Two spring-fed trout parks with a castle ruin and a Civil War battlefield between them.
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 | Bennett Spring State Park A spring stocked daily with rainbow trout. Grounds sunrise to an hour after sunset; the dining lodge keeps trout-season hours and the nature center is open Wed to Sun 10 to 4 from February 25 to October 31 and closed November 1 to February 24. Fee not stated. More | 9:00 a.m. | 2 h 30 min (Essential) | Start of day |
| 2 | Ha Ha Tonka State Park Sinkholes, a natural bridge, a big spring and a castle ruin above the lake; grounds 7 a.m. to sunset April to October and 8 a.m. to sunset November to March. More | 12:22 p.m. | 2 h 00 min (Essential) | 52 min, 32.7 mi |
| # | Stop | Arrive (estimate) | Time and role (estimate) | Road from previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield A National Park Service Civil War battlefield; entrance is free; the page says its front desk is monitored 9 to 5 daily and is dated December 2021. Pin is approximate. More | 9:00 a.m. | 1 h 30 min (Optional) | Start of day |
| 4 | Roaring River State Park A trout-stocked park in a narrow valley with seven trails and a nature center; hours not stated on the page we read. More | 12:17 p.m. | 3 h 00 min (Essential) | 107 min, 58.3 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
Bennett Spring’s dining lodge and nature center are indoors in season. Wilson’s Creek has a visitor center.
The drive from Wilson’s Creek to Roaring River is about 107 minutes by road (OpenStreetMap routing), the longest hop in the plan. Bennett Spring’s nature center is closed November 1 to February 24, and its dining lodge hours depend on trout season. Park buildings close on state holidays. Montauk and Maramec Spring are not in this plan: Montauk is on the far side of the state from these two, and Maramec’s site did not load for us. Trout permit prices were not on the page we read; see the fishing permit answer.
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.
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Questions People Ask
How long is the drive on this trip?
About 2 h 39 min of driving between stops across 2 days, by OpenStreetMap routing with no live traffic.
What is closed or seasonal on this trip?
The drive from Wilson’s Creek to Roaring River is about 107 minutes by road (OpenStreetMap routing), the longest hop in the plan. Bennett Spring’s nature center is closed November 1 to February 24, and its dining lodge hours depend on trout season. Park buildings close on state holidays. Montauk and Maramec Spring are not in this plan: Montauk is on the far side of the state from these two, and Maramec’s site did not load for us. Trout permit prices were not on the page we read; see the fishing permit answer.
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: Bennett Spring hours
- Missouri State Parks: Ha Ha Tonka hours
- National Park Service: Wilson’s Creek fees
- Missouri State Parks: Roaring River State Park
- OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM)
Checked October 30, 2026 by It’s Missouri. Cite this page: It’s Missouri (https://itsmissouri.com/visit/trout-parks-and-springs-weekend/), checked October 30, 2026. Free to quote with a link.