Hiking along ravines, wooded river hills, and high above Creve Coeur Park is a walk on Bootlegger’s Run in Maryland Heights, Mo.
Located on the upper level of Creve Coeur Park. I hiked 4.2 miles with 269 feet of elevation gain along the well-worn natural surface path.
Parking for the Bootlegger’s Run Hike
I hiked with a group and we all met at the parking area near the Go Ape Zipline and Adventure Park. This trail can also be reached by other small parking lots along Streetcar Drive.
Bootlegger Run History
The brick building by the lot was once a booster station for a trolley line. Back in the 1930s during Prohibition bars and speakeasies were in this area. Bootleggers smuggled bottles in their boot tops, hence the trail’s name: Bootlegger’s Run. Trail markers are designed to look like moonshine jugs.
Beginning of the Hike
After parking, we headed to the front of the lot near a service road and went to the left to start the trail.
Along the trail, we came across ruins for a foundation.
Then we came along the ridge top with views of the Creve Coeur Lake far below through the trees. It might be harder to see during the summer months with full foliage.
Next, we pass by the stairs that lead to the lower part of the park.
Sawed in half, a large tree trunk does not block the trail and shows that it is well-maintained.
Large white mushrooms grow on a nearby fallen tree.
Go Ape
Then I look up at the treetops. Rope ladders and lines are strung across the trees for the Go Ape Adventure Park reminding me a bit of the land of the Ewoks from Star Wars.
Wildlife
A hiker points out a deer in the woods. Hard to see at first, they blend well among the trees.
A short time another hiker sees a hawk high in the trees. With a group, you have more eyes to spot wildlife in the woods.
Intersecting Park Road
We cross the park road and go downhill to do a half-mile loop. If you want to do a shorter hike it is easy to skip this section since instead of making a right to go downhill, you make a left along the ridgetop.
The loop wanders through some woods along the hillside before it returns to the main trail.
Back along the main trail, we come across a pond for a condo complex.
Then we come by a wide path that leads up the hill and where the tracks were for the trolley.
The condo lake seems larger as we pass below the wide earthen dam.
Then we cross back and forth to the park road and then back to the Creve Coeur Lake side of the trail.
High Above a Golf Course
Now in the hills, we are above The Quarry at Crystal Springs golf course. I’ve hiked on the other side of this golf course on the Fee Fee Greenway.
Then we are near a playground before coming to an intersection.
A group of hikers is doing the one-mile extension below.
I am going with another group back to the trailhead since I want to do the stairs hike to the lower part of Creve Coeur Park.
The trail crosses to a wooden bridge built by a Boy Scout then another over a small gorge before coming to the trailhead.
I wish everyone goodbye before going to the car for some water.
Final Thoughts
I hiked 4.2 miles of the trail system. For a longer hike, you can do the extra mile on the northeast side for a five-mile hike. I wanted to do a loop with the stairs instead.
Bonus Hike: Creve Coeur Steps Hike
On the right of the booster station by the trailhead is the start of the paved trail that leads to 220 steps.
I will use these to go down by the lake then loop back up a gravel surface road to the trailhead parking lot once more.
This is a .6-mile hike with 131 feet of elevation gain.
Steps Down
I headed towards the hilltop and came to the stairs. The start of the trail is behind a playground. The stairs stay busy with people going up and down them for exercise.
Stairs are not straight down but have stops along them for breaks.
Nearer the bottom of the stairs, they come close to Marine Avenue.
At the Bottom
The stairs end at a parking lot. I walked through a field and then cross Marine Avenue to the Boat Ramp. Then I made a right along the trail that follows the lake for a short way.
If you look to the right, you will see the service gravel road with a maintenance building by the woods.
Service Road
I walked across the road once more and began the hike up the service road. Signs in red lettering say, “Park Service Road: Service Vehicles Have Right Of Way.” Make sure to give them that when walking up it. No vehicles were out the day I was there.
This road goes up vertically so watch your footing in the gravel. The Bootleg trail crosses it before the service road ends at the top.
Final Thoughts
You are welcome to do an out and back up the stairs. I wanted to walk along the lake and I also like doing loop hikes. The service trail is not easy since it is steep.
Details for Trailhead for Both Trails
Drive: It is about 25 minutes from downtown St. Louis to the park. Take Interstate 64 west to Interstate 270. Go north on Interstate 270 and then take exit 17 for Dorsett Road. Make a left on Dorsett Road. Then make a right onto Streetcar Drive the parking lot is on the left and it is the second you will pass after entering the park.
Hours: 8 am to 30 minutes past sunset.
Address: 13219 Streetcar Dr, Maryland Heights, MO 63043
MORE NORTH ST. LOUIS COUNTY HIKES
Halloween Hikes: Monastery Ruins at Saint Stanislaus
Hiking around stone foundations on the grounds of a former monastery was the highlight of my time at Saint Stanislaus Conservation Area.
Hiking at the Audubon Center at the Riverlands
You can learn about birds and then hike in wetlands searching for them when you spend a day at the Audubon Center at the Riverlands.
Fort Belle Fontaine Hike
The grounds of a former 19th-century U.S. Military installation and ruins of a popular summer retreat in the 1930s can be explored at Fort Belle Fontaine County Park in North St. Louis County.
