Missouri’s natural wonders often leave us in awe. After all, in how many places can you see 1.5 billion-year-old granite rocks that look like circus elephants at Elephant Rocks State Park? Or walk along a Little Grand Canyon at Grand Gulf State Park. Well, there’s also a miniature Royal Gorge right here, and it’s the most unique natural wonder in Arcadia, Missouri.
Some have speculated that Royal Gorge, a hidden gem tucked in Iron County, earned its name from the gorge of the same name in Colorado. No one knows for sure, however, if that’s true.
The Royal Gorge in Colorado sits on the Arkansas River and boasts some impressive stats. Spanning 10 miles, the gorge is 1,200 feet at its deepest point and has a width of up to 50 feet at its base.
Missouri’s Royal Gorge is best described as a gap that runs through Ketcherside Mountain. You can travel along that path if you follow Route 21 or 72 through Iron County.
The gorge was created more than a billion years ago, as the result of volcanoes. Magma from those volcanoes bubbled onto the earth’s surface, creating rhyolite rocks, which you’ll see at Royal Gorge.
Believed to be 1.5 billion years old, the Royal Gorge is often referred to as shut-ins because, as noted by the Missouri Department of Conservation, “streams flow through dolomite and then encounter more resistant rock like rhyolite.”
You can drive through the gorge, or follow the Royal Gorge Natural Area Trail for sensational views of it. The easy trail spans 2.2 miles and usually doesn’t get very busy.
Have you been to Royal Gorge, a unique natural wonder in Arcadia, Missouri? What did you think? Share your experience in the comments! Then check out the many things to do in Arcadia, Missouri; it’s a picture-perfect day trip destination.
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