Rockwoods Reservation: A Missouri Park/Hiking Trail Review

Rockwoods Reservation is located off of Route 109 outside of Eureka in St Louis County. Rockwoods Reservation is a 1,880 acre Conservation Area operated by the Missouri Department of Conservation. The park has plenty of places to bird watch, bicycle, hike, and view wildlife. Bird watching is very popular at this park and is even designated as an Important Bird Area (IBA) by Audubon Missouri.

We visited Rockwoods Reservation in April 2009 to hike and maybe spot some morel mushrooms. We weren't lucky enough to spot some mushrooms but we did enjoy a nice hiking trail. Lime Kiln Loop Trail is a 3.2 mile trail that starts off by a stream and winds up and across a hill. I would rate the trail as a moderate difficult trail because some of the trail follows a sharp incline up a hill with the path covered in natural rock steps.

We hiked the trail counter-clock wise in order to avoid other mushroom hunters. When we hike, we prefer the solitude of the wilderness so we do try to avoid other hikers if at all possible. The first part of the trail is an easy stroll along a path with a pretty stream on the left and a steep hill on the left. Within five minutes, we had to cross the stream by stepping across wide rocks. The hill on the left had a cave formation with spring water coming from underneath the cave formation. Seeing the cave and spring was well worth the drive to Rockwoods Reservation. The rest of the trail is a typical hike through woods with a nice view of trees, birds, and the occasional stream.

The only downfall to Lime Kiln Loop Trail is that it is near private property; private property that is located in the middle of the park. Listening to a lawn-mower and the ping of a club hitting a golf ball as the homeowner practices his golf swing kind of ruins the mood of a peaceful morning hike, especially when one starts to worry about getting hit by a golf ball. The ping of golf balls disturbed me even more then rabid mushroom hunters chatting with all their buddies on cell phones.

Lime Kiln Loop is a popular and well-traveled trail. Even with all its' distractions, the trail is well worth it; if not for the spring, at least for the birds. I am not a bird watcher but I did enjoy the music provided by the birds. I might even be tempted enough to revisit this trail, as long as it isn't mowing day.