Places to Go: Monkey Mountain CA

Monkey Mountain Conservation Area

Primate free, but lots of outdoor opportunity

On a late winter visit to northwest Missouri’s Monkey Mountain Conservation Area (CA), one can find roughly 7 miles of service roads suitable for hiking, river frontage for fishing, coyotes, bobcats, eagles, and migrating waterfowl from the adjacent river bottom flatlands. What one won’t find — any time of year — are monkeys.

Located along the Missouri River on nearly 1,600 acres in Andrew and Holt counties, Monkey Mountain CA has much to offer, just not the tree-swinging primates suggested in the name, said Resources Management District Supervisor Sean Cleary, who oversees the area.

“They named it Monkey Mountain because the bluffs were deemed so steep that even monkeys couldn’t climb them,” Cleary said.

And while the bluffs are inaccessible, the area’s six parking lots linking to service roads make the area very approachable to anyone who doesn’t mind the challenge of a few hills.

The payoff, especially before the forest’s canopy returns in the spring, are some expansive views of the river bottoms, he said.

“There’s a savanna area, it has mature trees and grassland understory,” he said. “It has a high point where you can see the Nodaway River Valley and the Missouri River Valley.”