The National Park Service lists 14 Missouri National Natural Landmarks, designated from 1971 (Grand Gulf) to 1986 (Big Oak Tree), including four caves and three prairies.
A National Natural Landmark designation comes from the National Park Service, not from us. Where we have a page for the place, it is linked. Landmarks on private land, such as some caves, have their own owners and rules; check with them before you go.
The 14 Landmarks
The National Park Service’s National Natural Landmarks Program designates sites that are chosen for their natural features. The designations page lists these Missouri entries with the year each was designated. It prints only “MO” for the location, so we give no town or county.
| Year designated | Landmark as printed | Our page |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Big Oak Tree | Big Oak Tree State Park |
| 1980 | Greer Spring | No page on this site yet |
| 1980 | Maple Woods Natural Area | No page on this site yet |
| 1980 | Onondaga Cave | Onondaga Cave State Park |
| 1980 | Tumbling Creek Cave | No page on this site yet |
| 1975 | Golden Prairie | No page on this site yet |
| 1975 | Pickle Springs | No page on this site yet |
| 1975 | Taberville Prairie | No page on this site yet |
| 1975 | Tucker Prairie | No page on this site yet |
| 1975 | Wegener Woods | No page on this site yet |
| 1974 | Cupola Pond | No page on this site yet |
| 1972 | Mark Twain and Cameron Caves | Mark Twain Cave |
| 1972 | Marvel Cave | No page on this site yet |
| 1971 | Grand Gulf | Grand Gulf State Park |
Source: NPS: National Natural Landmark designations, page updated March 17, 2026, read October 31, 2026. This is a designation by the National Park Service, not our ranking.
What We Could Not Verify
- Count: the NPS Missouri page’s “By The Numbers” says 16 landmarks, while the designations page lists 14. We print the 14 we can read.
- Towns and counties: the designations page prints only the state.
- Whether each landmark is open to visitors, and its hours and fees: not on the designations page. Greer Spring, Pickle Springs and the prairies and natural areas have no page of ours yet.
- The NPS state-list page for Missouri did not load, so this is the all-states designations page.
More Missouri Guides
Questions People Ask
What is a National Natural Landmark?
A site designated by the National Park Service for its natural features. The list is on the NPS designations page.
Which Missouri state parks hold a National Natural Landmark?
On the NPS list, Big Oak Tree, Onondaga Cave and Grand Gulf match Missouri State Parks units that have pages on this site.
Sources
Checked October 30, 2026 by It’s Missouri. Cite this page: It’s Missouri (https://itsmissouri.com/things-to-do/national-natural-landmarks/), checked October 30, 2026. Free to quote with a link.