Check out our guide to this rugged winter wonderland just east of Liberty, Missouri.
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Cooley Lake Conservation Area is a trifecta of natural habitats:
- Rocky, towering river bluffs
- Marshland rich with wildlife
- Missouri River frontage and bottomland timber
This little-known state preserve is about 12 miles east of Liberty, Mo. (close to the village of Missouri City). It sprawls across 1,345 acres, which range from blufftops 200 feet above the river to a bottomland marsh and lake. Cooley Lake, the area’s namesake, is a historic oxbow lake left over from a previous channel of the Missouri River…