Conservation areas perfect for National Trails Day

Celebrate the event at one of these conservation areas.

JEFFERSON CITY-Some do it for health, others purely for the pleasure of being outdoors. Whatever reason Missourians have for celebrating National Trails Day June 4, they can choose from hundreds of state-owned conservation areas (CAs) on which to do it.

One of the benefits Show-me State residents assured for themselves when they approved the one-eighth of one percent conservation sales tax 30 years ago was a wealth of public recreation land. Today they can choose between more than 1,000 holdings spread around every county in the state. These include small public boating and fishing accesses on lakes and streams and vast tracts covering tens of thousands of acres. They range from tall-grass prairie to deep deciduous forests and from cypress swamps to rocky glades. Trails crisscross many CAs.

In all, the Missouri Department of Conservation has more than 650 miles of trails on its land. Examples include:

Bluffwoods CA in Buchanan County Beautiful forests of red oak, black walnut and pawpaw trees blanket 90 percent of this 2,344-acre area. Wildflowers, including showy orchids and more than 100 species of wildlife inhabit the area. The area has two major systems of paved and natural-surfaced trails totaling five miles. Scenic attractions include bluffs and waterfalls. Some sections are accessible to people in wheelchairs. Printed guides available at trailheads allow visitors to take self-guided nature hikes. The area is off Highway 59 southwest of St. Joseph.

Mark Youngdahl Urban CA in Buchanan County This 85-acre area in the heart of St. Joseph is a conservation showplace, with 75 tree species planted along the Ridge Trail. It has 2.1 miles of paved trails, much of it wheelchair accessible. Deer, quail, foxes, waterfowl and a wide array of other wildlife can be seen here. Tables and charcoal grills make it easy to enjoy a picnic as part of the day's activities.

Sugar Creek CA in Adair County With 1.8 miles of hiking trail and another 10.5 miles of trail open to hiking, biking and horseback riding, this 2,604-acre area offers a host of recreational options. Deer, turkey and ruffed grouse all live on the area, which is a mix of forest and fields. Benches placed at intervals along the Ironwood Hollow Foot Trail offer a chance for rest and contemplation. Primitive camping also is available at this CA off Highway 3 southwest of Kirksville.

Maple Woods Natural Area in Clay County This area in the city of Gladstone offers Kansas City area residents a forested oasis in the midst of suburbia. Sugar maple, red oak, white oak and basswood trees overshadow ferns and wildflowers lining the 1.4 mile nature trail. Indian pipes, yellow violets and two native orchids bloom here, and the area is a nesting area for brilliant parula warblers and scarlet tanagers. The trail is arranged in several connecting loops, making the area seem much larger than its 39 acres.

Painted Rock CA in Osage County The loop of the Osage Bluff Scenic Trail traverses only 1.6 miles of this 1,400-acre area, but the view is worth the hike. Wooden observation decks take hikers safely to the lip of the towering bluffs, where bald eagles, turkey vultures and other birds of prey often can be seen soaring at eye level. The overlook also offers a view of Bloody Island, which has a prominent place in local folklore. The trail also passes 1,000-year-old Indian burial mounds. Interpretive brochures available at the trailhead turn this hike into a self-guided nature tour. Primitive camping is available, and visitors will find good fishing in the Osage River and a small lake. The area is east of Westphalia off Highway 133.

Three Creeks CA in Boone County Turkey, Bonne Femme and Bass creeks give this 1,479-acre area its name and character. Three miles of foot trails and another eight miles of hiking, biking and horseback riding trails traverse forested ridges, open fields and the tops and bottoms of scenic limestone bluffs along the creeks. Water-carved bedrock creates miniature shut-ins in parts of the creeks and their branches, and sinkholes and caves dot the area. The area supports an amazing variety of wildlife. Deer, turkey, ruffed grouse, woodcock, wood ducks, frogs, salamanders, hog-nosed snakes, owls, foxes, coyotes, bobcats warblers, vireos, woodpeckers and many more animals can be seen here. The area is off Highway 63 south of Columbia.

Meramec CA in Franklin County This 4,045-acre area is a goldmine for hikers and horseback riders, with a total of 20 miles of trails through pine plantations, oak-hickory forest, dolomite cliffs, creek bottoms and historic sites that include early mineral prospecting pits, a lookout tower, a Civilian Conservation Corps camp site and Lone Hill Onyx Cave. The asphalt-paved, 1.3-mile Woodland Trail offers wheelchair users a chance to get close to nature, and benches along the trail and viewing platforms atop bluffs offer hikers a chance to soak in the area's scenic beauty. The area is off Highway 185 south of Sullivan.

Forest 44 CA in St. Louis County This 958-acre area is liberally supplied with more than 13 miles of trail. Most of this is open to foot and horse traffic. Tiger, marbled and spotted salamanders live in the moist woodlands around numerous ponds, and several springs feed Williams Creek. Wheelchair-accessible trail sections lead to a wetland-viewing platform and give visitors a view of a "losing stream," which disappears into the creek bed in front of a rock ledge and then reappears yards downstream. The area is off Highway 141 east of Eureka.

Fort Crowder CA in Newton County Fans of Beetle Bailey can take a hike around the birthplace of their favorite comic strip. During WWII, cartoonist Mort Walker was stationed at Camp Crowder, 2,362 acres of which now are a CA. The 11-mile Camp Swampy Trail, open to foot, bicycle and horse traffic, follows the old county road system most of the time and is easy walking. It passes through old barracks sites, old fields, prairie and oak-hickory forest. Primitive camping is allowed in designated areas. Wildlife on the area includes deer, turkey, doves, quail and songbirds. The area is off Route HH east of Neosho.

Bois D'Arc CA in Greene County The Osage Orange Hiking Trail traverses five miles of this 2,892-acre area, creating seven different loops that can be combined to create dozens of routes. Benches provide resting spots in the open landscape, which is interrupted only by Osage orange trees, known to early French explorers as bois d'arc, or trees of the bows, because the Osage Indians used them to make bows. Glades, ponds, native plant restoration areas and food plots provide diversity of scenery and habitat for wildlife, including grassland birds. Near the area's southern border the trail passes Speakeasy Cave, the site of a bootlegger's den during the Prohibition era. The area is off Route UU northwest of Springfield.

Tingler Prairie CA in Howell County "Unique" is the only way to describe this 240-acre area. Three foot trails totaling 2.5 miles loop through forest and rare remnants of prairie, marsh and a sinkhole lake that is the centerpiece of a designated Missouri natural area. This area is a reminder of the ecological richness that characterized the Ozark Plateau before the cut-and-run logging of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Northern harrier hawks, meadowlarks, tiger salamanders, herons, egrets, wood ducks and leopard frogs share the area with a stunning array of native plants, including northern rein orchid, pale green orchid and adder's-tongue, Virginia Sneezeweed, swamp milkweed, bird's-foot violet, blazing star, butterfly milkweed, yellow- and blue-eyed grass, compass plant, prairie grasses, buttonbush, cardinal flower, Michigan lily, blue flag, marsh St. John's wort and showy white swamp hibiscus. The area is off Highway 17 south of West Plains.

Perry County Community Lake in Perry County The 4-mile Shoreline Trail takes visitors on a tour of the entire perimeter of this 103-acre lake. On the way, you will pass through forest and fields, where you could encounter deer, turkey, squirrels, quail, rabbits, beavers, shorebirds, ducks, geese, songbirds and, in the winter, bald eagles. Benches allow hikers to stop and enjoy lake views from various vantage points. Picnic areas and a disabled-accessible fishing pier also invite visitors to linger. The area is off Route T west of Perryville.

University Forest CA in Butler County The federal government originally granted this 7,149-acre area to the University of Missouri, which turned it over to the Conservation Department in 1988. Today, an 18-mile loop trail meanders through the area. On the way, it connects with the Ozark Trail and a trail through the adjoining Wappapello State Park. Horses and bicycles are allowed on designated trails. Visitors can expect to see all manner of forest wildlife, including deer, turkeys, pileated woodpeckers and squirrels. You can reach the area via Routes W, T or KK north of Poplar Bluff.

Conservation Nature Centers in St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield, Cape Girardean and Jefferson City offer extensive networks of developed trails, many of them accessible to people with mobility impairments.

These and other CAs with hiking trails are listed in "Conservation Trails: A Guide to Missouri Department of Conservation Hiking Trails." The 96-page booklet is available for $5 per copy from The Nature Shop, P.O. Box 180, Jefferson City, MO 65102, 877/521-8632, www.mdcnatureshop.com/.

Another source of information about hiking trails on CAs is the online Conservation Atlas, www.missouriconservation.org/atlas.

For more information about National Trails Day and the American Hiking Society, visit www.americanhiking.org/.

- Jim Low -
 

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