Outdoor Activities
Gemstone & Fossil Mining
One of our guests favorite activities is gemstone and fossil mining through our old-fashioned wooden sluice. Water runs from the Stark Caverns water tower through a series of descending troughs. You pour bags of mining "rough" into a screen tray and lower your tray into the trough of water. While you sift and shake the tray, flowing water reveals a range of beautiful minerals such as amethyst, ruby, emerald and quartz, or a selection of fossils. Purchase a bag of your “rough” and take home your treasures as a souvenir.
Identify your mined treasures afterward with one of our identification cards.
*Gemstone and Fossil Mining may not be available during below-freezing temps
Crack Your Own Geode
You can also crack open a geode, selecting from 4 sizes, to reveal a gorgeous crystalline center. Geodes are spherical rocks that contain hollow cavities lined with crystals. The name geode comes from the Greek word Geoides, which means "earthlike."
Stop by the Gift Shop before or after your tour to pick out your very own geode! When you are ready to crack it open, one of our friendly Tour Guides will help you set up the geode cracker, ask you to put on safety goggles and gloves, and then you crack it open to reveal the hidden beauty inside.
No two geodes are identical. Our Tour Guides can give you tips on how to find a good one! They occur naturally and as such, we can’t know what’s inside one until its open!!
Hiking Trails
We currently have 2 hiking trails at Stark Caverns - Deer Lick Trail is 1 mile long and Squirrel Run Trail is 0.5 Miles with a hill climb. The total property is about 300 acres with many types of wildlife, trees and birds - many scenic areas to enjoy nature before or after your tour.
Ask a Tour Guide for trail maps or more info about our trails
This is a self-guided, at-your-own-risk activity. Our trails are semi-maintained and semi-marked. Walking surfaces are dirt/grass and are uneven with the natural grades. Several hill climbs & rocky terrain will be encountered on each trail. They are great for Scouts & family adventures.
Tick spray & closed-toe shoes are highly recommended!
Historic Covered Wagon
Before cars, trains and airplanes, Americans traveled more primitively - walking, horses, and then covered wagons typically drawn by oxen, horses or even mules. Covered wagons were like the trucks & RVs of their day. From 1820 to 1860, covered wagons, also called Prairie Schooners, were the primary mode of transportation for settlers moving from the east to the west.
The Charles Stark family, for which the cave is named, came to Missouri before it was a state, around 1815. Charles discovered the cave on a hunting trip and purchased the land in 1859 for his family farm. It's likely that members of the Stark family used a wagon like this for their trip west.
Visit our restored covered wagon, located across the pond from our cave entrance and imagine what it was like for these adventurous settlers to make their way to a new land for their families.
Outdoor Seating
Fire Pit & Seating Area
There is something about the sound of a crackling campfire that makes the great outdoors complete. Stark Caverns has our very own stone fire pit with rustic wood bench seating located across the pond from our Capital Visitor Center.
Looking for a private experience? Reserve the fire pit any time! Contact our reservations team for more information.
Firewood & roasting sticks available year-round.
Picnic Areas
We have several picnic areas with picnic tables and umbrellas, as well as a new covered pavilion with 3 more picnic tables. These are perfect for a family picnic, birthday party, scout or school groups and more. The pavilion area is available for rental as well. Please submit a request in the Event section of the website.
Covered Porch & Rocking Chairs
Enjoy our relaxing wrap-around covered porch. Elevated above the parking area, the porch allows you to gaze over our well-maintained grounds, hear the water fountain splash in the pond, and even watch a hummingbird feed at one of our beautiful, stained glass hummingbird feeders hanging along the covered porch.
Sit back and relax while waiting for a tour in one of our many Amish rocking chairs. Catch up with friends & family or enjoy a cold beverage & snack from the gift shop while you sit and relax.