Dresser Island Hike Along the Mississippi River

Hiking where eagles circle above and ice floes clog the Mississippi River was part of my day at Dresser Island north of West Alton, Mo.

This is a long natural surface loop hike at 5.6 miles with little only 36 feet of elevation gain, which was mostly me going down closer to the river.

Conservation sign and an information board with maps below

Start of the Hike

I parked in the gravel lot next to the conservation sign.

Then I headed around a gate to a gravel walk on the causeway that takes you to the island. This is the only way to get to it unless you have a boat.

Along the Slough

At the island, I went to the right down a mowed path. The ground is uneven so watch your step. Most of the walk is along a low levee around the island.

I was here after recent snow but came before it melted which made the walk hard and soft in places.

On the left side of the levee are small sloughs and ponds. The island has its own waterways. I saw a wooden structure near a pond, probably a duck blind.

Looking on the right are houses along the river. Some elevated on stilts to be high above Mississippi River flooding which happens more frequently in the spring.

I come across a cement structure with rollers on top used for boats to pull over and go from the river into the island sloughs.

In the slough, I also saw ducks and geese

Then on the slough side, I see a blue heron heading off from the shore.

Next, the trail curved north towards the Mississippi River. On the left, in the woods, I saw some structures maybe some more duck blinds.

The levee came to a small bay off the Mississippi River completely frozen today.

Hoffman Gardens rock-cut along the Great River Road in Illinois

Mississippi River Side

Now I face the river. Since it was winter, I had unhindered views of the Great River Road and the Illinois bluffs.

This part of the trail was rougher since it was less gravel and more of an elevated field walk.

I would stop along the river and come across huge chunks floating near the island.

On the riverside, I saw a green buoy, quite a few of them in the forest. I guess they get stuck here when the river goes up.

Barge outside of the ice zone in the main channel

Then I saw a barge going up the river in the main channel. It created waves that lapped through the river ice.

Opening in the Woods

A short trail led to a ladder. I guess this is a short docking area is maybe for Corps of Engineer workers. Next to the ladder, the eroded shoreline is filled with ice cycles.

Hard to gain photos of the eagles and hawks as they took to the skies.

Where Eagles Fly

Eagles, hawks, blue herons, and many other birds kept flying off out of the trees. They were skittish of my walking through their land. I was unable to take a photo of them, but they were around heading out from the shore into the skies. Keep looking to the right and you will see brown feathers of hawks or the black and white of eagles swooping high and low over the river.

Heading to the lowland forest on the left.

Bottomland Forest

After about a 2.5-mile trek along the Mississippi River, I came to a turn-off. If you want to do a 1.6 mile out and back walk further along the river then you can go straight ahead.

I was ready to take the left through the bottomland forest to the trailhead.

This part of the hike is through the island and can be muddier since you are in the swampy area of the island.

I came to another boat pull-over that led to a frozen slough.

Another right turn led away from a field walk to more woods.

I came across an area with a white plastic cut-out along with some hay. Not sure what the hay was feeding though.

Then the muddiest section before reaching the end of the loop. Now I walked back across the gravel road to the parking lot.

Another view of the cliffs along the Mississippi River

Final Thoughts

This is a long hike mostly along a gravel or dirt path around the island. I once came here during the summer and found it overgrown. In winter this was not a problem. I enjoyed the Mississippi River views and coming across eagles and other large birds. If you want an easy hike without much elevation gain and plenty of river views then this is a good trail to hike.

More Details

Full name is Upper Mississippi: Dresser Island Conservation Area and named after Thomas Dresser who owned some of the property in the past.

The total area of land is 2,309 acres which includes property besides the island.

NOTE: The island and roads are subject to periodic flooding and may be closed.

Another view of the gravel causeway leading to Dresser Island

DETAILS

Drive: Take Interstate 270 then go north on Missouri Highway 367 which becomes U.S. Highway 67. Make a left onto Missouri Highway 94 and look for the park sign on the right for Dresser Island Drive which ends at a parking lot.

Hours: Closed 10 p.m. – 4 a.m.

Address: Dresser Island Dr, West Alton, MO 63386