Historical place · Columbia

The Burr Oak Tree

AT A GLANCE

Why go?

Just 12 miles outside Columbia, Missouri, a single oak tree the size of a small building rises out of the flat Missouri River floodplain, so enormous and solitary that people simply call it "the Big Tree." A burr oak (Quercus macrocarpa) estimated at 350 to 400 years old, it is the largest of its species in Missouri and is tied for the national championship title. Standing roadside with only a handful of parking spots and a historical marker, it has quietly become one of the most photographed landmarks in the Columbia area.↗↗↗

What makes the stop memorable is the combination of sheer scale and survival: a trunk so wide that four full-grown adults couldn't wrap their arms around it, a crown spreading some 130 feet across, and a story that includes the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Great Flood of 1993, repeated lightning strikes, and a community that rallies to keep its favorite tree alive. It is an easy, free, roadside detour that rewards photographers, Katy Trail cyclists, road trippers, and anyone who likes a landmark with genuine gravitas.↗↗

A LITTLE INSPIRATION IS ON ITS WAY

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Historical place · Columbia

The Burr Oak Tree

Columbia, US 4.8 (117 Google reviews)

Photo: Google Maps

AT A GLANCE

Why go?

Just 12 miles outside Columbia, Missouri, a single oak tree the size of a small building rises out of the flat Missouri River floodplain, so enormous and solitary that people simply call it "the Big Tree." A burr oak (Quercus macrocarpa) estimated at 350 to 400 years old, it is the largest of its species in Missouri and is tied for the national championship title. Standing roadside with only a handful of parking spots and a historical marker, it has quietly become one of the most photographed landmarks in the Columbia area.↗↗↗

What makes the stop memorable is the combination of sheer scale and survival: a trunk so wide that four full-grown adults couldn't wrap their arms around it, a crown spreading some 130 feet across, and a story that includes the Lewis and Clark Expedition, the Great Flood of 1993, repeated lightning strikes, and a community that rallies to keep its favorite tree alive. It is an easy, free, roadside detour that rewards photographers, Katy Trail cyclists, road trippers, and anyone who likes a landmark with genuine gravitas.↗↗

↗

A Champion Tree Standing Alone

The burr oak sprouted sometime in the 1600s, so it was already a magnificent, centuries-old tree when the Lewis and Clark Expedition traveled past within sight of it. According to the U.S. Department of the Interior it is somewhere between 350 and 400 years old, though its great girth has made precise ring-count dating difficult. It has held the title of Missouri's state champion burr oak since 1987 and shares the national champion ranking for its species with a tree in Kentucky.↗↗

The numbers are startling no matter how you arrive at them: a trunk measured at about 287 inches in circumference, a height of roughly 90 feet, and a crown spreading nearly 130 feet wide. No other tree stands within 1,000 feet, so the Big Tree occupies the open farm field alone, sentinel-like against the sky. Generations of artists, folklorists and photographers have come to capture that sense of a giant standing watch over the floodplain.↗↗

Resilience Against Flood and Fire

Part of what makes the tree so moving is how much it has endured. It weathered the Great Flood of 1993, when water stood nearly six and a half feet deep around its trunk, and it has survived repeated droughts and lightning strikes. On October 23, 2020 a bolt hit the tree directly and set a fire burning inside its hollow core; Boone County firefighters drilled into the trunk and used biodegradable foam to douse the blaze, and arborists concluded the old giant was likely to survive.↗↗

In 2021 the tree was officially designated a Boone County Historical Site—the only tree in the county to hold that status—a move its supporters hoped would encourage visitors to treat it with more care. The surrounding land is private and has been farmed by the Williamson family for six generations, yet the tree remains publicly viewable from the road. A lively Facebook community and local volunteers follow its health and share stories, and University of Missouri scientists have even cloned it, so "offspring" from the Big Tree now grow in yards and parks across the state.↗↗

What to See and Do on a Visit

Visiting is refreshingly simple: drive up, park a short way off, and stand beneath a tree that makes you feel pleasingly small. There is a historical marker on site, and the tree sits right beside the road with a little parking across the street, so you can be in and out in ten minutes or linger for an hour chasing the light. It is open to view around the clock, and visitors especially prize it at sunrise, sunset, and during the brief peak of autumn color when the big crown burns gold and bronze against the flat fields.↗

For cyclists, this is a natural side stop: the Katy Trail State Park passes just yards from the tree, making a rolling detour off the rail trail one of the most popular ways to reach it. Road trippers heading out of Columbia often fold it into a loop toward the river villages of McBaine and nearby Huntsdale, both within sight of the floodplain. Pair the stop with a slow drive out Providence Road to Route K to take in the open Missouri farm country that surrounds the landmark.↗↗↗

Getting There

From Columbia, head south on Providence Road until it becomes Route K; Route K swings west and, at the village of McBaine, turns into Burr Oak Road. About two miles northwest of McBaine, look to your right for the tree rising above the field. The site lies roughly 12 miles from Columbia at coordinates 38.8993, −92.4646, on Burr Oak Road in the Huntsdale area.↗↗↗

Visitor Notes

The tree grows on private, working farmland and is viewed from public ground at the roadside—admire it without trespassing into the crop fields. Please avoid parking directly under the canopy: compacted soil and traffic over the root zone genuinely harm an aging tree of this size, which is part of why the historical-site designation exists. There is no entrance fee and no formal hours; it is an always-visible roadside landmark.↗↗↗

Set expectations: it is a single tree in a field, not a park with facilities, so some visitors find May's green less dramatic than the autumn color or the bare winter silhouette. Go with an eye for scale, a camera, and a few minutes to absorb how rare it is to see a champion tree of this age still standing. Follow the tree's community page before you visit for the latest on its condition.↗↗

What makes it special

01

Estimated 350–400 years old, it is Missouri's champion burr oak and tied for the national title of largest of its species.↗↗

02

A trunk about 287 inches around, roughly 90 feet tall, with a crown some 130 feet wide—and no other tree within 1,000 feet.↗

03

The Lewis and Clark Expedition would have traveled within sight of it, and it is part of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.↗↗

04

Designated a Boone County Historical Site in 2021—the only tree in the county with that honor.↗

A little planning goes a long way

Visit at sunrise or sunset for the best light and fewer cars; many photographers consider the golden-hour silhouette the most striking shot.↗↗
Park across the street or in the designated spots rather than under the canopy to protect the roots—and keep clear of the tree during thunderstorms, as it has drawn repeated lightning strikes.↗↗
Cyclists on the Katy Trail State Park can make it an easy side stop, as the rail trail passes just yards from the tree.↗
Plan on a quick, free roadside stop of 10–20 minutes, or bundle it with a scenic drive toward the river villages of McBaine and Huntsdale.↗↗

About this guide

Compiled with AI assistance from the sources below; this is not a first-hand visit. Place details collected October 5, 2026. Hours, access and ratings can change; confirm with the venue before visiting.

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Burr Oak Road, Huntsdale, MO 65203, Columbia, MO 65203

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Opening hours +

As reported by Google Maps. Confirm holiday hours before you go.

Friday: Open 24 hours
Monday: Open 24 hours
Sunday: Open 24 hours
Tuesday: Open 24 hours
Saturday: Open 24 hours
Thursday: Open 24 hours
Wednesday: Open 24 hours

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The Burr Oak Tree

Why go?

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Finding your next place…

The Burr Oak Tree

Why go?

More of United States: New York

A Champion Tree Standing Alone

Resilience Against Flood and Fire

What to See and Do on a Visit

Getting There

Visitor Notes

What makes it special

A little planning goes a long way

About this guide