Trail of Tears State Park sits along the bluffs of the Mississippi River in Cape Girardeau County, Missouri, preserving one of the most significant and somber chapters in American history. The park marks the location where nine Cherokee groups crossed the Mississippi during the forced relocation of 1838-1839, and its 3,415 acres serve as both a memorial and a place of striking natural beauty.

The park’s landscape is defined by dramatic limestone bluffs rising above the river, with dense hardwood forests blanketing the ridges and ravines below. Ten miles of hiking trails wind through these woods, including the Peewah Trail, which follows the bluff line and delivers sweeping views of the Mississippi River valley. The Trail of Tears Interpretive Center provides essential historical context, telling the story of the Cherokee removal through exhibits and artifacts that give weight to the ground you’re walking on.

Visitors can fish along the river and in a 12-acre lake stocked with bass and catfish, swim at the sandy beach, or spend a day exploring the park’s rocky creek beds and wildflower-filled meadows. The park offers both basic and electric campsites tucked into wooded settings, along with a few rustic cabins for those who prefer a roof overhead.

Spring brings dogwood and redbud blooms across the hillsides, while fall transforms the hardwood canopy into a corridor of gold and crimson. Either season rewards a visit to this park where landscape and history are inseparable.

Explore Nearby

• Shawnee National Forest — National Forest in Illinois
• Mary’s River Covered Bridge — Covered Bridge in Illinois
• Parks Bridge — Covered Bridge in Tennessee
• Land Between The Lakes National Forest — National Forest in Kentucky, Tennessee
• Woodlands Trace National Scenic Byway — Scenic Byway in Kentucky