Taum Sauk, MO, US Highpoint #25, 22 April 2004

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Taum Sauk Mountain, Missouri, lies at 1,772 feet MSL and is ranked #41 in elevation among US Highpoints. This would be my 22nd highpoint of 2004, and my 25th US Highpoint overall. Taum Sauk is a easy stroll along a paved trail in the woods and is located in Taum Sauk Mountain State Park in the St. Francois Mountains.

A nearby attraction is Mina Sauk Falls, the highest waterfall in Missouri, cascading 132 feet. Johnson’s Shut-Ins are also nearby but have somehow eluded visitation by me despite knowing about them most of my life.

The rocks on Taum Sauk Mountain are ancient. According to one online source, these rhyolite formations are over a billion years old, created by volcanic activity long before anything resembling modern life existed on Earth.

photo of Taum Sauk, Missouri’s high point.

This is my halfway point in my US Highpointing quest, and since I grew up in Missouri, it seemed fitting.

25 down, 25 to go!!
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) benchmark at the highest point of Missouri.
Taum Sauk Mountain, Missouri seen from a distance

Mina Sauk Falls

A short 1.1 mile hike from Taum Sauk is the star of the show, Mina Sauk Falls. From the falls you can appreciate Missouri’s highpoint, as vistas allow seeing the nearby rolling Ozark hills.

Note the old USGS Topo above does not show the trail that leads directly from the summit. As of 2026, a 2.2 mile loop is available.
Dogwoods were in bloom and visible from above on the hike
Vista looking south from near the falls
Yours truly standing at the top of billion-year-old rhyolite at Mina Sauk Falls, pointing the way ahead
Teewinot just hanging out. He was such a good boi, this being his 8th US Highpoint.
Mina Sauk is a cascade, not a single-drop waterfall

From here I would head to Panorama Point, Nebraska on my drive back to Montana to work on a mountain survey crew with Mikey.

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