Canoeing at Lake Springfield

We had never been canoeing as a family. I am a bit of a control freak (such a surprise, I know) and was more than a little nervous about being in a canoe with Alex and Alan. Alan tends to never worry about anything and Alex tends to be very impulsive. I decided to set aside my worries in favor of a fun afternoon with my boys (it was even my idea)!

Our afternoon picnicking and then canoeing on Lake Springfield was awesome! At the beginning of the summer, we had visited the Springfield Conservation Nature Center and learned that canoes and kayaks can be rented at the Lake Springfield Boathouse and Marina. I was surprised to find out that we were able to rent a canoe with life jackets and a special seat for Alex all for $10 an hour! Well worth the price. The lake and James River that flows in to the lake are narrow but long and easy to navigate with no getting stuck on rocks or in the mud!

The James River Linear Park Water Trail runs about five miles in one direction and allows for a nice trip. We saw ducks and blue heron along our trip. There is a large habitat with water lilies and hibiscus. Back on land, there are hiking/walking trails, a nice playground, and picnic pavilions. It was a great, inexpensive way to spend an afternoon.

Springfield Conservation Nature Center

In all of our years exploring the Ozarks, somehow we never visited the Springfield Conservation Nature Center. Recently, we had the opportunity to visit the park. Regular visitors to Joplin's Wildcat Glades, we expected a similar nature center. What we found was a great center, well designed, with more wildlife than we anticipated. 

Our six-year-old had recently gotten a camera from his Aunt Stacey and Uncle Chris and wanted to take some nature pictures. Most of the pictures that follow are ones he shot. 

The conservation center is on 79 acres of woodlands, forest, prairie, and glades. Lake Springfield is on one side and a creek and marsh flow through other areas of the center. The trails are open daily and there is no admission fee. The indoor conservation center has tons of interactive areas including a wild turkey viewing area.  

We decided to start with the Boardwalk Trail that had a nice boardwalk over a marshy section of Lake Springfield where we watched ducks. Then we followed the Sycamore Cut-off trail, crossed the bridge to the Photo Blind Trail. Along the bridge, we saw blue herons flying in to their nests.

The Photo Blind Trail ends with a view of the open lake. We found out that there is a place along the lake that you can rent canoes and paddle boats, which he plan to do on our next visit. We also plan to take a picnic lunch on our next visit.

We went back across the bridge and followed half of the Long Trail to see the spring and the bridge. On our way back to the nature center building, we found ourselves less than 10 feet away from a fawn having a snack along the edge of the lake. 

Trail Map 

How to get to the Center