There are closer escapes to nature and ones that offer better views of the giant rivers that define so much of the landscape around St. Louis, but there is no better place to find solitude than the Wilderness Trail at Meramec State Park. Located in the northern part of a park riddled with caves and clear streams, the Wilderness Trail climbs through pine and oak forests and skirts several majestic hillsides. There's an optional cutoff that puts the hike at six miles, but get there early and leave time for the ten-mile loop — it rewards you with breathtaking views of the surrounding forests and dramatic outcroppings of the park's famous cave system.
Huzzah Conservation Area
| Sep 30, 2015
Cliff Cave Park
| Sep 25, 2014
Rockwoods Reservation
| Sep 26, 2013
Lewis Trail or Clark Trail
| Sep 22, 2011
Meramec State Park
| Sep 29, 2010
Cuivre River State Park
| Sep 30, 2009
Russell E. Emmenegger Nature Park
| Sep 24, 2008
Castlewood State Park
| Sep 26, 2007
Rockwoods Reservation
| Sep 27, 2006
Pere Marquette State Park
| Sep 29, 2005
Route 100
| Sep 29, 2004
Route 100
| Sep 29, 2004