Home > Travel > State Parks > Missouri > Thousand Hills State Park

Acreage: 3,079.70
Year Acquired: 1952
Activities: boating, camping, canoeing, dining, fishing, lodging, marina, picnicking, swimming, hiking - mountain biking - backpacking trails


As the population of Kirksville expanded in the 1950s, the city sought to increase its supply of fresh water. Thousand Hills State Park was created following the construction of the 573-acre Forest Lake to serve as the city's reservoir. Today, the 3,215-acre park offers visitors a unique opportunity to explore the best of northern Missouri.

The park's central feature is the lake, created by the damming of Big Creek. While the reservoir supplies water to the community, the park's natural features recall a time when woodlands and savannas covered northern Missouri. Visitors can experience some of these natural wonders by hiking the park's trails.

The cool waters of Forest Lake offer a wide variety of recreational opportunities, including swimming, fishing, boating and skiing. Hiking, mountain bicycling and nature study are popular on-land activities. An interpretive shelter displays the park's petroglyphs - rock carvings left behind by the area's inhabitants more than 1,500 years ago. Visitors wanting to extend their stay can sleep in one of the cabins near the dining lodge or camp in a modern campground to experience more of what Thousand Hills State Park has to offer.