The Full Story
Missouri's "Little Grand Canyon"
Covering 322 acres, the park presents a unique collapsed cave system more than 10,000 years in the making. With 130-foot high walls, the “Grand Gulf” stretches for more than a mile. Visitors can also see one of the largest natural bridges in the state, spanning 200 feet with an opening 75 feet high and 50 feet wide.
Park visitors can hike the trails, boardwalks and overlooks to view the canyon from the edge of the cliffs and descend partway into the chasm without putting themselves or the environment in danger. There is not a designated trail to the chasm’s bottom, so visitors are encouraged to use extreme caution if they decide to descend into the depths. There are also picnic tables scattered along the rim of the chasm.
"https://dnr.mo.gov/communications/news/gorge-ous-view-visit-missouris-little-grand-canyon"
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PARK INFORMATION
Some people call Grand Gulf State Park the “Little Grand Canyon.” Some just call it “breathtaking.” The park is one of the natural wonders of the Ozarks, presenting the most spectacular collapsed cave system in the Ozarks. The "Grand Gulf" stretches for about three-quarters of a mile between 130-foot-high walls. Visitors can view the gulf from trails on top or from the floor where they can walk under the natural bridge, which spans 250 feet with a 75-foot-high opening. There is no official trail leading to the bottom, so visitors should use extreme caution when attempting to access the bottom. Interpretive signs detail the formation of the gulf.-https://mostateparks.com/park/grand-gulf-state-park
While the cave is inaccessible now, it the late 1800s, early explorers had entered it and discovered a very low ceiling and several small, white eyeless fish. By the 1920s, a severe storm washed many downed trees and other debris into the gulf, filling the cave and leaving it impenetrable. In the early 1990s, a robot with a digging tool and remote camera infiltrated a significant way into the cave, determining it was not feasible to gain access through the massive blockage. Even now, heavy rains will fill the gulf to depths exceeding 100 feet with water slowly draining out over a period of weeks.
Designated a National Natural Landmark in 1971, the property became Grand Gulf State Park in 1984 through a lease agreement between the Department of Natural Resources and the L-A-D Foundation. Visitors can find outdoor exhibits explaining Grand Gulf’s formation "history. https://dnr.mo.gov/communications/news/gorge-ous-view-visit-missouris-little-grand-canyon"
