Gorge area view
Devonian Fossil Gorge Hike
Touring the Battle of Athens State Historic Site
A walk through history as you tour mill ruins, historic homes, and a battleground at the Battle of Athens State Historic Site. The site is located about three hours north of St. Louis near the Iowa border. General Store We first stopped at the former Athens, Mo., General Store. The building is open to the outdoors and now serves as a picnic shelter. Inside you…
Columbus Junction Swinging Bridge Hike
In Columbus Junction, Iowa, you can walk along a swinging bridge that is 262 feet above a dark ravine shrouded in a jungle-like forest. This was a roadside stop we made on a trip to visit family in Iowa City from St. Louis. The bridge is also known as Lover’s Leap Swinging Bridge based on a tale that a woman who leaped to her death…
O’Fallon Family Sports Park Walk
Walk around two lakes – even one with waterfalls, baseball and soccer fields, and a large splash pad at O’Fallon Family Sports Park. We walked 1.7 miles on paved trails to check out this 200-acre park in O’Fallon, Ill. The Blacktop Outer Trail I walked a paved trail with my son who rode his dirt bike around the park. We started our adventure near the…
Teszars Woods Conservation Area Hike
Teszars Woods Conservation Area has 91 acres with two short natural surface hikes near Arnold, Mo., off of Telegraph Road. One trail is located along the Meramec River. The other is an out-and-back on a hill at a different location in the conservation area. HILL TRAIL I parked in the gravel lot off Rockwood Drive. On the right of the parking area is the trail…
Buder Park Hike
Views of the Meramec River and watching small planes take off are part of the hike at Buder Park in St. Louis County. The park is near the busy intersection of Interstate 44 and Missouri Highway 141. Hiking Here I walked along a paved-paths, gravel paths, and roads to do a 2.7-mile hike with 95 feet of elevation gain. Start of Hike I parked in…
Vlasis Park Walk
Two ponds with a waterfall connecting them were part of a hike at Vlasis Park in Ballwin, Mo. just off Manchester Avenue. There is even a historic cabin to check out. This is a 1.4-mile walk winding through the 31-acre Vlasis Park in Ballwin, Mo. Beginning the Walk I parked near the World Peace Memorial a white brick structure with a small garden and an…
Bellevue Park Walk in Belleville
Take a walk to see sculptures and along lake waters at Bellevue Park in Belleville, Il. This one-mile paved trail wraps around the park and up and down hills and along the lake’s shoreline. Located at the 27-acre Bellevue Park in Belleville, Ill. Starting the Walk We parked in a small gravel lot at the back end of the park near a bike trail that…
Minnie Ha Ha Park: Playing and Hiking
Take a walk that goes by multiple playgrounds and along the Meramec River at Minnie Ha Ha Park in Sunset Hills, Mo. This is a 3.4-mile paved trail hike with two loops that are mostly level and goes through forests. I brought my son who went along with me on his dirt bike stopping to play at each playground. Along the Meramec River I parked…
Granite City: Wilson Park Walk
My son rode his bike as I walked along the trail.
