Beach, trail at state park closed for season

The Lake Boutin swimming beach and Sheppard Point Trail at Trail of Tears State Park will be closed throughout the 2008 season due to erosion from the torrential March rains and flooding in Southeast Missouri.

The Missouri Department of Natural Resources said Thursday it would close the beach and meet with an engineer from the Dam Safety Program to discuss a contract to repair the dam at Lake Boutin.

The problems stem from increased pressure on the dam from the higher level of water in the lake, creating a sharp drop-off in the area of the beach, department spokeswoman Sue Holst said.

"We don't think it's in any danger of collapsing, but we're trying to be proactive about it," she said.

The drop-off means conditions are no longer suitable for a swimming beach, which has to have a gradual decline into deeper water, Holst said.

"Unfortunately, with the lake level where it's at, we don't have that gradual decline," she said.

The March rains also caused significant mudslides and other problems on Sheppard Point Trail, and the trail is temporarily closed. Staff are working to clear the trail or reroute it. Sheppard Point Trail is a two-mile looped hiking trail that ascends to the top of a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River.

All other trails in the park, including the Peewah Trail, Lake Trail and Nature Trail, are open to the public throughout the summer.

Holst said the department hasn't yet secured a contract for the work to be completed on the dam but hopes to have the beach open for the 2009 season.

bdicosmo@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 245

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