We took our cart to the center of the Relleke Pumpkin Patch and looked around at the wide variety of pumpkins available. All different types, plump, ribbed, bumpy or warty then colors of robust orange, pale yellow to dark rouge. Our three-year-old son bounded out of the cart and began to jump over the pumpkin vines and touching and inspecting ones that were nearby. Last…
Find your way around a free corn maze and check out 19th-century farm equipment at the Agriculture Educational Garden at Broemmelsiek Park north of Defiance, Mo. Walking through the Corn Maze and exploring the garden was a 0.5-mile walk with 10 feet of elevation gain. This is a gravel and natural surface walk. Corn Maze Before exploring the education garden, I made my way to…
The stone-cut walls of a barred and locked sanatorium next to Welch Spring is what I found on my journey to Ozark National Scenic Riverways. History of Welch Spring Sanatorium In 1913 an Illinois doctor named C.H. Diehl bought Welch Spring for eight hundred dollars. He believed the spring had healing properties and that the cool pollen-free air from the nearby cave would be beneficial…
Apple picking, carnival rides, a petting zoo, and even pig races are a few activities that you can do at Eckert’s Millstadt Fun Farm east of Belleville, Ill. Arriving at the Farm We parked in the gravel lot near the entrance road. I do this since it makes it easier to find the car when we leave. Next, we headed to the Ticket Booth. I…
Walk the Centennial Greenway’s Ackert Walkway, starting from the Delmar Loop, where you’ll find the “Father of Rock and Roll” Chuck Berry statue, and then explore the Washington University campus. The walk covers 2.7 miles with a 141-foot elevation gain, all on a wide sidewalk. The walk involves stairs or ramps, depending on your preference for ease of access. I parked in the first third…
Hike along a former street in a ghost town near the skeletal remains of a Meramec River bridge at Route 66 State Park near Eureka, Mo. This area has a lot of history, from once being a resort town to becoming contaminated by the dangerous chemical dioxin. History How A Ghost Town Began Times Beach, Mo., where the park now exists, was born from promotion…
A paved hike leads to views of St. Charles across the wide Missouri River at Riverwoods Park in Bridgeton, Mo. The route is an out-and-back hike along the Missouri Greenway Earth City Levee Trail and Riverwoods Trail. It covers 3.9 miles and is mostly flat, with just 62 feet of elevation gain. This walk used to be a loop, but flooding on the Missouri River…
Hiking through rocky terrain and enjoying views from an overlook of forested hills is part of a day on the Beulah Trail in Greensfelder Park. The St. Louis County Park, spanning 1,734 acres, is situated on Allenton Road, north of Six Flags. Beulah Trail is a natural surface hike that I walked 4.6 miles with 407 feet of elevation gain. However, it is listed at…
Hamilton Hollow Trail is a short hike through the tallest trees in Cuivre River State Park, which is located north of Troy, Missouri. This is a 0.9-mile hike on a natural surface with an elevation gain of 92 feet. Start of the Hike I parked in the lot at the end of Big Sugar Creek Drive. The trail begins near a stone picnic shelter constructed…
At Marais Temps Clair Conservation Area in St. Charles County, waterfowl soar above your head and deer splash through swamp grass. I hiked 6.3 miles on levees that were gravel and natural surface in parts. This was a mostly level hike with only 56 feet of elevation gain. Start of the Hike A short drive leads to a gravel lot in the conservation area. At…
