The rolling hills and steep cuts are the results of millennia of streams cutting through once glaciated land. The Grand Divide, separating the Missouri and Mississippi watersheds, runs through the park. The petroglyphs are protected by a shelter at a site listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

From the intersection of Business 63 and MO 6 in Kirksville, go west on MO 6 for 3.3 miles, the left (south) onto MO 157 for 1.7 miles into the park.

Oak Trail is a .20 mile linear natural surface hiking-only trail blazed in green, designated as easy, runs through woods along a ridge from the trailhead at a small parking area at a vault toilet on Big Loop Rd. just south of the playground. The sign is at the tree line, easy to miss.

Red Bud Trail is a 1.25-mile linear/loop natural surface trail blazed in yellow. Trailheads are along Big Loop Trail Rd. from a parking area across from the playground (this may be used to make a shortened (about .6 mile) loop through hilly, wooded terrain; or may be taken, with or without the loop, along Craig’s Cove to the trailhead at the parking area west of Shelter 3.