Silver Mines Recreation Area is one of the most beautiful spots in Missouri. This is where the St. Francis River cuts a rugged canyon through granite bluffs overlooking its rocky course through the mountains. At the turn of the century, the Ozark hills surrounding Silver Mines were part of a busy mining district of the forest. One reminder of those days is an old mill site and dam built by the Einstein Mining Company for processing ore for silver, lead, and other minerals. Located upstream from the bridge on MO D, the now-breached dam is one of the many rapids enjoyed by kayakers and canoeists on the St. Francis, Missouri’s only whitewater river. Now the miners are gone, their place taken by visitors to this popular recreation site in the Mark Twain National Forest. Silver Mines encompasses four campground loops, two picnic areas, a boulder-studded swimming hole, boater access sites, river trails, and lots of rapids and scenery. (Trails.Com)