One of the coolest nature experiences in the St. Louis area (Metro/Illinois side) lies in Valmeyer…read more The trail is about a mile long but plan to walk at least two miles. Starting at the parking lot, I highly recommend the Salt Lick Trail, which ascends to a hill (lots of steepness!). As you walk further on the trail, you get rewarding views. Near the end of it, you'll get a great view in which, on a clear day, you can see the St. Louis skyline. There are two other trails that link to the Salt Lick Trail. One of them starts at some church in Valmeyer.

This is a moderately challenging trail with lookout points and views in otherwise relatively flat…read morefarming country. The trail is well-marked once you get on the trail. The most challenging and interesting route is to hike up Salt Lick Trail, take a brief left on Newman Trail, and return to your car via the Johnson Trail. The loop is a lot simpler than it sounds (see my Garmin map pic). This resulted in a 3-mile loop with 551 feet of elevation gain, up to a max elevation of 858 ft near the outlook. There are occasional viewpoints with benches all of the way up, with a flat limestone outlook at the point. There are steep areas (and steps with a cable). I would argue that the woods and limestone bluff are more interesting than the surrounding farmland. On your return via the Johnson trail, look up and left at the bluffs to see caves emerging from the historic salt mine. If you take this route, the abandoned salt mine building will be at the end of the Johnson trail, near the parking lot return. It was moderately advanced, and I recommend good hiking boots. Enjoy!

Busy park and trails. Hiking for all levels. We make several trips a year from the Western burbs.read more

I mean. You can never go wrong when you visit this place…read more You think there's nothing more to life? Come here. You can think clearly up here just looking at that view. I had visited 5/18 with a few girlfriends. It had rained a day prior so there definitely were some muddy patches. We also encountered a black snake (too scared to take a picture- I ran away), a dead baby snake, a ton of cicada shells, spider webs in the way of our path, and some bees. We went around 11am and though the high was 84, it wasn't so bad since most of the trail is in the woods. I hadn't been here in a while but it seemed shorter than I remember. If you're looking for an hour-ish long hike, swing on by.

Located about 40 minutes from St. Louis City, you will find Kress Farm Garden Preserve. The drive…read moreis easy and fast (since it's all highway driving). There are a few signs when you turnoff the highway to let you know you are going the correct direction. The entrance is marked with an iron gate. When the gate is open, they are open. No dogs allowed since this is a Nature Preserve. When you drive through the compound, you will pass a pavilion and then reach the parking lot. There are several accessible parking spots first, then parking spots for additional vehicles. One of the employees (possible owner) greeted us in the parking lot, offered directions to the trailhead, and asked how we heard about their place. Very welcoming! Visitors can borrow walking sticks from the pavilion and return before leaving the property. They have several hiking trails that all begin at the same point. We hiked their Blue Trail since we wanted to see the caves on the property. The paths are all very well marked with colored plaques on the trees. The paths are cleared of excess grass, roots, weeds, which makes for a very pleasant hike. This trail went through a cypress forest, which smells like Christmas. After about half mile hike though the woods, there's an offshoot from the main path down to the cliff caves. There are 3 shallow caves to explore. The offshoot to the caves it a bit strenuous. Leave your stroller at the top of the hill. The offshoot added another .2 miles to the hike. They also have plant and vegetable sales on the weekends. Be sure to check out their Instagram @kressfarmgardenpreserve and website for up to date events. Bluebird trail: 2 miles Yellow trail: 3/4 mile Red trail: 1.2 miles White Trail 2.0 miles Blue Trail 1.0 miles

Not gunna lie kinda of sad that I'm writing this review, because it's such an unknown gem. Its not…read moreover flowing with hikers. This place is spacious when it comes to human contact. The trails are all well marked along all pathways, and color coded to the chosen trail. Benches to rest along the way on, or read.... as this bookworm did. It preserved by its keepers. Who manage it very diligently. They have gardens, nurseries, a cute little shop with bird houses and jellies and jams to purchase. They provide walking sticks for the trails as well. This place is truly grand. Thank you for a wonderful day.

We enjoyed a moderately strenuous (to strenuous by Midwest standards) hike on the Green Rock Trail…read moreat Rockwoods. Note that the trail is listed as 8.4 miles out and back on AllTrails, and does not loop back to the office. Near the beginning of the trail, you will see a sign that says "short loop". If you stay on the regular Green Rock Trail (for about 2 miles or so) you will see the other end of the "short loop", which is also marked "to office". This will bring you back to the short loop marking near the entrance, and can make for a 3-4 miles total trip. We hiked beyond this point, then backtracked and returned via the short loop for a total trip distance of 4.38 miles and 807 ft of total ascent. This is some good elevation gain for Missouri. Early Spring was a nice time to hike as it was cool and dry. It was not as pretty, though, as it was still brown from Winter. We look forward to exploring more trails at this location, and seeing what the rest of the park has to offer.

Went here for a nice 3.2 mile loop hike here with the dogs. We passed maybe 4 people on the trail,…read moreit was pretty sparse which was great. It was also convenient because the trail was right inside the park entrance. The hills and valleys were cool to walk though, neat for Missouri lol. The trail was well maintained and easy to follow, not too muddy or buggy early spring. Wish this place was closer, we will be back!

Great hiking and bike riding location. Lots of trees and near Katy trail! Love this place!read more

(AUGUST 2025) I'd never seen the sunflower fields that my friends post about with their children…read moreand families until recently. It almost seemed unbelievable some of the imagery stemming from these 7,000 acres of natural beauty and outdoor recreation in the heart of scenic Missouri wine county. Once you are off highway 40, it's 50-55mph WINE-dy back roads to get there. Once you get into the turn in, it's a graveled road with a trailhead to the Katy Trail. Do not even think about having a clean car upon entering this place. It will get dirty and dusty. There are also (surprisingly) random humans running in the middle of the narrow driveway leading up to the sunflower field and ending at a boat ramp. I never understood why people never stick to one side of the road while on foot amongst VEHICLES. I find my friend and we exit our vehicles to begin our mini photoshoot in the sunflower fields. I felt like Candy(wo)man as the bees tended to the sunflowers while I freaked out thinking they'd sting me with my bright yellow shirt on and black skirt. It was so blissful to see sooo many beautiful BIG butterflies fly around us. The caterpillars were on like every leaf just hanging out like the Caterpillar from Alice in Wonderland. It was nature at its finest. Sunflowers for as far as the eye can see. The sounds of bees (and flies) buzzing about. I tried to relax, and we got a few non-frantic pictures of me. I will wear pants next time and try to relax more. I was invading THEIR space, not the opposite.

This was the last of three trails that we hiked today. Parking spots were so limited but we were…read moreglad that we went around 2pm and were able to find a parking spots for our group. We hiked the western loop today. This trail was only 1 mile total. It has quite some interesting rock formations. There were more falling leaves on this trail than the other two trails we hiked today. The sleep downwardness of this trail was of a great challenge.

This is a great little hike if you want something not too large. It's great as they have two…read moredifferent entrances from either side of the road. The one we chose the waterfall has two different trails. I would say we spent about an hour exploring, but it was also very wet so we took our time. We had children with us and they very much enjoyed it and thought it was a lot of fun exploring There's a lot of beauty and the waterfalls are great, but only Really have the waterfalls when there has been a lot of rain Highly recommend checking it out. It's only about an hour from the St. Louis area.

Nice folks, beautiful setting, and an interesting and unique fishery. What's not to love!read more

Our favorite place to stay when visiting family near Steeleville! Friendly owners, clean and comfy…read more(we usually grab a room in the small Inn but the guest houses look awesome)! I saw they have a conference center I bet this would be the perfect place for company gatherings as well as families!

This was one of three trails our group hiked today. This place is such a good place to see all the…read morerock formations. The hiking trail here was about two miles that we hiked. The view of the leaves changing colors was so pretty and the phone camera does not capture the natural beauty of this place as it should. Seeing this place at this time is quite awesome. The double arch rock formations was a must to see for us today.

Great place for First Day Hike. Two mile loop. Great beginner family friendly trail. Breathtaking…read moreviews. Serene waterfall. Close to St Louis.

This hike is a long time favorite. I remember coming here as a kid having so much fun climbing on…read morethe rocks, it used to take us all day. Now we still go; but just on the full hike so it takes much less time Good for a beginner not too steep or challenging, a modest hike I'd say. You can do this in tennis shoes. It's also a loop, so hard to get lost which is also a plus!

One of my favorite hikes in the area. A little over 2 miles long loop. There are no bathrooms on…read moresite so be sure to use before. The landscape and rock features make it feel like you're a long way from Missouri. Not too crowded and far enough away from the highway to where you can be immersed in the woods. Pets on a leash are welcomed. Leisurely hike with some beautiful scenery.