This is a spectacular park! I wish I knew about it years ago. If you get a chance, check out the…read moreSt. Charles County Parks site and find a Ranger guided bird tour. Bring some water, save a map, note the restrooms. Plenty of trails, tables, trees. Parking is good. Be prepared for a 2-lane winding road to get here.

Great park for pictures. Go to the area with the bathrooms and two swings, walk down pavement to…read morethe sand area beautiful water and views! The bathrooms avoid, very gross and filled with wasps and stink bugs. So we changed in parking lot.

I visited this state park today with my dog. The parking spot is minimal, and when I came in today,…read moreit was busy and barely had a spot. I'm glad one of the hikers left, as I was looking for a parking spot. If, by chance, you go to this state park and all the paved parking spots are taken, there is an extra lot for unpaved parking spaces just before you exit the park. There would be a designed sign for it. I did the Red Trail, a 4-mile loop that took about an hour and forty minutes of unhurried hiking. I took plenty of breaks in between to enjoy the scenery and the breath of fresh air. I'm glad I have explored this park, and I recommend this to those looking for a new trail to explore in the city of STL. It is worth the hike and sweats! The trails and the park are pet-friendly, so bring your fur babies on your hike.

My wife and I hike here all the time. It is usually packed on the weekends. We like to come here…read moreduring the week when there is less foot traffic. Their trails are nice and clean of brush. Plenty of variety for mileage of hiking. They also have tables for pinics and more. Plenty of parking and well kept up park!

This cave tour was spectacular, and having visited Bridal Cave recently, we have a local reference…read morepoint. The tour is almost a mile in length and involves some flights of stairs and some steep grades. It took 1.5 hrs, and there were about 6 tours running per day. They start with a short instructional video. The tour is fantastic with plenty of discussion about how caves form and the history of the land. The lighted accents present expansive areas of the cave, some hundreds of yards across. This cave should be a national monument. Not to be missed.

What an amazing place. I learned a lot and our tour guide was wonderful. It was our anniversary, so…read morethe private tour was just what we needed!!

Terrific place to camp! All of the campsites are fairly secluded, unlike some campgrounds that jam…read moresites side by side. Clean restrooms and showers. Lots of flat-ish paved roadways to bicycle. Some of the campsites have decks for pitching a tent! All sites are shaded and situated in the woods. River access is only for powered john boats and the like. I wish there was a dedicated trail or roadway to the creek, which is a nice place to swim and relax when it is hot.

Came to traditional camp for 14 days. I reserved my two weeks online and paid for them. I stayed…read morethe first week alone and the second week with my young son. Never once did a camp host come by in the first 7 days. Never once did they change the numbers on my pole. It still had dates from months ago. On day 7 while I was putting up second tent for my son a very angry man stopped by in a golf cart. He was yelling about us leaving in a day. I explained to him we had the lot for two weeks and offered proof by receipt in my email. He got even angrier and threatened me with some man name Mike paying me a visit!?!? After he realized he was wrong he tried to tell us we could not have two tents. Not true. I had to show him proof on my phone. Then he tried to tell us our tent we just put up was in the wrong place. It was not. I showed him the lot map. The man seemed intoxicated but I'm not sure. After he left he went to the next lot and yelled at that man . I personally have never been treated so rude. This place has no real camp host. This place has no hospitality. The camp host from lot #20 is a real creep. There is something not right with him mentally and I suggest others do not camp near lot #20 camp host. The camp host at lot #20 needs to be fired. He should not be around families or children. Beware of this park for many reasons. 1) camp host lot #20 2) homeless 3) dirty , trash everywhere. 4) no good trails 5) no water access 6) pot smoke and meth smoke in the air at night 7) camp host #20 8) camp sites are uneven mud pits Untill this park puts real camp host in place it will remain a dump. Beware. Stay away

We visited on a beautiful Friday evening for the (free!) Wildflower Concert Series. There was…read moreplentiful free parking and space to enjoy the live music as well as the beautiful natural landscaping and flowers. We brought a blanket, chairs and picnic dinner. There are shaded pavilions with picnic tables. There are "real" bathrooms. There was food and drinks available for purchase as part of the event. Staff were very friendly and helpful. We did not hike this visit but they have nice hiking trails. No pets allowed, except service animals.

The nature reserve is easy to access off I-44. There is even a gas station at that intersection to…read moreget anything you might need before entering. At the entrance is the visitor's center which has bathrooms, souvenirs, educational materials, maps and where you pay the $5 entrance fee unless you're a MoBot member. They give you a token to allow the entrance gate to open. Within 30 seconds of being in the reserve, I saw a male cardinal and a red wing blackbird. Then I heard mourning doves. Later I saw a squirrel, Monarch butterfly, and a white butterfly. I spied Shortleaf pine trees, too. There are so many colorful wildflowers. If you have limited mobility the Whitmere wildflower garden is a good place to start. The parking lot is loose, small gravel and the path is a mix of packed and small loose gravel. Also the wetlands area has disabled parking and a .75 mile packed gravel trail to the boardwalk. Able-bodied folks have many trails with varying levels of difficulty to hike. Disabled folks can enjoy the view from the paved road and there are a few spots that are disabled accessible to enjoy nature up close. You can see quite a bit from your vehicle, where speed limits are 15 mph. Plan about 90 mins to 2 hours if you are doing the easier walks. Bring plenty of water, sunscreen, and bug spray.

A beautiful small town on the Mighty Missouri River with an old world German charm. The hilly…read moredowntown makes for gorgeous river views from many of the old buildings and restaurants. The people are visitor friendly and there are lots of shops and restaurants worth looking up and visiting. The parks and plazas are pretty cool. The newer sections of the town are quite nice with modern urban sprawl. The road network is pretty good and you might find some traffic slow downs during rush hours. The city has all of the usual major and common stores but I urge time in the old downtown area to really enjoy yourself! I wanted to try more of the restaurants and taverns, but not enough hours!

Small River City Town on the Missouri River with a proud German heritage. Quaint downtown area…read morewith numerous restaurants and bars. The Route 47 bridge was opened in late 2018 with the old truss bridge imploded on April 11, 2019.

We visited Simpson Park for Open Space STL's Paddle After Dark July 2026 fundraising event…read more"supporting conservation and clean water initiatives across our region." This included a 1-hour canoe rental for two from Big Muddy Adventures. I should start by saying that I was impressed that this park is so accessible to St. Louis City and County residents (near 141 and 44). It is well-maintained with a playground, walking paths, bathrooms (clean and well-stocked), a large covered shelter with picnic tables and a lovely lake with kayak/canoe rentals. Fishing is allowed. It was a hot day, but we enjoyed sitting in the shade, canoeing around the little lake and later seeing the sun set over the lake. I would like to return again and walk around the lake with our dog and then perhaps have a picnic on one of the covered picnic tables with a view of the lake.

My mom and I have been coming here for years, and wow it has really really grown (literally)…read more There's a great walking path around the lake, but you can't see it with the growth of the trees/ brush. It's a great distance to get some steps in, and if you want to continue your steps, you can head across Marshall near the water. It's clean, lots of wildlife, and a really lovely spot. I believe they also have the option of renting kayaks to go on the lake. If you're the outdoorsy type, it's worth checking out! Great spot to get together with friends and family.

This park has a special place in our heart because our daughter grew up going here! It's very small…read morebut it has everything you need. It's especially perfect for younger kiddos- probably 2-7 range. My only complaint is that I feel like it needs some upkeep. Recently I've noticed the playground is falling apart under the swings and they've removed one of the swings. Issue love to see some TLC on this playground!

This park is literally a hidden gem in Eureka. Its Not large but has 2 cute pavilions and a…read moreplayground. There's a walking path and 2 dog parks. My friend renting one of the pavilions said they were a decent price to rent. Very cute!

It's a beautiful, serene park with hiking trails, pavilions with grills, electricity, tables &…read morebenches. Nice playgrounds. And bathrooms are available. There's fishing lakes but we didn't have time to give it a try on this trip. All in all it's a beautiful location.

Really nice play area if you have kids, beautiful little lake to fish in. Nice walking path, not…read moremuch shade. Great place to ride a bike or have a picnic

Another beautiful St. Louis County "park"/trail. There are a couple of picnic tables near the…read moreparking lot along with portable toilets. Otherwise, this "park" is really just a trail head and parking lot. The trail is open to bikes, horses, & pedestrians. Take the gradually descending path a half mile from the parking lot to the scenic overlook. From there, the terrain changes from a steep bluff into a gradual slope resulting in a leisurely hike through the woods. Two miles from the scenic overview, the Bluff View trail ties into the Al Foster trail. It was a great family hike and I can see this trail becoming one of our family's favorites.