Take in the Views of St. Charles at Riverwoods Park

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 closed a bridge. Now, I do it as two separate out-and-back sections.

First Out and Back

I parked at the lot for the Missouri Greenway Riverwoods just off of St. Charles Rock Road on the left. Restrooms are located on the left side of the lot.

After parking, I headed to the east side of the lot to follow the Riverwoods Trail towards the river. It curves to the south and then ends at the closed bridge.

Across the river, you can see St. Charles and the Foundry Art Centre. Then I walked back. This is a 0.6-mile out-and-back walk.

*Connecting to the Meramec Greenway Earth City Levee Trail.*

Earth City Levee Section

Back at the lot, I headed west and then made a left onto the Meramec Greenway Earth City Levee Trail.

The levee is on your left and woods are on your right. This part of the trail is open with little shade, so it can get hot in the summer.

Along the River

After about 1.5 miles, the trail curves toward the river near the Interstate 70 bridge. From there, it heads north and goes into the woods along the Missouri River.

An opening in the woods led to a view of the large hotel towers of the Ameristar Casino across the river.

*Reading the sign, you can learn some history of the area.*

Then the trail leads to an informational sign about the area’s history.

*End of the trail due to past flooding.*

Next, I reached a sign blocking the trail. Looking ahead toward the river, you can see where past flooding has washed away the paved path.

Some people seem to use an unofficial path here, but I turned around since it doesn’t connect back to the loop.

Going Back

Heading back, I stopped at another lookout and saw the Lewis & Clark Boat House Museum across the river. It houses full-scale replicas of the boats used by Lewis and Clark, as well as other exhibits about their 1804 expedition.

Under the Interstate 70 bridge, I noticed some well-done graffiti on the pillars, which adds a bit of urban character to the walk.

On the way back, I noticed the creek that the now-closed bridge crosses and how it ends at the levee trail. There’s really no way around it except by using the bridge or this trail.

Then I returned to the parking area. If you go further north on the levee trail, you can do a much longer walk. The trail leads to the Missouri 370 bridge, where you can cross the river on a pedestrian walkway that leads to the Katy Trail. Then, from there, you could walk to downtown St. Charles or many points beyond.

Final Thoughts

The section along the river is scenic and well-shaded, while the levee part is more exposed and feels less relaxing. This is a good hike if you want to take a paved trail for views of St. Charles across the river.

DETAILS

Drive: Take Interstate 70 to exit 231 B and go north on the Earth City Expressway, then make a left onto St. Charles Rock Road and look for the Missouri Greenway Riverwoods Trailhead parking lot on the left after the levee.

Hours: Sunrise to Sunset

Address: 13998 St Charles Rock Rd, Bridgeton, MO 63044