Largest hill/mountain in Missouri (Ozark, California: car, parking, park)

[kanhawk]

Where is the largest hill or mountain in Missouri? Not necessarily the highest elevation, which could just be some high plateau, but the hill with the biggest gain in elevation from the base to the peak?

[northbayeric]

The highest elevation in Missouri is Taum Sauk Mountain at 1,772 feet:
. I'm having some difficulty finding the answer to your main question, though, but found this article: OzarksWatch

Wikipedia has this article about Pilot Knob Mountain Pilot Knob Mountain - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, and I'm thinking with a vertical relief of 581 feet, that it has one of the biggest elevation gains from base to peak in Missouri.

[OA 5599]

The highest relief in Missouri can be found at Black Mountain, between Ironton and Fredricktown [see: ]No Records Found

The relief between the base and summit is 950 feet, give or take a few, according to the topographic map of the area. The threshold for a "mountain" has been defined unoffically as 1,000 feet from base to summit, making Black Mountain the closest thing to a mountain in Missouri.

[joetownmom]

It's Taum Sauk.

[OA 5599]

Originally Posted by joetownmom

It's Taum Sauk.

The top of Taum Sauk is the highest elevation in Missouri (elevation = vertical distance from the summit to seal level).

However, the relief of Black Mountain (~950 feet) is higher than that of Taum Sauk (~750 feet). Relief is defined as the vertial distance from the summit to the foot of the mountain. Black Mountain appears much more imposing from the base than Taum Sauk, the latter of which is more rounded and broad.

See the topo map link I listed and scroll over to Taum Sauk and you'll see what I'm talking about.

[MoNative34]

I agree that its Black Mountain. Taum Sauk may be the highest point in the state, the areas around it are fairly close in elevation so the valleys aren't very deep in the general area.


When I read the OP, I thought about the Ozark escarpment where the meet the bootheel lowlands. Interesting how close the highest point in Missouri is to the lowest point.

[DinsdalePirahna]

Originally Posted by MoNative34

I Interesting how close the highest point in Missouri is to the lowest point.

Look at Mount Whitney and Death Valley they highest and lowest point of the lower 48. The are about 80 miles apart. That's extreme.

[northbayeric]

Originally Posted by DinsdalePirahna

Look at Mount Whitney and Death Valley they highest and lowest point of the lower 48. The are about 80 miles apart. That's extreme.

Let me come back to you in just a second... Great research, OA--I had a heckuva time trying to find the answer on the Internet. I was pretty amazed at how you can drive your car practically to the top of Taum Sauk Mountain, jump out, walk a short distance on a paved walkway, and whammo! There's the highest point in Missouri marker! I'd love to make the trek down to Mina Sauk Falls one of these days--my wife and I tried one time, but the trail was super rocky and quite wet, and she was wearing a $7.95 pair of canvas shoes she bought at Payless or something, and we had to abort the hike and turn back. The view from the observation deck before you get to the main parking area is awesome, much like the pic I put up earlier in this thread.

The surrounding hills at Fort Davidson State Park by Pilot Knob and Ironton are gorgeous, too!

The eastern area of California, especially east of the U.S. 395 corridor that runs north-south, has some real treasures not too many people know about. I absolutely love Death Valley. Try to visit it any time between November and early April. The topography is astounding. Dinsdale is right about Death Valley's Badwater Basin (282 feet below sea level) and Mount Whitney (14,495 feet being less than 100 miles apart as the raven flies. Also, when you're walking on the Badwater salt flat facing west, Telescope Peak is right in front of you, standing just over 11,000 feet up. (Courtesy of "mediafury" via Flickr.com, http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3401/...76842a1e76.jpg. Some rights reserved) This picture doesn't quite do the area justice in terms of vertical relief from Badwater Basin to Telescope Peak.

The Missouri Ozarks and Death Valley--both beautiful areas in their own very different ways!

[DinsdalePirahna]

I've got to make it down there. I've heard that the Johnson Shut ins are also worth the trip.

[MoNative34]

Originally Posted by DinsdalePirahna

I've got to make it down there. I've heard that the Johnson Shut ins are also worth the trip.

Very well worth the trip. There is also Elephant Rocks State Park near Graniteville and a place called Royal Gorge just south of Taum Sauk on hwy 21. Good day trip.

The granite you find is quite colorful red and way nicer than granite found in places like New Hampshire.