This 2,775-acre state park, named for the famous author/humorist Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens), is located in the Salt River Hills in northeast Missouri. The terrain includes limestone bluffs overlooking woodlands of oak, hickory and maple. It serves as a haven for wildlife, as well as campers, hikers and picnickers. The park was established in the 1920s by the Mark Twain Memorial Park Association. It was transfered to the state in 1924, and became the third state park in Missouri.

The park has a wooded campground with basic and electric sites, numerous picnic areas, two boat ramps and more than six miles of hiking trails. Most of the park is surrounded by the waters of the 18,000 acre Mark Twain Lake.