Here in the Ozarks, we absolutely love to hike and explore and there is an abundance of beautiful scenery all around us! As I was looking back through some hiking photos, I noticed that we've visited several shut-ins around our little area of Missouri. Here is a collection of photos from four different scenic areas in Missouri: Klepzig Mill, Rocky Falls, Johnson Shut-Ins, and Prairie Hollow Gorge.
At Johnson Shut-Ins last year
So, what exactly is a "shut-in"?
Well, luckily I have a photo of this handy little sign from the trail to Johnson Shut-Ins and it pretty well sums it up!
I'll get back to more photos of Johnson's in a bit, but first, let's start outside of Winona, MO with a historic mill that sits next to a beautiful shut-in.
Klepzig Mill
My family actually has some ties to this mill. My great-great-great uncle, Charles Klepzig once owned the mill and property. Although it was eventually sold, it still bears his name. Pretty neat, huh? :)
In between Klepzig and the next shut-in, we stopped at a place called "Button Rock" and did a little rock climbing that day.
Kayla looking up from the bottom!
Moving on...next stop:
Rocky Falls
These first 3 photos were taken by
Rocky Falls is a super popular destination for both locals and tourists. And for obvious reasons! In the summertime, hundreds of people flock to Rocky to ride down the natural water slides and to cool off in the refreshing pool at the bottom.
It's also a local hot-spot for photographers because of the gorgeous scenery! Jason and I have done numerous family, maternity, engagement and modeling portraits here.
These photos were taken last spring so it wasn't nearly as crowded as it is in the summer months.
Rocky Falls is a great place to go for a quick daytime hike or to cool off during the hot summer days! Next up is one of our favorite hiking locations:
Prairie Hollow Gorge
Prairie Hollow Gorge is probably the least "touristy" spot on my list, and is a little more off the beaten path. It's a pretty intense hike, but the views of this gorgeous shut-in are so worth it once you get there! This collection of photos is from several different visits, so there are a few changes in seasons. I guess that just goes to show how much we love visiting the gorge!
It can be reached by hiking from the top or bottom, but here is a view from the top where we begin our climb down the bluff to into the gorge
My brother Mike cooling off in the waterfall during a summertime hike
My sister Jess and her husband Garret, posing for a photo
As I'm making this post, I'm starting to realize how much my friends and I like to wear flannel shirts. Haaa haaa. Anyway...
From our most recent hike, last fall. We didn't get much rain, so the water wasn't flowing quite as much as usual but it was still beautiful!
And last on the list, I'll get back to where I started with.....
Johnson Shut-Ins
Located outside of Ironton, Missouri is another popular tourist destination on a tributary of the Black River. We've taken our kids a couple times and they absolutely loved playing in one of nature's finest playgrounds!
The rock formations at this place are absolutely incredible!
Our oldest daughter
And our youngest
And last but not least, here's one from a different visit during the summer of 2014
So there you have it! Four of my favorite scenic shut-ins around our beautiful home in the Missouri Ozarks. We absolutely love our little area of the world and we love to share our adventures on Steemit!
Thanks for checking it out :)