Driving DirectionsFrom Unionville, take Highway 5 south 3 miles, then Route F east 2.50 miles. HighlightsMostly forest with old fields and cropland. Facilities/features: fishable ponds (three acres total), a beaver pond and other wildlife waterholes and a permanent stream (South Blackbird Creek). Limited mobility sites are available for hunting and/or viewing opportunities. Special Use permit is required.  About This AreaThe Conservation Department created the Mineral Hills area in 1983 with the purchase of three tracts of private land. Additional tracts were acquired in 1986 and 2000, bringing the area to its present 1,979-acre size.In the early part of the 20th century, parts of this area were strip-mined and shaft-mined for coal, both for private and commercial use. Piles of tailings and collapsed tunnels remain as evidence of the mining.Over 75 percent of Mineral Hills Conservation Area is forested. Upland trees include white oak, red oak and several species of hickory. In the bottomlands, visitors will find silver maple, pin oak, green ash, hackberry, and an assortment of other hardwoods.Management of this forest includes tree improvement and tree harvest to create forest openings for wildlife, to promote the health of the forest, and ensure a diversity of tree sizes and age classes. Visitors to the area will also see signs of cropping, grasslands management, and woodland restoration.During your visit to Mineral Hills Conservation Area, you can enjoy the abundant forest wildflowers in the early spring or the prairie wildflowers that bloom summer through fall. You may hear the melodies of numerous songbirds or the drumming of ruffed grouse. Native to Missouri, grouse were restocked on the area in 1983. Good numbers of deer and turkey roam the area along with a variety of other mammals. Area ponds provide good fishing for catfish, bluegill, and bass.Seven limited mobility sites are available for hunting and/or viewing opportunities. Special Use permit is required.