A segment of Big Sugar Creek has been designated as Big Sugar Creek Natural Area. The creek, with water conditions mimicking those of Ozark streams, is home to several species of fish rarely found in north Missouri. Along its bank grows a bottomland forest of sycamore, bur oak, black walnut and hackberry. One of the largest natural areas in the entire Missouri state park system is found in Cuivre River State Park. The 1,872-acre Lincoln Hills Natural Area preserves the best remaining example of the unique landscape characteristic of the Lincoln Hills uplift.
Visitors can drive through part of the area but it is best viewed by hiking one of several trails.
These trails lead through a mixture of prairie, savanna, woodlands, glades, sinkholes, bluffs and streams. Big Sugar Creek meanders through the Northwoods and Big Sugar Creek wild areas. These areas provide habitat for many bird species needing large blocks of forest to survive, such as the pileated woodpecker and the broad-winged hawk. Other wildlife includes white-tailed deer, wild turkey and red fox. Several trails lead to bluffs that give visitors a view of the river or creek and the surrounding rugged, forested hills.