Welch Spring Hospital Ruins — Attraction in Summersville

Welch Spring Hospital Ruins is well worth the half mile hike from the parking area. The hiking trail follows a old road bed as you hike along it you can imagine the horse and buggy model T early automobile cars that has traveled down into this area on their way to the hospital. For history, buffs like we are it’s a great place to visit as well as the Missouri springs hunters, excepting the challenge to see and photograph all the springs here in the river systems national parks service. The top most entrance you see on your mapping app leading down into the Welch Springs hospital ruins will be gated off by the parks service. It also has a small parking area to gain access down into the area. The main parking location access area is the one mapped out properly on your GPS system although it does not show the Y that the road takes once you get down the road leaving the pavement entering the river area. You will want to take a right turn at the Y signs will tell you left. Turn is a river access canoe pull out area. There’s also a old Homestead place on your left-hand side as you get to the Y in the road. You know, let me do this I will create a screenshot of this. Why in the road, I’m referring to, fathering explaining things. Hope all of it helps ! Happy trails and safe travels in the river system, national park, service and other springs in the south...

I’ve been wanting to go to the ruins for years now. Finally this past weekend I got the chance. First the drive to get there did not bother me because I love driving, but I could see how the drive could turn people away. Second the walk down to the ruins is pretty well flat and I believe a half of a mile from parking to the building. Once at the building I was blown away by the looks of it. Made me wonder why it was built in the exact spot back in the day. I would recommend this place to anyone that wants a day get away. You can walk around the spring to the building but you have to do some climbing. SO PLEASE BE CAREFUL AND CLIMB AT YOUR OWN RISK. The friend I was with and myself climbed the ledge over to the building while our wives stayed behind. I have added...

Just a short walk down a trail leads you back into a different time, to not only see the ruins of an old hospital founded to treat asthma, emphysema, and tuberculosis. You also get to view the amazing colors of the spring and the plethora of aquatic creatures and plants that exist in the microenvironment in and around the spring. Not to be missed if you in the area and looking for a quiet walk and it's not to long of of distance for families with small children. Just be sure to leave no Trace and take all that you bring back with you. Areas of the trail were flooded several years back leaving a lot of sediment..so portions of the short trail may not be as "scenic" I'm some ways as one might expect but it's part of nature so to be appreciated in...