• Hikes,  Illinois,  Kids,  St. Louis

    Climb to Great Views at Salt Lick Point Trail in Illinois

    Salt Lick Point is a favorite hike of ours on the Illinois side of the metro area. This hike is located on a former quarry site in Valmeyer, Illinois. In fact you can even spy interesting old remainders of this site’s former life. The preserve consists of three different trails. We like to make a loop by hiking a portion of the Salt Lick Trail along the bluffs, continuing along on a section of the Newman Trail, and then completing…

  • Hikes,  Hiking,  Illinois,  Kids,  Trips

    Hike to Scenic Jackson Falls in Southern Illinois

    Shawnee National Forest, Illinois We’ve done a lot of hiking and exploring over the years and one of our favorite spots to spend a day is in the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois. While we have visited many scenic spots including Bell Smith Springs, Garden of the Gods, and Ferne Clyffe, we somehow had never made it over to Jackson Falls. I can’t believe we had missed this awesome trail for so long! The trail starts at a parking…

  • Hikes,  Hiking,  Kids,  Missouri,  St. Louis,  Trips

    Cliff Cave County Park Trail in St. Louis County

    Cliff Cave Park is a St. Louis County Park. The cave has a long and varied history of being used as a tavern in the 1700s, then part of the Cliff Cave Wine Company in the mid 1800s and finally used by Jefferson Barracks soldiers for recreation. In 1969 Cliff Cave was purchased by the county and opened as a park in 1977. Last year the park received upgraded trails and facilities. Two miles of trail extensions were added to…