Rosie at Elephant Rocks State Park

On a beautiful February Sunday afternoon, my friend Nick and I took Rosie on her first state parking adventure; to Elephant Rocks State Park in Iron County, Missouri.

Elephant Rocks is notorious for its giant granite boulders – toppled together, seeming to defy gravity as their masses sit precariously on their small, rounded bottoms.

Photo Credit: Missouri State Parks

The park covers approximately 130 acres, and includes an easy-to-walk asphalt trail. Interpretive signs are printed and also presented in Braille. The trail is designed to be handicap accessible, too!

The Funk and her loyal pup...

There are dozens of picnic areas, and visitors can climb and play on the boulders with no restriction.

On Top of the World at Elephant Rocks

The next time you’re looking for an afternoon outdoors, I highly suggest trekking out to small town Missouri to explore Elephant Rocks.

Elephant Rocks State Park is located on Missouri Highway 21 approximately 2.5 miles north of Ironton, Missouri. Want to learn more about Elephant Rocks? Visit them online!

Crossing the Courtois

Two weeks ago I set out to hike the Ozark Trail from Onondaga Cave State Park to the Narrows Trail Head. This section of the Courtois (pronounced code-a-way) Section of the Ozark Trail is considered mile 0-7.6, and fair warning: it involves a “creek” crossing that’s more like a river expedition. For the full story, you should pick up the April issue of River Hills Traveler, but the short story is this: The Courtois Creek is not just a creek – it’s a large creek. It’s a creek that, on a map, looks roughly the same width as the Meremac River.

I can imagine that crossing the Courtois in the heat of Missouri summer would have felt great…refreshing…awesome. Crossing the creek in early March on a 40-degree day was chilly…bitter…freezing. The first five miles or so of the hike – from Onondaga Cave State Park to the Courtois Creek – wasn’t bad. The highest elevation was approximately 900 feet, and much of the trail was wide and gravel-covered. There were some fun rock formations and cliffs, and even a few small springs and caves. There’s a beautiful pine glade several miles into the hike that would make a lovely picnic spot, but beware that in the late summer months, there are also spiders as big as your head. *** I estimate that I’ve now hiked somewhere around 45 miles of the Ozark Trail’s 350 total miles. Fore more posts about my Ozark Trail adventures, see my Ozark Trail page. For longer, print stories on my Ozark Trail expeditions, pick up the February or April issues of River Hills Traveler.

Small town Missouri simply doesn’t stop surprising me. On a recent visit to Washington State Park in DeSoto, Missouri, I learned that Missouri is home to 500-2,000-year-old petroglyphs created by Native Americans. Washington State Park is one of only two parks in Missouri that holds such carvings. The Missouri State Parks website says that the carvings were likely created at around 1,000 A.D.

I’m no expert on rock carvings or Native American history, so my perspective on these petroglyphs is 100% laymen; these things are rockin’. (I’m so clever, hehe). According to mostateparks.org, Washington State Park is home to the largest group of petroglyphs in Missouri, and helped earn the park a place on the National Register of Historic Places.

I’m accustomed to Missouri’s State Parks having good trails, nice fishing areas, and even camp sites. I truly had no idea that any of our parks had petroglyphs, and I drive past Washington State Park as often as two or three times per week.

If you’re interested in learning more about Missouri State Parks and the petroglyhps in Washington State Park, I recommend taking a look at the Missouri State Parks homepage.

Starburst - (Not Photoshopped), photo by smalltowngirl

St. Francois State Park was a pleasant surprise. This park sits directly on US Highway 67 north of Bonne Terre, Missouri, and I’ve driven past it countless times through the years without ever visiting it. The park boasts four trails ranging in length from .5-mile (Missouri Trail) to 11-miles (Pike Run Trail).

Frozen, photo by smalltowngirl

The first hike we took was along the Mooner’s Hollow Trail, a 2.7-mile loop that though judged moderate in difficulty on the MO State Parks website, seemed to me to be easy-to-moderate. There weren’t many steep inclines, and there weren’t many roots or larger rocks along the trail.

Rushing Water, photo by smalltowngirl

Much of the trail followed a dry creek bed, so I anticipate that this trail may be best hiked during dryer months. Mooner’s Hollow Trail follows Coonville Creek in the Coonville Creek Natural Area.

Missouri Hills, photo by smalltowngirl

St. Francois State Park is one of 83 State Parks in the state of Missouri. The park boasts more than 2,700 acres of land, and welcomes hikers, horseback riding, fishing, camping, picnicking and swimming. There are shower houses and out buildings in the park. The park currently opens at 8 am and closes at 6 pm.

The

smalltowngirl w/mountain lion decor, photo by smalltowngirl's friend

Baylee Jo’s BBQ & Grill is quite possibly some of the best food I’ve had since moving home. I had a bbq pork sandwich and curly fries. I expected the sandwich to be pulled pork, but it wasn’t. It was sliced pork, and it was really, really good.

Baylee Jo's BBQ, photo by smalltowngirl

My friends got BBQ beef, baked pototos, stuffed jalapenos, and hamburgers. Everyone raved about the food. After a long day of swimming and playing at Johnson Shut-Ins, ice cream was a non-negotiable, so we all enjoyed soft serve twist cones, as well.

My favorite part of Baylee Jo’s though was the mountain lion pelt, though the giant bottle of Heinz ketchup was almost as amusing. Some days I’m reminded very blatently that I’m not in New York City anymore. And you know what? Some days I’m totally okay with that.

Beauty in the BBQ Sign, photo by smalltowngirl

Baylee Jo’s BBQ & Grill is located in Arcadia Valley, MO on State Hwy 21. For more on Baylee Jo’s, check out their website: http://www.bayleejosbbq.com/

I jogged on the trail a few times in high school, and took my mountain bike there for my first ride on it when I was in my early twenties.  Since moving back to Missouri, I’ve ridden the full trail twice.

St. Joe State Park Map, Credit: Missouri State Parks

If you’re not up for the full 14 miles, you can park at several points along the trail, and ride out half your intended distance before doubling back. If you’re in reasonably good shape, though, I’d do the full loop.

I’ve ridden this starting in Farmington, crossing US Hwy 67, and entering the park at the Farmington Trail head at the Southeast corner of the map.  By starting in Farmington, you can add a couple more miles to the ride.

I’ve also parked at the Old Mines entrance at the Northern edge of the park and ridden the loop. If you intend to ride the full 14 miles, where you start the ride is secondary, in my opinion, to which direction you ride in once you’re on the trail.

St. Joe State Park Bicycle Trail, photo by smalltowngirl

Riding the trail counterclockwise, according to this map view, you’ll encounter several long, low-grade uphills. If you ride clockwise, on the other hand, you’ll hit two hills that are neither terribly long nor terribly steep.

The asphalt is smooth;  fit for road bikes or hybrids, though I only have a mountain bike, and it works out fine as well. Because there’s a large area for riding ORVs in the center of the park, beware that on dry, windy winds, you’ll be riding through a lot of dust when you’re riding past Missouri Mines.

Missouri Mines from St. Joe State Park Bicycle Trail, photo by smalltowngirl

St.  Joe State Park can be accessed from several towns in the area, including Farmington, Park Hills, and Leadington. Parking is available at the trail heads, and there is at least one point along the trail (I believe it’s at the Harris Branch Trail Head) where clean drinking water is available.

Madison County Cemetery, photo by smalltowngirl

I wanted to brush up on my own Memorial Day knowledge, so I did a little research online. This story from CNN gives a concise overview of the history of Memorial Day. Take a look. 

Among other things I learned reading was that the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery was identified as a St. Louis, Missouri-born pilot. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier now lays empty, and the soldier is buried somewhere in St. Louis. I learn something new about my hometown and my home state all of the time.

Madison County Cemetery, photo by smalltowngirl

My parents and I visited the cemeteries today where my paternal grandparents and maternal grandmother are buried. One of the cemeteries we visited was in Madison County, Missouri, an area hit especially hard by the May 8th storms. 

We drove through Fredericktown, a town that I spent a good deal of my childhood in, and I was taken aback at the damage remaining even now, more than two weeks after the storm. More on that later.

Memorial Day Cemetery, Madison County, MO, photo by smalltowngirl

For now, I’m thankful to be back in this small town, where I was able to go with my family to honor my grandfather, a WWII veteran, and my grandmothers. I’m thankful that my brother, my grandfather, and so many more like them who have made careers of service. I’m not very patriotic by nature, but I realize that without our military, this would be a very different country to call home.

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.

The top 10 things I’d encourage you to see, do, and experience in and around this small town:

1. Millstream Gardens State Conservation Area, seven miles West of Fredericktown, Missouri on Highway 72.

2. A drive through Downtown Farmington

3. Bauhaus Coffee

4. The Factory

5. Elephant Rocks State Park

6. Bonne Terre Mines

7. Farmington Farmer’s Market (Saturdays and Wednesday in Spring and Summer)

8. Farmington’s Mennonite Farmer’s Market, Ole Tyme Pantry

9. Crown Valley Winery

10. 12 West for dinner and drinks