I went here with a group for hiking today. It has a lot of different trails. Our group did the Whispering pines trail today as one of our three trails that we hikied. It was close to 4 miles long. The leaves were so pretty during today fall weather. Crossing the water was a great experience here. Parking can be harder at times due to the parking space availability and how popular this location is. There were several locations for a nice picnic. Some people in our hiking group camp here last night as well. read more

Hawn State Park - Parks Near Me - Sainte Genevieve, Missouri

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Beautiful Park near St. Genevieve. Play area for kids. Facilities near play area and parking. Enjoy a peaceful walk

Hawn is easily a favorite place to hike! The trails are well marked. Though if you go in the Fall leaves may make trails a bit ambiguous. There are several backpacking sites for camping. I plan to have my very first backpack adventure at HSP this Spring! Combine north and south loops for about 10 miles with tons of visual interest. It's easy to get lost in the beautiful look out views, rock formations to climb and small waterways to find your way across and walk along. Amount of water will depend on recent rainfall. Me and my SO hike regularly and hike it with ease without trekking poles, though these could be helpful for some. We take plenty of water and snacks. Choose HSP for your next hike and bring a friend! read more

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Nice,well maintained park. The trails are awesome Park sits out in the middle of no where so make sure you have what you need read more

What a perfect state Park to picnic, hike or camp! Clean and it looks like you need to make reservations early! What a beautiful spot! The water was down yet still a wonderful place! read more

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My boyfriend wanted to go camping for his birthday, so we spent this past weekend at Hawn State Park. The campsites were very nice: soft, grassy ground and nice and flat, but a bit closer together than the map let on - it is not to scale and I wasn't expecting to be right in there with everyone else. The campground was packed and there were lots of families and lots of very loud kids, which wasn't ideal for us, but that's not the park's fault (and they quieted down at bedtime). We noticed there were some campsites that were nice and secluded, but they were walk-ins (not reservable). They were tucked away from a lot of the hubbub and I kind of wish we had gone with that route (there were three of the five open). We also learned there are campsites on the trail that you backpack to and are free of cost. We didn't get to see them this time around but I anticipate that's what we will go with next time, since it will be secluded...and free! I don't know if there is a way to know ahead of time if there are people on those trail sites or not, though. Either way, we will go with a walk-in or the trail site next time - I'm sure one of these would be available. They had a bathhouse if you can't go without showering for a weekend, and two bathrooms without running water (a.k.a. you hold your nose, relieve yourself in a melting pot of unflushed poo, and hope you remember your hand sanitizer because there is no sink). Eh, better than popping a squat behind a tree, I guess. They have a rod iron fire ring with a grill for cooking, which prepared my Busch's Homestyle Cooked Baked Beans with Bacon and a Hint of Maple Syrup quite nicely. There's a paved driveway, a picnic table, and a post with a hook on it, I guess to hang your trashbags so the 'coons don't get to it...or for whatever else you want to hang, I suppose. They have basic as well as electric campsites if you're a p*ssy and camp in an RV. Just kidding. I'm just jealous I don't have an RV. But D and I are all about roughin' it. Trails: they have many different lengths of trails. We hiked the Pickle Creek trail because it was short, scenic, and I liked the name. PICKLES. These trails are not for the faint of heart, folks! They are not flat, they are not easy. Variable terrain, some steep hills, and at times we had to climb over boulders. To cross over at the end of Pickle Creek trail to a different trail to head back, we had to cross the river...no bridge. Climbing over logs and hopping on slippery moss-covered rocks. Yup. There was a family of two small children, a man, a woman, a baby strapped to the woman, and a dog that took this trail behind us. Either the Blair Witch got them or they turned around early on because I didn't see or hear them after about five minutes. Not exactly family friendly hiking. But D and I loved it. The Pickle Creek trail was mostly along their really lovely creek of the same name and the northernmost branch of the Whispering Pines north loop that we used to get back was equally beautiful, with some gorgeous cliff views. Another tip: Print out and bring your email confirmation of your reserved campsite. Don't assume that they know what's going on on their end. We called on the way there to let them know when we'd be coming and double check which campsite we had, and they told us over the phone what ended up being the wrong number site. So when we showed up and someone was in that spot, we tried to talk to the campground host, who was a bit of an ass at first, and berated me for not bringing something in writing. Luckily his wife actually used her brain and confirmed who I was on the clipboard of reserved campers. Everything was smooth sailing after that and they were quite pleasant, but he copped quite an attitude with me at first (interrupting me, telling me there was "nothing they could do" since I didn't have a printout....rude). So just bypass all the bullshit and bring a printout. Also, they have firewood and ice for sale, and there is a Wal-Mart 10 minutes away in Farmington with a great camping section, an overwhelming amount of camo gear, and all the hoosier-watching you could ever hope for. BOTTOM LINE: - Great camping, though go for the walk-ins or the trail camping, unless you want to hear a dozen elementary school kids play "Ghosts in the Graveyard" for 3 hours. - Fantastic hiking, but make sure you can pass a basic fitness test before attempting it. - Make like a Boy Scout (with which you are probably familiar if you are camping) and be prepared. Bring a print-out of your reservation, because dudes be trippin'. - Devin and I enjoyed ourselves enough that we will be back for some backpacking. - Busch's Homestyle Cooked Baked Beans with Bacon and a Hint of Maple Syrup are really good. But make sure you're not stuck in a tent with little ventilation after someone ate half of the jumbo can. Sorry, Devin. read more

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New to me, Hawn offers great hiking with beautiful views. Much of Missouri hiking only offers 1-4 mile trails that aren't laid out well. Hawn offers shorter distances but have both a 6 and 10 mile loop. The trails have quite a few large hills but you are never walking directly up hill for long. The trail routes give you a nice more gradual climb. I tend to like a hot shower and a comfy bed after hiking all day but if you don't like showers and beds at the end of hiking.- then Hawn offers nice backpacking as well as a good amount of camper camping. I don't know about you but I prefer my nature without tourists and cell phones ringing. I was there on a nice over cast Saturday and we didn't see many other people on the trail, except the Sierra club. Hawn is also easy to get to from St. Louis, just over an hour. A nice drive to boot. read more

What do you do over Christmas break when it's 17 degrees outside? Drive an hour to Hawn State Park and hike, of course. This was the perfect little escape to alleviate my cabin fever. I've hiked a good number of trails around the area, and Hawn's Whispering Pines trail is in my top 5 for the following reasons: 1. It's challenging. Not over-the-top, but hopping over tree trunks, climbing a few slippery rocks, steep declines, a couple of tough inclines -- this is a good trail to feel like you're actually getting a bit of a workout. 2. It's clearly marked. No second guessing or wondering if I'd end up eating my hiking partner if we took a wrong turn. 3. Nice scenery. This is a very pretty area. There's a waterfall, tons of pine trees, good views. I'd love to visit during a different season to see what it looks like when things aren't frozen over, and I'd love to camp here. That said, it was a great setting for a winter hike. Unfortunately, the wineries and restaurants were all closed because we went on a Monday, but you should plan to go on a weekend and make a big day of it. Chaumette, Charleville, Crown Valley, and other stops aren't far away. read more

Quiet,clean, spread out, great hiking... all so close to home! We love all there is to do here, including doing nothing, and you will too!

Been camping here for years always a good time the camp host are very nice and helpful!

This a hikers paradise. I've been here three times, twice with our daughter. I have a friend who is an avid hiker and this is one of his favorite parks. We're not serious hikers at all (tennis shoes), but we loved it. This park is under an hour from our home near 55 and 270, so it's an easy day trip. There are trails ranging from 1.5 to 9 miles here, with bluffs, a beautiful creek, lots of gorgeous pines, nice picnic areas and camping. The last two visits, we hiked the Pickle Creek trail. When our daughter was two, it was too difficult for her and I ended up carrying her. She had a great time splashing around in the creek and playing in a couple of very small sand "beaches" though. This past visit was much better (she's almost six). We hiked up the Pickle Creek trail again and came back on the other side of the creek. That trail takes you way up to the top of the hill where there are some nice bluffs and views. She was exhausted by the end of the loop, which in total ws maybe 1.5 or 2 miles. There are a couple of big drops on the hillside trail, so take that into consideration if you have kids under 5 or so. On my first visit, I did the 6 mile north loop, which takes you to the top of a hill and offers some amazing views. Definitely worth the drive. To fill out your day, you can easily add the Pickle Springs Natural Area, a couple of miles west. read more