Roaring River's Winter Version Opens on Friday the 13th

Roaring River State Park doesn't wind down gradually in the fall. Its separate calendars run on different schedules most of the year: fishing seasons from the Missouri Department of Conservation, lodging and campgrounds from Missouri State Parks, and grounds hours posted at the gate. This year they all change at once, at the end of Saturday, October 31. The next morning, the park is a different place.

For anyone in Eagle Rock, the park shrinks to a smaller version once most of its overnight options close. Campground 1 is the only lodging left open. From November 1 through February 24 the grounds open at sunrise and close at sunset. From mid-November into February, trout fishing is allowed four days a week, and the park runs a holiday program out of the park store and the CCC Lodge. That winter version has a clear start date. It begins on Friday, November 13, 2026, and the holiday season opens the next morning.

What Changes Overnight on November 1

The park's posted schedules put a lot of changes on the same date. Here are the ones that switch when October ends:

Losing the evening hours makes the biggest difference for day visits. From November 1 through February 24, the gates close at sunset instead of 10 p.m., so an after-work drive into the valley has to fit into daylight.

The trout tag season wraps up with longer days than winter fishing will have. In October, the posted fishing hours run from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Daily tags cost $5 for adults and $3 for youth 15 and under, and you can buy tags and permits at the park.

Table Rock Lake's own changes came earlier. On the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers status page, updated October 2, 2026, the Eagle Rock and Big M Corps campgrounds are listed as closed for the season. The boat ramps at both are still listed as open, and so is the beach at Eagle Rock. At Roaring River, Campground 1 is the only campground that stays open after the 31st.

The Last Weekends of the Overnight Season

Several events fall in the weeks before the switch, and most use buildings and campsites that won't be in full use again until spring:

1. WOW School, October 9 to 11. Registered participants take outdoor skills courses, including fishing, kayaking, archery, and outdoor cooking. Registration is required.
2. Fly Tying and Coffee, Saturday, October 17. This free session runs from 10 a.m. to noon at the CCC Lodge. It's a month before the season switches to flies only.
3. Trout O' Lantern Festival, October 24 and 25. This is the second year for the festival, which awards prizes for the best-decorated campsites. A trunk-or-treat follows on the 25th in the Emory Melton Inn parking lot. The state park's event page lists the same weekend as "Roaring River Halloween," with nature center crafts on Saturday.
4. Saturday, October 31. It's the last day of the trout tag season and the last night for cabins, motel rooms, and Campgrounds 2 and 3.

If you're planning a campsite for the Trout O' Lantern contest, check the fire rules first. The park's page says a Stage 2 burn ban is in effect, in step with a Barry County ban, until further notice. It prohibits campfires, solo stoves, and propane fire pits. Gas lanterns, covered charcoal fires, and liquid- or gas-fueled stoves are still allowed. Bans like this can be lifted or changed, and the park points visitors to its Park and Site Status Map for current conditions.

There's a separate firewood rule that doesn't depend on the ban. Natural Resource Ecologist Murphy Kendoll has asked campers not to bring their own firewood. Emerald ash borer has played a part in losing about 90 trees in the park over the past year.

Twelve Days Between Seasons

The Department of Conservation's 2026 trout-park calendar ends catch-and-keep fishing on October 31 and starts catch-and-release on November 13. No trout-park season is listed for November 1 through 12. The published calendar shows that as the gap between two seasons and doesn't give a reason for it.

During those twelve days the park is still open from sunrise to sunset, but nothing is scheduled. There's no fishing season, no lodging, and no event on the calendar until mid-month.

Friday the 13th and the Morning After

Catch-and-release season opens Friday, November 13, 2026, and runs through February 8, 2027. The rules differ from the summer season in several ways. Fishing is open Friday through Monday only, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Only flies are allowed, and every fish goes back. An annual trout permit takes the place of the daily tag, so you need a fishing permit plus the annual trout permit.

Compared with October, winter fishing days are about three hours shorter, and there are four fishing days a week instead of seven. The 4 p.m. cutoff also comes before sunset closes the grounds.

The holiday season starts the next day. The Holiday Open House runs Saturday, November 14, from 9 a.m. to noon, and park staff will help visitors make door sprays. The same date also opens the Festival of Trees and holiday shopping in the park store. The concessionaire, Roaring River Adventures, worked with community groups on the Festival of Trees last November and December. Concessions Manager Jotham Brown has credited one of the inn's housekeepers with the idea for a holiday coat drive that used the inn's many coat hooks.

Fall and winter hours for the store, the restaurant, and the Emory Melton Inn aren't listed on the state park's lodging page. It directs visitors to call 417-847-2330 for current concession hours and rates.

What Stays Open Through the Switch

Plenty of the park keeps its regular schedule after the overnight season ends, and some of it was improved this year:

• Ozark Chinquapin Nature Center. It's open Friday through Monday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the same four days as winter fishing. A new classroom finished this year roughly doubles the center's usable space, according to Nature Center Interpreter David Crowley. He says more than 6,000 people toured the center between June 2025 and June 2026.
• The park office. It's open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and weekends from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• The Roaring River Fish Hatchery area. The Department of Conservation lists the area as open daily from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. It has 40 trout-rearing raceways and a display pool, with access limited to posted areas. Park grounds still close at sunset in winter. Hatchery Manager Brad Farwell reported this summer that an oxygen-line project is finished and four new UV units have been installed for bacteria control.
• Fire Tower Trail. Superintendent Mike Busekrus says the trail now runs entirely north of F Highway, with a new trailhead near the old horse barn. If you last hiked it before the reroute, you'll start from a different spot.
• Campground 1. It's open year-round, and its accessible showerhouse and restroom stay open too.
• The Eagle Rock boat ramp and beach. Both are listed as open on the Corps status page, though the campground beside them has closed for the season.

The First Weeks of Winter Season

After opening weekend, the winter schedule settles in. Fly Tying and Coffee returns Saturday, November 21, from 10 a.m. to noon at the CCC Lodge. It's the first monthly session since fly-only fishing began. The third annual Candlelight Stroll follows on December 19 from 5 to 8 p.m. Assistant Park Superintendent Amanda Cope said last year's stroll drew 1,500 guests along walkways lit by 1,000 luminaries, twice the luminaries and twice the guests of the first one. Santa will be in the CCC Lodge, and the Emory Melton Inn will serve a candlelight dinner to guests who reserve ahead.

At Robert Knapp and Coldwell Banker K-C Realty, we follow how places like Roaring River and the Table Rock shoreline change through the year, because those seasonal changes are part of daily life around Eagle Rock. If you have questions about the area this winter, or about a property close to the park or the lake, Contact Us and we'll be glad to help.