Grand Gulf State Park is a state-operated, privately owned and publicly accessible, geologic preserve near

Thayer Thayer may refer to: Places ;United States * Thayer, Illinois * Thayer, Indiana * Thayer, Iowa * Thayer, Kansas * Thayer, Michigan * Thayer, Missouri * Thayer, Nebraska *Thayer, West Virginia * Thayer County, Nebraska * Thayer Street, Providence, ...

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

, United States, encompassing a forked canyon that is the remnant of an ancient collapsed

dolomite Dolomite may refer to: *Dolomite (mineral), a carbonate mineral *Dolomite (rock), also known as dolostone, a sedimentary carbonate rock *Dolomite, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community *Dolomite, California, United States, an unincor ...

cave A cave or cavern is a natural void in the ground, specifically a space large enough for a human to enter. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. The word ''cave'' can refer to smaller openings such as sea ...

system. The land that is now the park was acquired by conservationist

Leo Drey Leo Albert Drey Jr. (, January 19, 1917 – May 26, 2015), was an American timber magnate, conservation movement, conservationist, and philanthropist from Missouri. Biography Born in St. Louis, Missouri, to a wealthy manufacturer of glassware, Drey ...

(1917–2015) before becoming part of the Missouri state parks system. The

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

has been operated by the

Missouri Department of Natural Resources The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (MoDNR) of the government of the U.S. state of Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states an ...

under a lease agreement with the L-A-D Foundation since 1984. Grand Gulf was declared a

National Natural Landmark The National Natural Landmarks (NNL) Program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only national natural areas program that identifies and recognizes the best ...

in 1971 as an excellent example of

karst topography Karst is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble rocks such as limestone, dolomite, and gypsum. It is characterized by underground drainage systems with sinkholes and caves. It has also been documented for more weathering-resistant ro ...

and underground

stream piracy Stream capture, river capture, river piracy or stream piracy is a geomorphological phenomenon occurring when a stream or river drainage system or watershed is diverted from its own bed, and flows instead down the bed of a neighbouring stream. T ...

. A portion of the park was designated by the state as the Grand Gulf Natural Area in 1986.

Description

The Grand Gulf is nearly long and up to deep with sheer sides. An uncollapsed part of the original cavern roof spans , creating one of the largest

natural bridge A natural arch, natural bridge, or (less commonly) rock arch is a natural landform where an arch has formed with an opening underneath. Natural arches commonly form where inland cliffs, coastal cliffs, fins or stacks are subject to erosion fr ...

s in Missouri. A

watershed Watershed is a hydrological term, which has been adopted in other fields in a more or less figurative sense. It may refer to: Hydrology * Drainage divide, the line that separates neighbouring drainage basins * Drainage basin, called a "watershe ...

of feeds into the gulf which itself drains into a cave entrance at its eastern end. Dye traces have shown that water entering the cave in Grand Gulf emerges 1 to 4 days later at

Mammoth Spring Mammoth Spring is a large, Spring (hydrology), first magnitude karst spring that arises in the Ozark Plateau within the state of Arkansas. It is the largest spring in Arkansas and the third-largest spring within the Ozark Plateau region behind B ...

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

, 9 miles (14 km) distant.

Facilities

The park has picnicking facilities and two trails for viewing the gulf. The park's heavy foliage makes fall and winter the best viewing seasons.

References

External links

Grand Gulf State Park
Missouri Department of Natural Resources
Grand Gulf State Park Map
Missouri Department of Natural Resources {{authority control National Natural Landmarks in Missouri State parks of Missouri State parks of the U.S. Interior Highlands Rock formations of Missouri Protected areas of Oregon County, Missouri Geology of Missouri Protected areas established in 1984 Landforms of Oregon County, Missouri 1984 establishments in Missouri