Find a canyon with waterfalls, cascades, and pools combine to give delight to hikers at Matthiessen State Park near Oglesby, Il. History of Matthiessen State Park Frederick William Matthiessen purchased the land at the end of the 19th century to develop it into a privately-owned park. About 50 employees constructed trails, bridges stairways, and dams. After his death, the park was donated to the State…
Seeing the iconic Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture highlights a visit to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. The sculpture garden has over 40 works from the Walker Art Center’s collections. (This was our first stop on our family trip to explore part of the North Shore in Minnesota and the Apostle Islands.) East Side Walk We first checked out the Spoonbridge and Cherry created by Claes Oldenburg…
Go to the pinnacle of the 630-foot Gateway Arch in downtown St. Louis where you can have far-off views of Missouri and Illinois. It is the smallest national park in the U.S. and is located in downtown St. Louis, Mo. My son and I spent the morning exploring this amazing feat of architecture. About the Arch The Arch commemorates St. Louis’ role in the westward…
Waterfalls and shut-ins in a rocky gorge are what you will find at Lon Sanders Canyon Conservation Area in the Missouri Ozarks.
Walk a paved path around a five-acre lake that winds through old-growth trees at Horner Recreational Park in Lebanon, Illinois. This one-mile walk has some small hills and an elevation gain of 44 feet. The route goes along the side of a lightly used park road, which is two-way, until near Horner Park Hall, where it becomes one-way. I came here with my son, who…
While exploring Giant City State Park, I marveled at the massive boulders, cascading waterfalls, and the majestic Devil’s Standtable. The park is a little over two hours south of St. Louis near Carbondale, Ill. Our family explored three trails each with different amazing sites to see. DEVIL’S STANDSTABLE NATURE TRAIL The 1/3-mile Devil’s Standstable Nature Trail is a natural surface loop trail that starts flat…
Whitecliff Park in Crestwood, Mo., includes an abandoned rock quarry with a cliffside pond and 40 acres of woods to explore. Whitecliff Park Trail Whitecliff Park Trail is about a mile hike along a gravel surface through woods and along Gravois Creek. I parked to the right of the park entrance in a small lot near a picnic shelter. There is additional parking up the…
My journey today was to explore two trails along the bluffs on the Illinois side of the Mississippi River just south of St. Louis.
Bottom of the falls with a small pool
Take the children to play at Discovery Playground and then explore Jaycee Park on a paved path in St. Charles, Missouri.
