Montauk State Park - Salem, Missouri

Address:RR 5
Salem, Missouri
Tel: (573) 548-2201

This 1,353-acre State Park is certainly a trout fisher's dream, with the streams here being the ideal home for rainbow trout and the scenery just right for outdoor recreation. During the regular season, trout are stocked daily and tours of the hatchery are available for visitors. There are fantastic hiking trails here as well, some on the more challenging side, but all with views of cool wildlife such as beavers, wading birds, and water turtles, as well as bushes of blackberry, raccoon grape, and greenbriar. For history buffs, there is an "Old Mill" here on-site that is over 100 years old, once an important part of the Montauk community. And for those who want to stay a while, camping is available too, complete with a dining lodge and coin-operated laundry machines.

Offering some of the finest trout fishing in the Midwest, Montauk State Park is located at the headwaters of the famed Current River. The park's springs combine with tiny Pigeon Creek to supply 43 million gallons of water to the river each day. The cool, clear stream is an ideal home for rainbow trout, and the scenic valley is the perfect setting for camping, hiking and other outdoor pursuits. Anglers descend on Montauk State Park from March 1 to Oct. 31 for the official trout season, and on winter weekends for a catch-and-release season. After a day of fishing, you can tour the park's trout hatchery, managed by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Early settlers first established Montauk as a self-sufficient community in the early 1800s. A gristmill, built in 1896, is open seasonally for tours. For visitors wishing to spend a night or more in the park, Montauk offers a wide variety of choices. The large campground, equipped with modern restrooms, hot showers and dump stations, features both basic and electric sites. The park offers rental cabins with kitchens, modern fourplex cabins and motel rooms for guests choosing to spend the night indoors. A modern dining lodge opens daily during the trout season and on weekends during the catch-and-release season.