Greensfelder Park: Take Mustang Trail to a Hidden Pool

Take a hike along the Mustang Trail at Greensfelder Park near Eureka, which leads to a clear pool of water by a rocky brook.

This is a 1.9-mile hike on a natural surface with a 348-foot elevation gain, rated as difficult due to several ridge climbs and uneven terrain resulting from horse activity.

Start of the Hike

The trail begins to the right of the trailhead sign. It indicates a distance of 1.3 miles, but the map shows 1.7 miles, and I measured it at 1.9 miles. I’m unsure where the original 1.3-mile designation originated.

*I go the right to begin the loop hike.*

At the start of the loop, I headed to the right. Along the walk, I came across a few rock outcroppings.

Going downhill, I came across areas of heavy use by horse riders and horse poop, so watch where you walk.

*The brook area has small streams. The Main Photo shows the pool.*

Valley Area

The trail enters a valley and follows a small creek. This is my favorite part of the hike. The brook has pools where you can hear frogs jumping as you approach. Little brooks flow into this area from ravines.

*Be aware of possible blowdowns as you do the hike.*

Crossing a dry bed, I came across a blowdown that I had to walk around.

Connector Trail

I came to a connector for the Eagle Valley Trail, which is 3.6 miles long.

Going Up

Now, I was heading up along ridges. The trail is not as heavily used here, so look for an occasional wooden Mustang trail sign.

I came to a three-tier boulder that a limb had fallen over.

Allenton Road Section

The trail heads near Allenton Road. This area was somewhat overgrown, and it was here that I picked up some ticks. Always do a tick check after a hike in the woods, especially after this one.

You can walk along the road if you prefer an easier hike here, but be aware that it is a busy road with limited shoulder space, and people drive at high speeds.

Next, I came to a large tree that had fallen across the trail.

Finally, the trail narrowed like a ditch, likely due to horse use, as it came up the last hill back to the loop.

Final Thoughts

My favorite section was the one down by the creek at the back, which was quite scenic. The trail has heavy horse use, which makes it a more challenging walk. The section by Allenton Road was overgrown. If I had to do the hike over again, I would go left at the start of the loop since this would make the longest uphill section downhill.

Other Trails

• 4.3-mile Bealuh Trail
• 8.2-mile DeClue Trail
• 2.8-mile Deer Run Trail
• 2.6-mile Dogwood Trail
• .8 mile Overlook Trail
• 7.8 miles of Green Rock Trail is in the park and is a 14.5-mile trail total.

DETAILS:

Drive: Take Interstate 44 to exit 261 and turn right onto Allenton Road. Be careful to stay out of the lane for Six Flags. Take Allenton Road into the park and continue down this road until you see a sign for the equestrian area, which will be a right onto Scenic Loop and then a left into the parking area. You can continue along the equestrian area parking lot road to a small pull-off by the Mustang Trailhead, but there is not much parking here. There are also signs indicating that parking is not allowed on the grass in this area.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 30 minutes past sunset

Address: Mustang Shelter, 4200 Allenton Rd, Pacific, MO 63069