Places to Go

Huzzah Conservation Area

This 6,255-acre area in Leasburg offers hiking, canoeing, camping, hunting, fishing, trapping, bird watching, and an unstaffed shooting range.

Located in Crawford County, Huzzah

Conservation Area offers a variety of activities for outdoor enthusiasts seeking a wintertime adventure. The area’s 6,255 acres are primarily woodland and forest with several wildlife openings and over 30 small fishless ponds. Deer, turkey, songbirds, bald eagles, and squirrels are common on the area.

Hikers can enjoy a quiet and serene journey along the 7-mile Colonel Plassmeyer Wildlife Viewing Trail. This natural surface trail is the northernmost section of the Ozark Trail. T e trail is not a loop, is moderately difficult, and requires wading across the Courtois Creek. Hikers can expect to experience the rugged Missouri Ozarks and enjoy sheer cliff s, bluff s, caves, and scenic vistas. Bald eagles are very common in the winter months and can be seen soaring along the major river ways.

Three major waterways, Meramec River, Huzzah Creek, and Courtois Creek, traverse the area, providing access to beautiful Ozark streams. The mild bluebird days of late winter are a perfect time for a peaceful and picturesque canoe trip on any of these rivers. In contrast to the bustling float crowds of the summer months, expect to be the only boat on the water.

The area is rich in cultural resources and provides a glimpse back to a time when mining camps dotted the landscape. Remnants of the Scotia Furnace and Iron Works are located on the area. The Scotia Furnace, built by John G. Scott, Robert Anderson, Thomas Howard, and Anvil James, produced pig iron from 1870 to 1880.

The area offers an unstaffed shooting range, with shooting benches at 25, 50, and 100 yards. This range is an ideal location to practice or sight-in hunting rifles. Paper targets and target holders are provided. The range is open Tuesday through Sunday from sun up to sunset. The range is closed on Mondays for routine maintenance.

A small primitive campground is available along the banks of the Courtois Creek. The camping area is open between Sept. 15 and May 15. No reservations are necessary and campsites are on a first-come, first-served basis. There is pit latrine and a trash dumpster in the camping area, but electric and water are not available.

The area is located 5 miles south of Leasburg on Highway H. There are nine small parking lots that provide access to the area’s unique features.

—Mark Johanson, area manager Huzzah Conservation Area

Recreation Opportunities: Wildlife viewing, bird watching, hiking, hunting, fishing, canoeing, camping

Unique Features: Woodland, forest, fishless wildlife ponds, old fields, bluff s, caves, cliffs, remnants from the Scotia Iron Works

For More Information: Call 636-441-4554 or visit mdc.mo.gov/a5702