5 Amazing Things to See at Ha Ha Tonka State Park

Ha Ha Tonka State Park will give you a unique experience that other state parks can replicate.

That uniqueness is a mansion, though the state park refers to it as a castle. Or rather, it was once a castle.

But this beautiful castle was burned down before it was able to be truly enjoyed.

Today you can see the ruins of this castle.

The walls are still standing and it lets your imagination soar of how it used to be.

Looking at these walls I couldn’t believe how big this place was.

But this castle isn’t the only thing Ha Ha Tonka State Park, you will have to take a trip to Missouri to see the beauty around it.

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Ha Ha Tonka State Park!

What is Ha Ha Tonka State Park

Located south of Camdenton, MO (Population: 4,000) in Camden County

Before Ha Ha Tonka was a state park, it was a dream of a Kansas City businessman, Robert Snyder to build his vacation home overlooking the water.

This was in the early 1900s.

The name “Haha Tonka” originates from the Osage Native American phrase meaning “Laughing Waters.”

View of the castle ruins from across the spring.

I always feel a little funny saying Haha Tonka 🤣

Throughout the 1900’s, a lot had changed about this castle as it went from a vacation home, to a hotel, and eventually to what it is today, a state park for everyone to enjoy.

The castle isn’t the only thing to do at Haha Tonka, there is also the 12th largest spring which generates 48 million gallons of water daily.

There is a Natural Bridge, miles of walking trails, a wooden boardwalk, and so much more!

Where to Start at Haha Tonka State Park

The first stop should be the visitor center.

Here you can see pictures of what the castle looked like as well as a picture of the fire.

It also has a model of what the terrain looks like throughout the park.

Even better, there is a sign that says “First Time!?” Which was super helpful because it was our first time!

Map of the state park for first time visitors

This was also the park office at the visitors center and someone there was able to guide us to where the specific parking lot we needed.

Beyond the visitors center, there are two parking lots that will take you to the castle ruins, one lets you walk along the castle trail to the castle. It’s about 1/4 of a mile paved path.

The other parking area takes you right up between the carriage house and the water tower with a short walk to the castle.

Activities for Visitors

The Castle Ruins

Not every day do you get to see the ruins of a castle like you do if you stop by this state park.

Imagine big thick stone walls still standing today that will give you an idea of just how amazing this mansion must have been!

While seeing the castle, you will also get to see other things that helps put you in that time period while they were building the castle.

For instance, you’ll see the cart and rails that the workers used to bring the rock from the quarry to build the house.

You can also follow the path of the quarry trail next to the castle.

You’ll also see the ruins of the carriage house.

The water tower is still standing and you can see that as well.

Wooden Board Walk and Trails

There was a path of wooden boardwalk leading from the water tower.

We were not sure what to expect from this boardwalk, but we followed it anyway.

Turns out it leads to a hiking trail.

Along the hiking trail, there are steps that will take you to the 12th largest spring.

Beware, it is a lot of steps.

I’m talking a LOT of steps. My legs were jelly by the time we reached the spring! 🤣

Spring Trail

At the bottom of the steps starts the Spring Trail next to the Haha Tonka spring.

After crossing over a caved-in cave, a wide concrete path begins.

This path was popular for people to walk on.

We met a lot of people who parked on the other side of the spring trail and used it for exercise.

At the end of the Spring Trail, there were also picnic shelters and picnic areas next to the parking lot.

As you are walking along this trail, you will see a small island.

Island Trail

While walking along the spring trail, we noticed we could not see the rapids we could definitely hear the water.

An island was in between us and rapid water.

This trail was more rugged.

But you could see it if you went up and over the small island.

It also looked like the trail was straight uphill.

Even with my legs feeling like jelly, I wanted to see the rapids! So up we went.

On this little island, you can see the rapids, balanced rock, and the island cave.

You can see all of these, but as we got to the top, we were more exhausted than we thought and headed straight back down the trail. 😰🥵

Pictures of this trail can be found in the reviews of the trail on this website.

Natural Bridge

The Colosseum trail has a big rock arch called the Natural Bridge. this huge natural bridge is 60 feet long, 100 feet high, and 70 feet wide.

Snyder, the man who built the castle, used to drive across it to get to the castle.

In 1980, they stopped having traffic go across the bridge due to not enough room for both hikers and cars.

It’s a cool part of the park because it’s a big piece of rock left from when a cave collapsed.

Sometimes, water even falls off the back of it after it rains.

The Colosseum trail will also take you to the Colosseum sinkhole, this is a large sinkhole that is part of the cave collapsing.

Worth the Trip?

Absolutely yes, we got lost on our trip and had to use Google Maps to find a trail to head back.

But it was STILL worth it. The castle ruins are neat to see.

Ready to try Discover Cars? See what they have available for your next trip!

There are several trails we would have liked to visit, like the Devil’s Kitchen Trails, Turkey Pen Hollow Trail (which is a longer trail of almost 7 miles), and the Deers Leap Hill via Del Rim Trail.

What could have been better? I would have liked to see more stories about Robert M. Snyder to get the full story of his life while I was there at the castle.