Hike to rock shelters and small waterfalls at Devil’s Prop Nature Preserve north of Mount Vernon, Il., east of St. Louis on Interstate 64. Located nearby is Cedarhurst Center For The Arts with a large sculpture garden.

Going to both these attractions allows for a fun-filled day trip for my family from the St. Louis area.

DEVIL’S PROP OVERVIEW

This nature preserve is located about ten miles outside of Mount Vernon.

This is an out-and-back two-mile hike that includes side trails with a natural surface terrain.

Start of the Hike

The trail begins from the front of a small parking lot going between two posts. At first, the walk is along a wide dirt path and is easy to follow.

We walk through a forest and pass by a small pond.

Down in the Ravine

Then we came to some stairs that leads to a trail towards the Devil’s Prop.

Then the path crosses a wooden bridge on the way before coming to the Devil’s Prop.

Devil’s Prop is exactly like the name describes, a tall boulder leaning against a cliff.

Sadly, it does have graffiti on it, which does take away from the natural feel of the place.

Interestingly, there are carved signatures that go back to the 1800s.

We took a side trail that goes along the edge of the ravine and then on the right my son Andrew found a cave-like rock shelter with water dripping down.

Further down the ravine path, we go down a side trail to the left that leads to a small waterfall.

A small brook creates another rapid flowing towards the main creek.

Walking further we came by more rock shelters.

Going Back Up

Then after coming to a point where the path ended we went up the hillside and came to an upper trail above the canyon.

We took this path back to the trailhead. This was an easy wide path that was high above the creek.

Final Thoughts on Devil’s Prop

It is not a long hike to Devil’s Prop, so it is well worth checking out more of the canyon beyond it. Watch your step as you go down into the canyon.

Going here outside of summer allows you to easily explore the area without lots of foliage.

Also, pick a dry day since this area can be muddy after a rain shower.

DETAILS:

Drive: Take Interstate 55 across the Mississippi River and then take Ext 3 to east on Interstate 64. Then take exit 61 and go north on U.S. Highway 51 and next make a right onto County Road 2150 N and continue on this road as it becomes Breezeway Road then make a right onto Stratford Lane and look for the small parking lot for Devil’s Prop on the left before you come to County Road 1950 N.

Hours: Sunrise to Sunset

Address: 19724 N Stratford Ln, Mt Vernon, IL 6286

CEDARHURST CENTER FOR THE ARTS

We also explored the sculpture gardens at Cedarhurst Center for the Arts, but the art museum which has late 19th and early 20th-century American paintings was closed at that time.

Front of the Area of the Sculpture Park

My son Andrew wanted the first photo of the metallic Gorilla. Sculpted by John Kearney using chrome car bumpers.

A large wooden sculpture we came to next was Miol Nir or Thor’s Hammer. The end result looked to the sculptor Harry Gordon as “like a hammer on the verge of coming down with great force.”

Next, we checked out Aviatrix, created by Bob Emser, which appears both as a boat and a plane.

My son really liked Balanced/Unbalanced Bolt by Fletcher Benton.

“It reminds me of the Flash symbol with the metal shaped like a lightning bolt on top,” he said.

Then we went by Philippo Bermani’s Bull, which is a metal cutout of a bull with a metal bull next to it. Andrew liked how they mirrored each other.

My favorite is Ned Cain’s Three Travelers. They look like metallic visitors from another planet.

Patrick McDonald’s Dolmen reminds me of something out of the world of the Flintstones.

Beverly Penn’s Temple created cutouts of historic women figures which I did not realize until I read about it later. One is Venus de Milo, the middle one is the Venus of Willendorf, and the third is a 19th-century woman in a hoop dress.

Back of the Sculpture Park

Behind the buildings is a forest. We didn’t have to check out the ones there but went by some by the lake.

Scott McMillin’s The Ties That Bind has two leaning chairs with chains holding them together.

Near the lake, we walked by Martha Enzmann’s Vessel Form 92-1 and Thomas Sternal’s Site Form 92-3. These were rock structures that fit well with the surrounding landscape.

Near a fountain in the lake is Time Flight created by Erich Shaw. It is a metallic wing structure that looks like it is about to lift off above the lake.

We crossed the lake and went by Harry Gordon’s Granite structure with two monoliths leaning on each other near the woods. It felt like it was from the ancient past.

By the Parking Area

Cj McCarrick’s Women Gathering has 36 sculpted women on the lawn forming a triangle, an interesting display of an “army of women.”

David and my son were intrigued by Glenn Zweygardt’s Alfred Atlas with a quarry rock held in the middle between two metal pieces.

Final Thoughts

This made it a full day on our trip to Mount Vernon, Il. I am glad we decided to also do the sculpture garden with its many art wonders.

DETAILS:

Drive: Take Interstate 55 across the Mississippi River and then take Ext 3 to east on Interstate 64. Then take Exit 95 and go east on Illinois Highway 25. Next, make a left onto N. 27th Street and then a left into the parking lot.

Hours: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Tuesday-Saturday; 1 p.m. – 5 p.m., Sunday; Closed, Monday

Address: 2600 E Richview Rd, Mt Vernon, IL 62864

MORE CENTRAL ILLINOIS ADVENTURES

Road Trip to Allerton Park Near Champaign

A centaur in the middle of the woods can be found at Allerton Park sculpture garden in Central Illinois and was one of the many treasures we found there.

A Route 66 Journey to Lincoln History

Abraham Lincoln sites, a zoo, and Route 66 are just some of what you can check out on a day trip to Springfield, Illinois. We headed out on Interstate 55 northward to Springfield, the capital of Illinois, for a road trip day.