Mississippi River Trail, St. Louis Missouri - Bike & Hiking Trail Review

Mississippi River Trail is a bike & hiking trail located in Cliff Cave County Park. Cliff Cave County Park is located on the Mississippi River in South St. Louis, Missouri. Cliff Cave County Park has four trails with the Mississippi River Trail being the easiest and longest. The park is open from 8:00 am to ½ hour after sunset. Cliff Cave County Park has plenty of paved parking spots. The park also has a newly added pavilion with lots of picnic tables. Cliff Cave County Park's main highlights are hiking, mountain biking, wildlife viewing, and picnicking.

Mississippi River Trail is a 5.1 mile loop along the Mississippi River. The degree of difficulty is easy. The trail is a flat paved road with some slight curves and one small hill. The trail recently re-opened after being closed due to flooding. Cliff Cave County Park is located in a river-bottom and is prone to flooding in the spring. The Park District did a great job of clearing the mud off of the paved path. Some parts are still covered with mud but the path is manageable, whether a person is hiking or biking. One small section of the path was still under a couple of inches of water but easy enough to bike through.

The Mississippi River Trail is a very scenic trail. The trail runs along the Mississippi River on one side and is bordered by cliffs along the other side. Perched upon the cliffs are extremely nice and expensive houses. The houses are far enough away as not to intrude on the tranquility of a nice bike ride through a nature setting. The only disturbance is the occasional sound of a train whistle along a nearby railroad track. The trail loops around an open field that is usually filled with corn but due to the recent flooding, it is now just a marshy field. One section of the path does go through a nice wooded area that is frequented by deer. We spotted a baby doe on our most recent bike ride in August. We also saw ducks and cranes.

Cliff Cave Park is part of St. Louis County Parks and is one of the stops in the St. Louis County Parks 30/30 Hikes Program. St. Louis County Parks has installed signs and punches at trail heads of 30 different trails in St. Louis County. Individuals can pick up punch cards at specified locations and after completing the punch card by hiking all 30 trails, the card can be turned in for complimentary patch. The St. Louis County Parks has a website that does give more information on this program.