Hiking alongside a brook and discovering frogs in a swamp made for a delightful day with my child at Broemmelsiek Park in Defiance, Missouri. This park has more than 9 miles of paved and unpaved multi-use trails to explore. It is a 494-acre park in west St. Charles County and only about four miles off of Interstate 64. We explored this park with my son…
Oak Knoll Park is a picturesque destination, featuring a serene pond surrounded by bald cypress trees and vibrant tulips that bloom in the spring. A .7 paved walkway can be found here along with a short trail done in wood chips on the east side of the park in the woods that includes sculptures. Paved Loop Walk I parked in the main lot of Big…
Hike along a short ridge above a pebble-filled stream and by baseball fields at Peruque Valley Park in Wentzville.
A hike through wooded hills down to valleys with rocky brooks is part of the day at Rockwoods Range Conservation Area on the Fox Run Trail. The natural surface hike is 7.6 miles long with 1,247 feet of elevation gain so it crosses up and down quite a few hills. Start of the Hike I parked in the gravel lot. The trail begins uphill to…
In Westhoff Park, you can find a playground that has a “bug’s life” design with blue caterpillars and green centipedes. If you have a young kid, like my son Andrew, this is a whimsical play area to explore. The park is in O’Fallon, Mo., north of Interstate 70 on TR Hughes Boulevard. BRENDAN’S PLAYGROUND The playground is all-inclusive and has boardwalks that connect to ramps…
Blooming dogwood trees, prairie wildflowers, and gushing waterfalls create magical spring hikes near St. Louis.
Rock Springs Rotary Park in O’Fallon, Ill., has a paved trail through forest and prairie grass encircling the whole park.
Hike along the Illinois River and Gilbert Lake, then through Pere Marquette State Park, passing by farms along the Great River Road.
The park is named for Ivory Crockett once known as the “world’s fastest man” when he broke the world record for the 100-yard dash in 1974. It is a small park near Manchester Road where you can do an easy loop walk. This is a .4 mile paved walk with 10 feet of elevation gain going by fields and a playground. Start of Walk I…
See the oldest town in Louisiana, Natchitoches, visit the largest pyramid in the U.S. in Memphis, and stand in two states in Texarkana on a road trip south to New Orleans from St. Louis. On our way to a cruise, we spent some time in the South to check out different tourist destinations. We extended our vacation time with a stop in Memphis on the…
