See Wildlife at Marais Temps Clair Conservation Area

At Marais Temps Clair Conservation Area in St. Charles County, waterfowl soar above your head and deer splash through swamp grass.

*Marais Temps Clair Conservation Area Map*

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 the front is a conservation sign, along with a wooden box that holds maps of the conservation area.

I started the hike by walking back towards the entrance road and turned left, passing a gate.

Then I crossed a waterway.

On the left is a natural surface levee path that forms a 0.6-mile loop, which I will take on my way back, since I am doing a full loop around the conservation area.

I come to a cement bridge that crosses another waterway. A person is fishing here. Then I am at the end of the path and the start of the outer loop section of the hike.

Pool 1

I make a left to go north along the gravel path on the levee that follows the map designation of Pool 1.

*Gravel path with water on one side and trees on the other.*

On the left are trees, and on the right is open water.

Further along, I come to a swampy area.

Then I come to an intersection. If you make the first right on the gravel, you will walk along a lower levee.

I take the second right to the higher levee route. Looking north, I hear the sound of water splashing and spot deer jumping further into the woods. I pause for a goose family to cross the levee so the goslings stay together. (Main Blog Photo) After making the curve, which now has me between Pool 8 and Pool 1, I see a large white swan in Pool 1.

*Egrets are flying away in the distance.*

Then, in Pool 8, I see a small gathering of white egrets.

At an intersection, a left trail leads to another parking area along Island Road. Continuing straight ahead, I come to Pool 10 on my left.

A field of white flowers comes into view. Overhead, a hawk circles around with a small bird chasing it.

Now I come to another intersection where I make a right across a streambed. A rusted pumping station can be seen in the woods. If you don’t make the turn, you can walk a short way up and make a left onto a trail that leads to the conservation area headquarters on Island Road.

Pool 2

Now I come to another intersection where I go left. This part of the walk is overgrown. It follows a long pool of water to the left.

*Stopping to let a large black turtle walk across the path.*

Along this route, I keep hearing turtles dropping into the water. Then I see a large black one ahead of me. I stop for a moment to let him go from one side of the levee to the other.

Pool 3

I come to another intersection, and to the right, you can take a levee walk back towards the parking area. I continue going through even more overgrown grass on the levee.

In the water, I see a large blue heron fly up. A rumbling sound, and near some trees, I see a train. Civilization is still nearby in these swamps.

Then I come to another intersection. If you take the route to the left, you would end up in a parking lot along Island Road. I continue on.

Pool 4

This last section is even more overgrown. It is filled with thistles, and monarch butterflies stop to gain nectar. This last walk circles back to the west side of Pool 3. I make a left and come to an easier walk along gravel once more.

*Farms can be seen across the waterway.*

Heading Back

Across a waterway, I can see distant farms. A smaller turtle finds its way across my path. This is the easiest part of the walk, as it is on gravel. I should have turned around sooner and taken this levee walk before going all the way back to the end, where the grass was high.

On the right, I walk by a bottomland forest. This last intersection is the easiest way to cross to the other side of the pond, as it is gravel. In the sky above me, an eagle is in flight.

Then I make out some deer far ahead on the levee now. They try to figure out where to go as I approach them. Then all of a sudden, they rush down below the levee back to the woods.

Now I am back on the path to the left to go to the parking lot.

Last Walk

I decided to check out the short loop at the start of the hike I mentioned earlier.

This loop goes through grass, but not as high as areas I had gone through earlier. Frogs jump about as I walk. I pass by waterways and more swamps before making the turn. Two more deer jump away from me. Then I head straight back to the main trail once more to the parking area.

Final Thoughts

You can make this hike as long as you want. There are several routes that you can take to return to the entrance side of the park. I was surprised by the abundance of wildlife I saw, including birds, mammals, and reptiles. I might come back again to check out the pools on the east side of the conservation area, located off Island Road near the headquarters.

If you stick to the north side, you can find levee walks with more gravel and less overgrowth.

More about the Conservation Area

This 918-acre area was once part of an expansive marsh that ranged from St. Charles to near Alton, Illinois. The Marais Temps Clair marsh is an old oxbow of the Missouri River, formed prior to the arrival of European settlers. Marais Temps Clair means “fair weather marsh.”

The area features ten shallow wetland pools, equipped with electric pumps to maintain water levels and provide habitat for waterfowl.

DETAILS

Area closed to all use from Oct. 15 through March 1 to protect nesting grounds.

Drive: Take Interstate 270 north to exit 228 for Missouri Highway 370 and take this road west to exit 7 and go north on Missouri Highway 94. Look for the parking lot on the right after you pass Grafton Ferry Road.

Hours: Closed from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m.

Parking Lot Address: Marais Temps Clair Conservation Area Map Trailhead, Rivers Township, MO 63373