USFS · Missouri

Rockpile Mountain Wilderness

Rockpile Mountain Wilderness, the smallest in Missouri, is located in a heavily forested part of the Saint Francois Mountains and nearly surrounded by private land. Named for a human-made circular granite pile atop Rockpile Mountain, the elevations range from about 1,300 to 520 feet. The southwestern boundary is the Saint Francis River, lined with limestone bluffs and caves. Other than the river, no year-round water sources exist, except in five ponds built before wilderness designation to trap intermittent springwater and provide watering holes for wildlife. Heavy rains can create temporary streams cascading through narrow gorges.

Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).

Wilderness4,236 acresUSFSMODesignated 19802 campgrounds within 10 mi1 trail
Official page at Wilderness Connect ↗
Rockpile Mountain Wilderness
Photo from Wilderness Connect, wilderness.net

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationWilderness
Managed byU.S. Forest Service
StateMissouri
Size4,236 acres
Designated1980, by Congress
Center point37.43° N, 90.42° W
Night skyAbout as dark as the ground gets (Black Marble reading 13)

Boundary map

1 outline

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Rockpile Mountain Wilderness30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 2.96 inches of precipitation, 2.8 inches of snowFebruary: 2.78 inches of precipitation, 3.2 inches of snowMarch: 3.82 inches of precipitation, 1.0 inches of snowApril: 5.27 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowMay: 5.32 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJune: 3.56 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowJuly: 4.01 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowAugust: 3.90 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowSeptember: 3.47 inches of precipitation, 0.0 inches of snowOctober: 3.29 inches of precipitation, 0.1 inches of snowNovember: 4.60 inches of precipitation, 0.3 inches of snowDecember: 3.32 inches of precipitation, 1.9 inches of snowJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 31.2°F averageFebruary: 35.3°F averageMarch: 44.4°F averageApril: 54.8°F averageMay: 64.0°F averageJune: 72.3°F averageJuly: 76.2°F averageAugust: 74.6°F averageSeptember: 66.9°F averageOctober: 55.3°F averageNovember: 44.2°F averageDecember: 34.7°F average0 in2 in4 in6 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Fredericktown, 12 miles from the center point at 760 feet, station USC00233038 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 46 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 9 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

None of the 2 federal campgrounds within ten miles sit inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

FS · 5.2 mi
Marble Creek Recreation Area
First-comeMO
FS · 6.4 mi
Silver Mines
Reservable76 sites

Trails

Trailhead Atlas →

1 named Forest Service trail enters this wilderness, 3 miles in all.

TrailMiles
Rock Pile Mountain Wilderness3

Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Register listings within 15 miles · 7 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Guidebooks for Missouri and hiking across the country

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Rail-trails Iowa & Missouri
    Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • The Ozarks: 43 spectacular hikes in Arkansas and Missouri
    Jim Warnock, 2017
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Walks of a Lifetime in America
    Manning, 2020
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Rockpile Mountain Wilderness?

4,236 acres.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Who manages Rockpile Mountain Wilderness?

The U.S. Forest Service.

Source: Wilderness Connect

What state is Rockpile Mountain Wilderness in?

Missouri.

Source: Wilderness Connect

When was Rockpile Mountain Wilderness designated?

Congress designated it in 1980.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Can I camp at Rockpile Mountain Wilderness?

Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities, and the managing agency page has the permit rules. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to Rockpile Mountain Wilderness?

A point inside the boundary is at 37.427° N, 90.424° W. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Are there historic places near Rockpile Mountain Wilderness?

The National Register has 7 listings within 15 miles, including Fredericktown United States Post Office and Madison County Courthouse.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
  • Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.