Johnson Shut-Ins

Casey had last Friday off work. We woke that morning with no plans and left less than an hour later for Johnson Shut-Ins.

Johnson's Shut-Ins is part of the Black River shut in by volcanic rock (in very unscientific terms). The river and rocks have created falls and pools to form a natural water park. About 2 hours South of Downtown St. Louis it makes for a fun daytrip or camping trip. It's a daytrip we had never made (Casey went to the Shut-Ins as a kid), but now I'm sure we'll do it again.

Johnson Shut-Ins is set back from the road and the parking lot. I hardly noticed we'd crossed over the river and if it wasn't for the sign and a big building, I might have thought we were in the wrong place. After we parked it was short walk to the Shut-Ins.

Here's the view as we approached the Shut-Ins.

And this is why the Shut-ins are a big deal!

Hailey loved sliding down all the waterfalls. Ethan loved the water and climbing the rocks. Brenton was our rock climbing boy. He decided the water was too deep (the same water that Ethan was playing in). I had to bribe him to play in the waterfalls.

There are also a couple larger pools where you can play in the water as well.

After playing in the shut-ins for a couple hours we went back to the parking area for a picnic.

We headed home after playing in the Shut-Ins, but there are several other nearby state parks with things to do. We thought about heading to Elephant Rock State Park, but Ethan was asleep as soon as we got in the car.

This trip was a blast! It's free (except for you gas to get there)! I would definitely do it again and recommend it to other people. However, there are a few things you'll want to know. You need water socks or other shoes to wear in the water (Casey knew this and so did most of the other people there, but it hadn't ever crossed my mind). They limit the number of people (or cars) in the park. You'll want to get there early, and a week day is probably better than a weekend. If your kids are small they will require your full attention at all times, but you'll still all have a lot of fun!