Hiking on a boardwalk in a swamp along with Ozark mountain views is in the mix at Mingo National Wildlife Refuge.

History

Formed from an abandoned channel of the Mississippi River about 18,000 years ago when the river shifted east possibly due to a New Madrid fault earthquake.

In the early 20th century settlers tried to drain the swamp for farmland as they have done in other areas of Southeast Missouri, but with only limited success.

Mingo means “treacherous” or “unreliable” in the Native American language, as it proved to be.

In 1945 the swampland was turned into a 7,730 acres national wildlife refuge and restored.

Wildlife

Here you will find egrets, herons, ducks, turtles, snakes, fish, muskrats, and beavers, to name a few. If you have your binoculars you can look out for songbirds high in the trees.

Trails by the Visitor Center

I parked at the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center which is where the .14 miles Bluff Trail leads to the .8 miles Swampwalk Nature Trail.

The .1 miles Visitor Center Overlook Trail can be reached from the back of the visitor center and the .16 miles Hartz Pond trailhead is found at the southeast corner of the parking lot.

Visitor Center Overlook Trail

This is a short paved trail directly behind the center. It ends at a stone overlook with views of the swamp and trees below and if you look off in the distance you can see the St. Francois Mountains on a clear day.

Bluff Trail

The trailhead is located halfway between the Visitor Center and the parking lot on your right. The entrance is hard to see since the sign for it was behind some vegetation.

For a short steep natural surface hike, it is surprisingly interesting with a heavily eroded bluff about halfway down. A side trail goes along it for a short way.

Swampwalk Trail

There is separate parking for this trail at the bottom of the hill or you can access it from the bluff. I would recommend doing the bluff trail up and back if you are in good shape since I found it a scenic walk in the woods with bluffs.

Boardwalk

This is a level boardwalk trail that goes through a swamp. A sign says slippery when wet, which it was on the day I was here. I went right in the loop. This area here was dry in parts. The water levels in this swamp fluctuate naturally depending on the amount of rain that has fallen.

Along the way, there are signs that you can read about the swamp ecosystems. One talks about the forest floor and the different plants that inhabit this space. How dead trees serve as homes for woodpeckers and a home for skinks.

I found an information board about the different mushrooms here and kept a lookout for them as I walked.

After leaving the boardwalk I entered a paved path. It follows a ditch that was dug in the 1920s to drain the swamp but did not work. I looked over into the water scaring a turtle on a log.

Arched Bridge

You can take an arched bridge to a marshland area with aquatic shrubs. It is an out-and-back hike.

 Second Boardwalk

After walking some more along the paved path I came to another section of the boardwalk.

Here I saw a lot of half-submerged trees with new plant life growing on them.

I came across more swamp trees and water tupelos. The water was really clear so you could see into it to search for aquatic and plant life.

I found my way to the Bluff Trail and headed back up to parking by the visitor’s center.

Hartz Pond Trail

I went to the back of the parking lot by the visitor’s center for this trail. It is a short hike but I enjoyed the walk through the woods.

Hartz Pond had a bald cypress tree near the small dock with its enlarged trunk, which helps to give the tree stability in soft soils by the pond. These trees have stumps around the bottom or cypress knees, and these extensions help carry oxygen to their waterlogged roots.

After checking out the pond I headed back to the parking lot.

Sweet Cabin Trail

A .4 mile trail in the backcountry area on the edge of the Mingo Wilderness Area north of Stanley Creek leading to Great-Depression-era Cabin. I did not make it to this trail to check it out.

Short Drive Along an Auto Tour

Bluff Road ( 6 miles, open year-round): This drive led from the bottom parking area for the Swampwalk Trail. I drove down the hillside from the visitor’s center and along Bluff Road for the drive. It follows the eroded bluff and swamp on the right. It was a scenic drive along the marsh. I turned around at a pull-off instead of driving out of the national refugee into the town of Puxico, Mo.

Other Auto Tours

Red Mill Drive (7 miles, open year-round): Public hunting area, ditch roads, and wetlands including the Rockhouse Marsh.

Ozark Highlands (17 miles, open March- November): West side of the refuge, uplands, Wilderness Area, and Monopoly Marsh.

NOTE: A brochure that was available outside of the visitor’s center provided a detailed map of the road system and hikes and I would use that for reference since some roads are one way. Click HERE for the PDF version.

Final Thoughts of Mingo National Wildlife Refuge

It is a bit of a drive to Mingo National Wildlife Refuge so it is not easy to get to. If you want a day at a swamp alone along with some hilly terrain then this is the place to go.

DETAILS:

Drive: It is about a two-and-a-half-hour drive. Take Interstate 55 south to exit 91 for MO-AB and turn right onto this road. It becomes State Highway 25 after intersecting with State Highway 77. Stay on this highway until you get to Advance, Mo., then make a right turn onto MO-C. Take this highway to State Highway 51 and make a left onto this road and look for a sign for the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge on your right. You will want to follow the signs for the visitor’s center.

NOTE: Do not follow Google Maps for the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge, which sends you to the middle of the swamp. Put in Mingo National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center instead for directions on Google Maps.

Hours: The Visitor Center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Wednesdays and Fridays, and refuge hours are a half-hour before sunrise and a half-hour after sunset.

Admission: $3

Address: 24279 MO-51, Puxico, MO 63960

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