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Arcadia Valley – a region in the St. Francois Mountains that includes the towns of Ironton, Arcadia and Pilot Knob-contains three memorable state parks as well as historic Civil War sites and solid choices for dining, lodging and shopping. Here are some of our favorite activities for a weekend getaway:
1. Elephant Rocks State ParkThe most distinctive feature of this seven-acre park is the massive pink granite boulders that were formed 1.5 billion years ago. They stand end to end like a line of elephants. A self-guiding trail winds among the rocks and also leads to an old quarry, where Missouri red granite was quarried from the 1860s to the early 1900s, and the ruins of a railroad engine house.