Just minutes away from downtown Columbia, you’ll find fascinating geologic features, two picnic shelters and 20 miles of trail at this day-use park.
Devil’s Icebox Trail, a boardwalk that is designated for hiking only, leads to the natural Rock Bridge, a spring, a sinkhole and an overlook into an underground stream. It then descends a staircase and ends at the Devil’s Icebox: a double sinkhole filled with cool cave air. This feature serves as the entrance to both Devil’s Icebox Cave and Connor’s Cave. Devil’s Icebox Cave is closed for the protection of its resident bats, but Connor’s Cave is open for free self-guided exploration. Signs along the boardwalk describe the park’s geology, hydrology and wildlife.
Additional trails provide access to a mixture of woodlands, prairies, streams, sinkholes and bluff-top views. All eight trails within the park are open year-round for hiking.
During dry conditions, mountain biking is permitted year-round on all but two designated trails: Devil’s Icebox Trail and Gans Creek Wild Area Trail. Meanwhile, horseback riding is allowed only on Gans Creek Wild Area Trail — and only during dry conditions from June through October. To preserve the park’s resources and prevent trail damage, mountain biking and horseback riding are prohibited during wet or muddy conditions.
Updates about trail conditions and activity restrictions are provided on Missouri State Parks’ Park and Site Status Map and on the Rock Bridge Memorial State Park Facebook page.
