Castle Trail is a 0.8 mile moderately trafficked out and back trail located near Camdenton, Missouri that features a lake and is good for all skill levels. The trail is primarily used for walking, camping, nature trips, and bird watching and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
The Castle trail is an ADA accessible trail leading to castle ruins and a lake overlook. The stunning views make Castle Trail one of the park's most popular trails. Construction on the mansion was originally started in 1905 by a businessman from Kansas City but it burned down in the 1940s, leaving only ruins. Castle Trail can be accessed from either of the two castle parking lots. The upper lot has limited parking. More parking is offered at the lower lot, which is the first lot you come to. From the lower parking lot, a shaded walk through an open oak woodland area takes hikers to where the trail joins the upper portion. Here, there are two side views of the carriage house ruins. There is a water fountain at this junction and an interpretive kiosk with information on the parks cultural history. The upper portion of trail features three scenic overlooks. Accessibility: There are two designated, handicapped-accessible parking spaces in the upper parking lot, and three in the lower parking lot. The trail surface is paved asphalt and is typically at least five feet wide. The estimated average grade is 5% but there are two steep sections with a grade between 10% and 20% (at about 0.2 and 0.3 miles) where wheelchair, mobility equipment, or stroller users may need assistance. There are numerous benches along the trail for resting. There is a wheelchair accessible vault toilet in the lower parking lot, as well as a water fountain.
There are two parking lots, the upper with more limited parking. There is a vault toilet and water fountain in the lower parking lot. There are opportunities for both RV and tent camping.
Ha Ha State Park, MO 1491 State Road D Camdenton, MO 65020-9801 Park Office: 573-346-2986
Intersection of Highway 65 and 54 in Missouri, drive 54 east 25 miles to "D" highway, south on "D" about 1.5 miles.
December 20, 2020December 5, 2020November 27, 2020nice Structures
November 26, 2020Cool castle! Super easy and short trail
November 26, 2020November 7, 2020October 22, 2020Love it as always, plenty of room to enjoy the sights or just sit and relax!!
October 22, 2020Very over populated as it is the most popular trail the park has to offer. The castle ruins are great to see, so don’t skip it when visiting the park.
October 21, 2020Very short paved walk to the Castle ruins. A few nice views, and cool to see the old architecture bones from a distance. If you’re traveling with littles, make sure they understand they won’t be able explore the ruins up close. That led to great disappointment and sadness for our young one.
October 21, 2020Cool history on this area. Beautiful views.
October 21, 2020It’s very interpretive. Nice paved trail which is nice lately with all the rain.
October 18, 2020October 17, 2020Great little trail! It is paced so we brought the kiddos and our wagon. The castle is really neat but you can’t actually see the castle up close. They had drones flying everywhere monitoring the structures.
October 16, 2020Clean easy lot of stairs depending on where you go
October 16, 2020October 12, 2020fairly busy, but not bad.
October 10, 2020September 26, 2020September 25, 2020Very easy to follow trail, with some nice views! Sad we couldn't get up close inside of the castle though, hopefully they get it reinforced eventually?
September 24, 2020September 20, 2020Great trails. My grandkids loved it. We’ll be back so explore more of Ha Ha Tonka.
September 13, 2020September 7, 2020September 5, 2020August 29, 2020Amazing hike even though it was raining so much!
August 18, 2020Nice easy trail with some great views
August 6, 2020The trail was populated, but able to keep distance. It was paved and well maintained. Very manageable hills with pretty views.
July 30, 2020Short paved trail that leads to the castle. Good for a historical informative hike
July 19, 2020A small paved trail that leads from both entry parking lots to the foretold castle ruins. Did you know Ha Ha Tonka means “laughing waters."
July 16, 2020Beautiful!!
