.
History
[edit]Between 1964 and 1967, the area was known as Peabody Coal's Mark Twain Mine, from which the company removed 1.2 million short tons (1.1 Tg) of coal. In 1974, Peabody donated the land to the state for use as a park. The state restored the site with federal grant money that was issued with the intent to demonstrate the conversion of strip-mined land to recreational use.[6]
Features
[edit]The park has many hills and gullies that are crossed by more than 70 miles (110 km) of trails for off-road motorcycles, ATVs, and motocross. A 1.5-mile-long (2.4 km) corridor of water, created by joining small isolated lakes left from the mining operations, is used for canoeing, fishing, swimming, and scuba diving.
Activities and amenities
[edit]Activities at the park include camping, fishing, kayaking, picnicking, swimming, mountain biking, and ATV riding.[5]
See also
[edit]- Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977
- Peabody River State Fish and Wildlife Area: Illinois state park on reclaimed Peabody coal mines
- St. Joe State Park: Missouri state park on reclaimed lead mines
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Finger Lakes State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ "Finger Lakes State Park: Data Sheet" (PDF). Missouri Department of Natural Resources. November 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
- ^ "State Park Land Acquisition Summary". Missouri State Parks. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
- ^ "Missouri State Park Attendance For January - December, 2022" (PDF). Missouri State Parks. February 3, 2023.
- ^ a b "Finger Lakes State Park". Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
- ^ "General Information: Finger Lakes State Park". Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
External links
[edit]- Finger Lakes State Park Missouri Department of Natural Resources
- Finger Lakes State Park Map Missouri Department of Natural Resources
