Ha Ha Tonka, Camdenton, Missouri

I have seen the sign for Ha Ha Tonka State Park on my countless trips to Jefferson City over the past thirteen years. This weekend, I finally took the time to visit and luckily Alan and Alex got to join me. The park is located about 4 miles outside of Camdenton, Missouri off of highway 54. We only had about 90 minutes to stay at the park, so we hit the main areas. But we cannot wait to visit again soon. 

Ha Ha Tonka was built in 1905 by Robert Snyder, a wealthy KC businessman who wanted a secluded home to relax and enjoy life. 

We drove to the top of the park where the castle is found. The first thing we noticed was the amazing view down the mountain. A valley with water running through it flows in to the lake.

We then hiked up a wooden walkway to the water tower that was designed to gather water and transport it to the rest of the buildings on the mountain.There is a trail from the water tower that takes you down the mountain.  You can then walk along the water in the valley. Sadly, we did not have time for the valley walk today, but we met a photographer who encouraged us to check it out in the future. He also told us that a stone mason came from Europe in 1905 to cut the stone for all of the buildings. The structures are very reminiscent of ruins in Spain and other areas in Europe that we have seen. 

After checking out the water tower, we hiked toward the castle. Along the way we stopped at an overlook where we saw people boating and skiing below.  

The castle itself is massive and Alex loved thinking about what people would have done when they lived there. 

This is a closer view of the water tower. There are educational materials throughout the park that outline how the structures were created and how the water was transported. You are not allowed to go inside most of the buildings, but you can look through windows and really see the craftsmanship that went in to the construction.There are trails all around the structures as well as all along the mountain. There are also caves to explore, horseback riding, camping, boating, fishing, and much more. On our next trip, we plan to bring our heavy-duty hiking shoes and a picnic lunch so we can explore the natural bridge and more of the trails. This is definitely a location you will want to take lots of pictures at!

Click here for a park map

Click here for a photo gallery of Ha Ha Tonka provided by Missouri State Parks