Hiking, Fishing and More to Do in St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis, Missouri has many great trails for day hikers. Chubb Trail is just minutes outside the city on Highway 44. The trailhead is parallel to the entrance to Lone Elk Park where elk, deer and bison can be seen from the safety of your car. Stretching seven miles through varied terrain to the Lewis Road, West Tyson County Park trailhead it will give any backpacker a good workout. Just make sure someone is picking you up at the end, or you will be walking seven miles back to your car.

A shorter route with the Meramec River as your goal can lure kids and reluctant adults to take a hike. Offer swimming and fishing after a scenic three mile hike. Make sure you bring along books or pamphlets on Missouri wildlife, birds and flowers because they can be seen all along the trail.

The trail begins by paralleling the Lone Elk fence line before winding down among a forest of hardwood trees. Check for salamanders under rocks in the trickling stream you will cross. Watch for squirrels and many species of birds. Downy woodpeckers, black-capped chickadees, and white-breasted nuthatches flit from tree to tree looking for tasty bugs.

In a short time you will turn left on a broad packed roadway. Stop here for a moment and take a close look around. Many times we have startled white-tailed deer that were feeding on the young plants on the shoulder. The next mile is an easy stroll shaded by trees all the way. On the left is the backside of Lone Elk Park. Through the tall chain link fence we have spotted elk and deer. Trees on the right conceal a railroad track. The road ends where it crosses the tracks. On the other side there is a wooden post with trail directions. Left leads to the Chubb Trail to Lewis Road. Straight a head is the Cottonwood Loop Trail. Going straight a few hundred steps will take hikers to the edge of a wide meadow. Follow the clear trail. White-tailed deer in the meadow and turkey vultures soaring overhead are common. American tree sparrows, robins, grasshopper sparrows, indigo buntings, and goldfinches are just some of the birds that frequent the meadow and border trees. In the early morning we have seen a barn owl in a dead tree, a coyote slinking across the meadow, and heard a whip-poor-will call. A red-tailed hawk or white egret soaring above is a rare treat.

The trail skirts the edge of the meadow and makes a curve right. The Meramec River can be glimpsed through the trees. Keep going until you see another trail post. The river is easily accessed from there.

The Meramec River flows by banks that are sandy in places, rocky in others. Look for green herons, killdeer, egret, mallard ducks, and Canadian geese along the shore. Turtles lay their eggs in the soft sand and small frogs hop among the reeds and rocks.

Now for some well earned swimming and fishing. Use common sense when swimming in the Meramec and be careful. Downstream there is a spot where the river cut a channel creating an island. The channel averages three feet deep usually and is great for swimming and floating. Just ask the ducks. Fish for catfish, perch and small-mouth bass.

Relax and enjoy a fantastic Missouri park. Build up some energy for the hike back.