Apple Creek Conservation Area is located in northeast Cape Girardeau County, 3 miles east of New Wells on State Highway CC. The Missouri Department of Conservation created Apple Creek Conservation Area in 1986 with the purchase of 2,082 acres from several landowners. Steep hills and narrow valleys characterize this area, and approximately 2.5 miles of Apple Creek stream frontage forms its northern border. The area is home to a mix of upland oak-hickory forests and a few bottomland forests. You may notice various forest improvement practices designed to improve wildlife habitat and maintain watershed quality. Any physical disturbance is only temporary and normal aesthetic appearance soon will return. The Conservation Department has created watering ponds and planted food plots and agricultural crops within the forest to provide additional food sources for wildlife. Timber harvests are also an important part of habitat management; they produce forage and cover for forest wildlife. North of Cape Girardeau, take the Fruitland exit off I-55, go 7 miles north on Hwy 61, then 6 miles east on Rte CC.