Bobcats, eagles, and foxes are just some of the wildlife you can see at Treehouse Wildlife Center. It is located about halfway between Grafton and Alton in the country. We took the kid who ran back and forth between birds and the other wildlife and not in order. Luckily there was plenty of animals to check out and kept his interest the whole time we…
Eagle Valley Trail follows along clear streams and goes into wooded hills in Greensfelder County Park in West St. Louis County. Overview It consists of 1,724 acres and is the largest St. Louis County Park and has 15 miles of seven interconnected trails. Facilities at the park include restrooms, a campground, picnic sites, stables, and playgrounds. Eagle Valley Trail The Eagle Valley Trailhead is located…
Walking along a clear stream, going up into Ozark hills and through a pine forest was part of my three-mile hike at Young Conservation Area. Hiking the Taconic Trail combines two loops and provides variety in what you see with ponds, stream crossings, and creek views. Starting the Taconic Trail Hike I headed out of the parking area down the trail close to the trailhead…
Finding a disappearing stream was part of the fun at Forest 44 Conservation Area. I hiked the 2.2-mile Dogwood Trail and the .4-mile Losing Stream Trail here. What Is the Losing Stream? The losing stream is where the creek disappears under a rock ledge and wells up like a spring several hundred yards downstream. Losing Stream Trail This paved .6-mile trail starts from the back…
You can walk or bicycle through a former railroad tunnel and across a 90-foot high former railroad bridge along the Tunnel Hill State Trail.
A wide cave along the Ohio River where bandits once were once found is Cave-In-Rock State Park. The 55-foot wide Cave-In-Rock was carved out of the limestone rock by water thousands of years ago. Outlaw History of Cave-in-Rock The first European explorer to encounter it was M. de Lery of France, who in 1729 called it caverne dans Le Rock. After the Revolutionary War, this…
Kress Farm Garden Preserve has wet weather waterfalls and cliff caves and is only 40 minutes outside of St. Louis. Arriving at Kress Farm A long driveway leads to a farmhouse and behind it is parking. The Pavilion has copies of hiking trail maps which we used to find our way to them. Yellow Trail We started with the three-fourth mile Yellow Trail. It has…
Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge is an area made up of Illinois River views, bottomland forest, and swampland. The refuge serves as an important stopover for hundreds of thousands of ducks and geese each fall along with bald eagles. Also, my son loves taking the free car-ferry to Calhoun County where a large part of Two Rivers National Wildlife Refuge is located! History of Two…
Finding my way to viewing the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers was my goal at Columbia Bottom Conservation Area. Emergency Public access on Columbia Bottom Conservation Area is currently limited to the boat ramp. The rest of the area remains closed to all public access due to levee construction activities. Sections of the area may open to public access as it becomes safe…
Small waterfalls splash across sandstone brooks and a rock shelter cave can be found at LaBarque Creek Conservation Area south of Eureka, Mo. Our Time at LaBarque Creek Watch for potholes as you drive the gravel road to the parking area. To one side of the lot are two carved wooden benches if you need a break after the almost three-mile hike. Start of the…
