Castlewood State Park - April 2009 Hike
April 11, 2009
11:00 am
Weather: Clear, 57F
Castlewood State Park Trails
We hiked both the River Scene and Lone Wolf Trails on a beautiful, sunny April morning. The trails were a bit muddy in several stretches due to several days of rain we saw through the week. This seemed to pose more of a problem for bikers than it did for us...until Laurie cajoled me into climbing down a bank next to the river to take a picture. The dialogue was something like this; "Oh, it doesn't look too bad...give me the camera, I'll go down there...". Well, I was stupid enough to climb...I mean slide down to a spot that was twice as much fun to climb up.
The River Scene trail parallels the north side of the Meramec River, running atop a ridgeline overlooking the river, and looping back between the river shoreline and Union Pacific railway. The view atop the ridgeline provides a very nice 180 degree panorama of the river at several points. This is definitely the most scenic trail in the park.
All trails were well maintained and clear of fallen trees and there is a good variety of scenery, from densely wooded areas to nice openings. On the lower portion of the River Scene trail we saw several large patches of blue bells and a few interestingly knarled trees. There is also quite a bit of Union Pacific traffic rambling through the park.
This park seems to get a lot of traffic, which could be annoying if you're seeking a peaceful getaway. That said, all the hikers and bicyclists we ran across where polite and courteous.
If you live in the St. Louis area, Castlewood State Park is great place to kill a morning, afternoon, or both. Read more...
