Colosseum Trail is a 0.6 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Camdenton, Missouri that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail is primarily used for hiking and camping and is accessible year-round. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
Dogs on leash
Kid friendly
Camping
Hiking
Cave
Forest
Wild flowers
The Colosseum trail is a natural surface trail that winds under a natural bridge and through a large sinkhole, the Colosseum spans 60 feet, is 100 feet high, and is 70 feet wide. This natural surface trail winds under the natural bridge and through a large sinkhole, the Colosseum, and is part of the Ha Ha Tonka Karst Natural Area. In spring, you will be treated to a lovely view of flowering dogwood, redbud and serviceberry from the wooden platform where this trail begins. The natural bridge is a massive stone arch left behind when the cave system around it collapsed. It spans 60 feet, is 100 feet high, and is 70 feet wide. The natural bridge was used as a route to the castle until it was closed to vehicular traffic in 1980 because it was too narrow. It is an impressive geological feature and one of the highlights of the park. After a heavy rain, water often cascades off the back side making its way to the lowest point in the sinkhole beyond. The Colosseum Sinkhole is 150 feet deep. Spring wildflowers are abundant in this sheltered enclave, especially in the section just beyond the natural bridge where the trail is immediately adjacent to one sheer bluff side. As you start your hike out of the sinkhole at the south end, you will step between large boulders evidence of the rocky ceiling that one covered this cave room. It is a long, steep climb out of the sinkhole to near the top of the ridge, but the views of the old post office, spring and castle ruins at the top are a great reason to stop to catch your breath. The figure-eight loop then takes you across the top of the natural bridge and back to the trailhead.
Parking lot
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 to the parking lot on the right.
Thu Jun 25 2020Great trail for kids. There is a lot to see, and the scenery changes frequently for such a short trail. There are even some opportunities for light scrambling near the natural bridge. Our 5 year old loved it! Barely saw a bug the whole time.
Sat Jun 20 2020This is an amazing place to spend the day. So many things to see, and explore. This place is also great for kids. I hiked with a 8 and 12 year old.
Sat Jun 13 2020cool bridge to walk under
Sun May 31 2020This trail was awesome. Varied terrain and elevation changes. The natural bridge was huge, and it connects a lot of other trails. The downside is it goes by a couple parking lots and when we went there happened to be a large group of teenagers on a different adjacent trail that were so loud you could hear them from almost everywhere. It didn’t seem to be heavily traveled beyond the bridge and was partly washed out due to recent rains but that just increased the challenge and the fun.
Thu Apr 02 2020Good trail, I would say that moderate is an accurate rating. Very rocky and if you go around the small look clockwise instead of starting from the other side then you will go mostly uphill.
Sat Mar 21 2020Nice, short trail leading into other more scenic trails. This did have a beautiful view of the natural beige and a small water fall under the bridge, which was cool. Not as crowded of a trail like others so it was peaceful!
Tue Mar 17 2020Fri Mar 06 2020B e a utiful short fun hike.
Sat Nov 09 2019A short, scenic, challenging hike! Really enjoyed it!
Sun Oct 20 2019Great trail!
Sun Oct 13 2019Strenuous uphill coming from the natural bridge.
Mon Sep 02 2019We started at the natural bridge, and circled around. This is a fun short hike that can lead you around and down to the springs (316 steps down) or up to the castle. Lots of pretty views.
Mon Sep 02 2019Heavily trafficked but very cool
Tue Jul 16 2019Short figure eight loop trail under the natural bridge and then over the top of it. Nice view of the ruins along the ways. Very busy. Beware of overlapping trails that cause confusion.
Thu Jul 04 2019Quick 330 ft to bridge. Due to a little one being worn out from 2 previous hikes in the state park we just made it to the natural bridge. worth the quick trip down.
Mon Jun 03 2019Great easy trail, natural bridge is stunning. Excellent maintenance.
Fri May 31 2019Did 4 trails for 1!! Spring, Colosseum, Island, Dell
Fri Apr 12 2019The bridge is beautiful. A haha Tonka must!
Tue Mar 05 2019A favorite trail, even with the traffic. It is also a good workout.
Fri Feb 22 2019The steep climb out is a great workout!
Fri Nov 02 2018We hiked the Colosseum Trail/Natural Tunnel on our way to the Spring Trail. Be aware that the climb out of the sinkhole area does require a steep, rocky climb that I would describe as rugged. From there we got on the Spring Trail and went “down” the stairs before making our way to the Island Trail, around the other side of the Spring Trail loop and back to the parking area nearest the Colosseum. The far western part of the Spring Trail also has a steep rocky, rugged section. We hiked the Castle Trail, Quarry Trail, Lake Trail, Colosseum Trail, Spring Trail, and part of the Island Trail on Oct 24. That was around 6 miles total. Most of the hike on these trails could be described as moderate, but there are some rugged areas, so be aware of that. The fall colors were near peak and very pretty. Great hike and a good work-out!
Mon Oct 22 2018The Natural Bridge is a cool feature of Ha Ha Tonka State Park and something you don’t want to miss. Take some time to explore this interesting area and continue on for the rest of the trail.
Sun Aug 05 2018returned and did the trail with the boy scouts. One of the few natural tunnels in the state.
Sat Jun 30 2018The trail was very hard to follow at times; but was very beautiful. When I hiked a mother deer and her fawn were in the trail, it was so cool.
Wed Apr 25 2018love natural bridge
Sun Jan 28 2018I really love this trail, from the moment you enter beneath the Natural Bridge...seems like a portal to Narnia! Lots of moss-covered boulders, rocks, and logs. Love the bowl feature below the trail. I climbed up and out and connected to the Spring Trail (blazed in blue) from this trail.
Fri Nov 24 2017easy trail, bridge is pretty cool.
Wed Nov 08 2017loved it
