Have you been wanting to take a hike but don’t know the best places to visit around St. Louis? Maybe you want to find a trail that is kid friendly or one that is not likely to be crowded. Maybe you have seen local pictures of a hiking trail with a beautiful waterfall or stunning overlook and want to know how to get there. The one hiking question I’m asked over and over is how exactly do I find all…
Length: 4 miles or about 2.5 if you use the connector plus an additional 0.6 miles of paved trail round trip from the trail head Difficulty: 3 out of 5, some moderate up and down hills. Can be muddy and slick after a good rain. Scenic Value: 3.5 out of 5 Don Robinson State Park is a site that has been on our bucket list to hike for the past couple years. This newer park located near St. Louis climbs…
Length: 3.4 miles or about 2.5 if you use the connector Difficulty: 3 out of 5, some moderate climbing up to bluffs Scenic Value: 4 out of 5 The area around Castlewood State Park has been a popular escape for St. Louisans for decades. Amid the quiet beauty and wildlife here now, it’s hard to imagine that the park was once the site of a bustling resort that peaked in popularity after World War I. Trains delivered visitors by the…
What do you do when your are feeling like winter is dragging on and you get a sunny 50 degree day in February? If you are a Midwest Nomad, you go hike! We decided to head out Saturday morning to combine two short and easy trails near Alto Pass, Illinois into one morning adventure. These trails are both located in the scenic and diverse Shawnee National Forest boundaries. Both of these trails were new hikes for us which just adds…
Since we have been to Arches National Park three times now (2010, 2012, and 2019) I figured it would be great to condense all that info in to one post on our top picks of places to hike as a family. Since it is impossible to do everything, I’ve also tried to help you select a trail by adding my own personal rating from 1-5 for how easy the trail is (1 being super easy, 5 being more difficult) as…
Day 10 started with a dramatic sunrise view and ended with enjoying our last Utah sunset of the trip. We began our day by leaving the hotel well before sunrise to head out to Dead Horse State Park for some sunrise photos. Dead Horse is well known as a great place to go for sunrise. The sun gradually rises to fill the canyon with golden red light. The wife grabbed some great photos while I entertained the kids on the…
We were excited to start day 9 by showing the kids some areas we had visited before as well as exploring some new discoveries. After grabbing a quick hotel breakfast, we headed back out to Arches National Park to see some sights before the rest of the tourists showed up. The biggest tip I can give for visiting Arches or any National Park is to go early. Drag yourself out of bed at sunrise or before and it will be…
We started out this trip with one last awesome breakfast at the Avon Cafe before bidding a tearful goodbye to my folks as this was the point where we parted ways for awhile. The kids were not happy about this separation from their beloved Nana and Papa. But we made it up to them by telling them that we were headed to a giant sandbox. That “sandbox” being the great state of Utah.