Hawn State Park in Missouri lies about fourteen miles southwest of Ste. Genevieve and spans nearly five thousand acres. Its lands include the state-designated natural areas of Pickle Creek, LaMotte Sandstone Barrens, and Botkins Pine Woods, while Orchid Valley is also part of the park but separate from the main tract and closed to the public. The park is closely connected to Helen Coffer Hawn, a schoolteacher who began buying twelve parcels in 1932 to create a park; in 1952, the first one thousand five hundred acres were willed to the state. It remains a public recreation area for camping, fishing, picnicking, and hiking across terrain shaped by the River aux Vases and Pickle Creek.