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Don Robinson State Park LaBarque Hills Trail
Don Robinson State Park has quickly become a popular hiking destination due to its proximity to St. Louis. While most people tend to explore the Sandstone Canyon Trail, the LaBarque Hills Trail is also worth a hike. While the LarBarque Hills Trail does not have the dramatic canyons and waterfalls on the Sandstone Trail, it has it’s own sense of beauty as the trail passes up and down hills and around a scenic creek. If you visit at the right…
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A Frozen Fairytale at Lake Geneva’s Ice Castles
A couple years ago I had seen amazing photos of the intricate ice castles created each winter at several locations throughout the country. This award winning attraction is built using hundreds of thousands of icicles grown and hand-placed by professional ice artists. The ice sculptures include tunnels , slides, and thousands of LED lights. I immediately added the experience to our adventure bucket list and this year we were able to finally attend. Despite the windchill falling below zero, we…
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Explore a Box Canyon Waterfall at Hickory Canyons Natural Area
Located near other spectacular hiking areas in Missouri such as Pickle Springs and Hawn State Park is a less well known hidden gem. Hickory Canyons Natural Area shares some of the the same scenery with dramatic box canyons, dripping waterfalls, and lush vegetation. This area is beautiful in all seasons. Spring and summer bring waterfalls and lots of green. A cold enough winter means dramatic ice formations are possible. A dusting of snow can turn the area in a winter…
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10 Amazing Winter Hikes near St. Louis
Don’t let the cold weather scare you away from hitting one of the great trails around St. Louis. Winter can be a perfect time for venturing outdoors. Not only are the ticks and oppressive heat absent, but so are the crowds. Some of the outstanding views that are normally blocked by vegetation are now wide open. Just spending time outside can also be a wonderful way to beat the winter blues. Here are 10 amazing trails near St. Louis well…
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Explore an Ancient Civilization at Cahokia Mounds
Long before Europeans arrived to America, the area just east St. Louis was home to an ancient culture. Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site in southern Illinois preserves the central section of the largest prehistoric Native American city north of Mexico. The city grew to cover 4,000 acres with a population of between ten and twenty thousand at its peak around 1100. Today the site preserves 70 of the original 120 earthen mounds built by pre-historic Native Americans. Dominating the site is Monks…
