A French colonial town, a Civil War-era mill, a river overlook above the Cherokee crossing and a stand of old-growth trees.
Road times come from OpenStreetMap routing and include no live traffic, closures or ferry waits. Time on site, Essential or Optional and arrival times are our own planning estimates from a 9:00 a.m. start at the first stop of each day; each stop’s hours and prices are as printed on the page we link, read October 30, 2026, and may have changed.
| # | Stop | Arrive (estimate) | Time and role (estimate) | Road from previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Felix Valle House State Historic Site A house built in 1818 and furnished in 1830s style; hours and fees not stated on the page. More | 9:00 a.m. | 45 min (Essential) | Start of day |
| 2 | Bollinger Mill State Historic Site A four-story mill from the Civil War era beside a covered bridge; the page says tours may be unavailable for extreme temperatures, flooding or construction. Hours and fees not stated. More | 11:06 a.m. | 1 h 00 min (Essential) | 81 min, 63.2 mi |
| # | Stop | Arrive (estimate) | Time and role (estimate) | Road from previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Trail of Tears State Park Where Cherokee detachments crossed the Mississippi in 1838 and 1839, with an overlook and trails. Grounds April to October 7 to 10 and November to March 7 to 6; the visitor center is closed November 1 to March 15. More | 9:00 a.m. | 1 h 30 min (Essential) | Start of day |
| 4 | Big Oak Tree State Park A small park of old-growth trees and wetlands with a self-guided boardwalk; hours and fees not stated. More | 12:30 p.m. | 1 h 00 min (Optional) | 120 min, 78.9 mi |
Map of This Trip
4 of 4 stops are pinned, numbered in plan order and coloured by day. Pins come from the park’s or operator’s page or an OpenStreetMap point; they are not verified entrances or parking areas.
If It Rains or a Stop Is Closed
The Ste. Genevieve house and mill tours are indoors, and the National Park Service runs free ranger tours of old houses that need same-day reservations at its welcome center.
Big Oak Tree is a long hop from Trail of Tears State Park, about two hours by road (OpenStreetMap routing), which is why it is marked optional. Trail of Tears’s visitor center is closed November 1 to March 15. Bollinger Mill tours can be cancelled for flooding. Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park is not on the map because its page prints no coordinates; it is fee-free and its page lists no hours. Cape Girardeau is not in this plan: we read no official page for its riverfront or museums.
What We Could Not Verify
- Time on site, Essential or Optional, and arrival times: these are our planning estimates, not figures from the operators.
- Opening hours against our arrival times: where a stop’s hours are not in our data we did not check the plan against them.
- Road times with traffic, construction or ferry waits: the routing has none.
- Exact entrances and parking: pins are approximate.
- Prices and hours that a page did not print are marked as not listed; call ahead.
More Missouri Guides
Questions People Ask
How long is the drive on this trip?
About 3 h 21 min of driving between stops across 2 days, by OpenStreetMap routing with no live traffic.
What is closed or seasonal on this trip?
Big Oak Tree is a long hop from Trail of Tears State Park, about two hours by road (OpenStreetMap routing), which is why it is marked optional. Trail of Tears’s visitor center is closed November 1 to March 15. Bollinger Mill tours can be cancelled for flooding. Ste. Genevieve National Historical Park is not on the map because its page prints no coordinates; it is fee-free and its page lists no hours. Cape Girardeau is not in this plan: we read no official page for its riverfront or museums.
When were the hours and prices read?
On October 30, 2026, from the official pages linked under Sources. Hours and prices change, so check each page before you go.
Sources
- Missouri State Parks: Felix Valle House
- Missouri State Parks: Bollinger Mill
- Missouri State Parks: Trail of Tears hours
- Missouri State Parks: Big Oak Tree
- National Park Service: Ste. Genevieve plan your visit
- OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM)
Checked October 30, 2026 by It’s Missouri. Cite this page: It’s Missouri (https://itsmissouri.com/visit/ste-genevieve-and-southeast-missouri/), checked October 30, 2026. Free to quote with a link.