Missouri has an outstanding state park system, with 83 total parks and historic sites. The parks are generally safe and clean, and they hold miles and miles of trails for walking and hiking. Hawn State Park is one of the larger parks in the area. It’s 4,953 acres boast hiking, camping, and picnicking.
Pickle Creek, photo by smalltowngirl
Pickle Creek, which runs through the park, crosses the trails in several places, creating a sense of adventure for the novice hiker, as stepping (or leaping, when the water is higher) across large rocks is a requirement of continuing down the trail. This photo is of the first creek crossing we came to:
Creek Crossing, photo by smalltowngirl
I’ve been coming to Hawn State Park off and on since I started driving, at 16 years old. The trails have changed a bit, as errosion has affected some of the steeper trails. The dogwood tree is the state tree of Missouri. The view from this bluff today was made more beautiful thanks to the white flowers on the dogwood trees:
Flowering Dogwood Trees from Bluff, photo by smalltowngirl
While I can’t verify this, I believe that the first six miles or so of trail would be Class 1. I hiked today in trail running shoes, though boots, particulary water proof ones, would have proven helpful in a few spots. I can’t vouch for the other four miles of trail, though my friend claims that they do get more difficult as the trail goes deeper into the park.
Profile in the side of a rock, photo by smalltowngirl
According to the park map, there is a total 10 miles of hiking along a large figure eight trail. At least one shorter trail exists. My friend and I hiked half of one of the two looped trails that make up the larger figure eight. Trail signs recommend that you allow up to nine hours to hike the full 10 miles, though based on my experience this afternoon, I think that nine hours is a very conservative hike time.
Trail Head, photo by smalltowngirl
Hawn State Park is located 60 miles south of St. Louis between Farmington and Ste. Genevieve, Missouri, in Ste. Genevieve County. The drive from Farmington is roughly 20 minutes, while the drive from the intersection of Hwy 32 and Interstate 55 is slightly shorter. The park is located off of Route 144, which can be reached from Missouri State Highway 32 in Ste. Genevieve County. Find detailed directions here.
This small town girl recommends Hawn State Park for longer, overnight hikes, as well as for family picnics and day trips.
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Do you know that we have lived in this city since about 1975, and you teach me things every day that I didn’t know??? Keep teaching me! Love your photo’s – looks very beautiful and serene!
Two posts on Hawn State Park in one day. Heh. I hiked the whole 10 miles on Saturday:
http://lifeingaltsgulch.wordpress.com/2009/04/27/hawn-state-park-25-april-2009/
Nice post!
[...] that one of my favorite things to do on the weekends is to get outside. Last weekend, I hiked in Hawn State Park and took a 20ish-mile bike ride in St. Joe State Park. This weekend, I hit the trails at Pickle [...]
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