Are you looking for a new place to hike in Missouri? If your answer is “yes,” lace up your boots, fill up your water bottle, strap on your pack, and head on over to the Buford Mountain Conservation Area. Located 97 miles south of St Louis, the area features the state’s third highest peak — 1,740-foot Buford Mountain, incredible views of the Arcadian and Belleview valleys, and a strenuous 10.2-mile day hike.
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Known as “the personification of the wilderness defender,” Sigurd F. Olson’s path took him to many occupations: writer and conservationist, teacher and dean, wilderness guide and backcountry woodsman. Learn more about his wilderness icon.
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Are you looking for a place to hike, fish, and paddle in the Midwest? If your answer is “yes,” look no further than Crane Lake. Set within the Mark Twain National Forest, this day use area features some nice trails, a small but scenic lake, and some picturesque shut-ins. And with the area being located two hours south of St. Louis, chances are you’ll find some solitude, too.
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Spending five days a week in the woods as a park ranger is a great gig, but since I work in an urban area, by the time my weekend rolls around I’m looking to escape the noise and crowds. Located in the Ozark Hills, the 5,114-acre Trail of Tears State Forest is one of the most scenic and least visited outdoor areas in Illinois.
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Sure, we’d all rather be out on the trail running, hiking, biking, camping or paddling, but then there are those times when we’re stuck in our tents during a rainstorm, forced inside because of a snowstorm, or we find ourselves housebound recovering from an injury. If you need a quick escape to the outdoors, pick up one of these trail reads.
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At scenic Taum Sauk Mountain State Park, just a short two-hour drive from St. Louis, I was able to view the “Show Me State’s” longest waterfall and trek its toughest trail. It offers some of the best dayhiking in Missouri.
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Are you looking to camp and hike in the Land of Lincoln? If your answer is, “yes,” lace up your boots because here are three of the Prairie State’s best just a couple of hours from Chicago!
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Are you looking for a place to camp, hike and float in the Ozarks? If your answer is yes, look no further than Washington State Park. Located 50 miles south of St. Louis, the 2,032-acre park is a combination of high bluffs, wooded ravines, and Native American petroglyphs.
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Are you looking for a place to canoe, cave and hike in the Midwest? If your answer is yes, lace up your boots, pack up you gear and head over to Meramec State Park, south of St. Louis.
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