Hike through woods and along the shore of Spector Lake at Binkley Woods Park in Warrenton, MO., east of the St. Louis Metro. The trail is paved and has two loops—one circles the lake, and the other goes through the woods. The total distance is 0.9 miles with 45 feet of elevation gain. Parking is along Morgan Street before the lake. Lake Section From the…
You can enjoy beautiful views of Crescent Valley and the Meramec River by hiking the Bluff View Trail in Wildwood, MO. The trail is a 5.2-mile out-and-back hike with 344 feet of elevation gain. You can start from Bluff View Park at 1900 Old State Road or from the Al Foster Trailhead at 225 Grand Avenue, both in Wildwood, MO. Parking at the Al Foster…
On the Mallard Lake Loop hike, you’ll see cliffside drip falls and lake views, then have lunch on the deck at the Lakehouse restaurant in Creve Coeur Park. I hiked 2.6 miles on the loop, including part of the Creve Coeur Lakeview Trail, and went around Mallard Lake on both paved and gravel paths below the bluffs. Parking I parked near the Creve Coeur Lakehouse…
Walk the paved Lakeview Trail around a big, clear lake and check out Dripping Springs waterfall at Creve Coeur Park in Maryland Heights, Missouri. Starting the Hike I parked near the Taco Bell Shelter, which is named after the taco chain that helped build both the shelter and a boat dock on the lake. If that lot is full, you can find more parking along…
Hike along the highest bluff above the Meramec River on the Vilander Bluff Trail south of Bourbon, Mo. Overview I hiked about two miles with 354 feet of elevation gain, going farther than the main trail. The trail is rocky, so it’s not an easy walk. I would rate it as moderate. Trailhead Location This trail is under the jurisdiction of Onondaga Cave State Park,…
The stone-cut walls of a barred and locked sanatorium next to Welch Spring is what I found on my journey to Ozark National Scenic Riverways. History of Welch Spring Sanatorium In 1913 an Illinois doctor named C.H. Diehl bought Welch Spring for eight hundred dollars. He believed the spring had healing properties and that the cool pollen-free air from the nearby cave would be beneficial…
Wet weather waterfalls and bluff-top views above the Meramec River are found at Myron and Sonya Glassberg Family Conservation Area. Parking At Glassberg Conservation Area A small gravel lot for the conservation area is on the left off of Highway FF south of Eureka, Mo. I headed along the main trail to the loop passing by a memorial to Myron and Sonya Glassberg who donated…
Walk across stone bridges while a spring flows through rocks below is a unique jaunt in South County St. Louis at Sylvan Springs Park. This is a 1 a mile hike with paved and unpaved sections and 95 feet of elevation gain. History of the Park Until 1939 this portion of the Barracks was largely unused then the 6th Infantry put in stone retaining walls…
See a sandstone canyon with its cave-like rock shelter and cross-clear trickling streams at Don Robinson State Park.
Pass by natural springs and hike through forested hills on a hike combining the Hamilton-Carr Greenway and Turkey Ridge Trail in Rockwoods Reservation in Wildwood. This is about a five-mile hike, with three miles on the paved Hamilton-Carr and two on the natural surface Turkey Ridge Trail. Starting the Hike I parked at the Al Foster Memorial Trailhead. The paved Hamilton-Carr Greenway trail starts to…
