Location – 4/5 This trail was located off highway 44 or 55 but decently easy to get to. This was a popular mountain biking and trail running trail, but it was also a great backpacking trail if you wanted to get in some miles. The trailhead was near the Berryman campground and there was plenty of parking. Campground – 3/5 Brazil Creek Campground We backpacked for 3 days and 2 nights. The first night we Continue Reading
St. Francois State Park
Location – 5/5 St. Francois was a campground we decided to visit because it was only 45 minutes from our house. The state park is located in Bonne Terre, MO off Highway 67. The drive was very easy. Campground – 3/5 The sites at St. Francois are fairly close together, which is normal for a state park. We had enough room for our things but no room to spare. We camped at the north loop Continue Reading
Oak Point Campground
Location – 3/5 We visited Oak Point Campground for an easy weekend getaway. This park is located near Golcanda, IL and is about 10 minutes from Lake Glendale swimming area. Lake Glendale area is a quick detour off Interstate 24 and decently easy to find. Campground – 4/5 One of the nice things about these campsites are the simplicity of them. There’s not much around but a nice flat private area, which is really all Continue Reading
Sam A. Baker State Park
Location – 5/5 We visited Sam A. Baker State Park for Memorial Day weekend, our first car camping of the season. The state park is located in Patterson, MO off Highway 67. The drive was straight forward and very easy. Campground – 3/5 We camped on the largest camping holiday weekend of the year, so it may have been a bit more crowded than usual, but the entire campground was packed! This included very drunken, Continue Reading
Garden of the Gods in Shawnee National Forest
Location – 5/5 Garden of the Gods is about an hour away from I57 interstate and was a very simple drive. There was a dedicated overnight backpackers parking area, though during busy times the day hikers take up spots. The official trail is 6.4 miles and seemed to be pretty accurate. Campground – 5/5 Most of the campsites were right on the trail, except the one we stayed at. It was about 30-40 feet off Continue Reading
Whispering Pines Trail at Hawn State Park
Location – 5/5 Hawn State Park was suggested to us over and over so we decided to check it out. The Whispering Pines Trail consists of 10 campsites which requires a permit to stay overnight, and they go quickly, so be sure to sign up early. The AllTrails mileage is off based on the route I created (5.8 mi. in from trailhead to campsite 10, 1.5 mi. out) compared to reality (7.6 mi. in, 2 Continue Reading
Panther Den Wilderness
Location – 5/5 This site was close to a friend’s house, and his introduction to backpacking, so something close is always nice. Panther Den Wilderness official trail is only around 2-3 miles so we custom made a new route to be in the 10 mile range. The AllTrails mileage and elevation is off (5.44 mi. in, 3.95 mi. out, 1181 ft. elevation) compared to my watch (6.5 mi. in, 4.8 mi. out, 1339 ft. elevation). Continue Reading
Cedar Creek Trail
Location – 4/5 We called an audible for this place due to possible tornadoes in the area we had planned to go. The drive out was pretty easy as we just stayed on Interstate 64 a majority of the way and we parked by the church on the side of the road by the trailhead. There was no designated parking at this trailhead, but we ran into no issues. We planned out around a 5 Continue Reading
Bell Mountain Wilderness and Trail
Location – 4/5 This was our very first overnight backpacking trip ever. We didn’t know what to expect or what we were doing at all but we decided to suck it up and give it a shot. We decided our first foray into backpacking would be just a short ~5 mile each way out and back. Getting to the trailhead was not bad, but just a few long and winding roads. Parking was fine when Continue Reading
Maramec Spring Park
Location – 5/5 We visited Maramec Spring Park as part of a non-school sponsored gathering as COVID had prevented everyone from seeing each other for almost 7 months. The quarantine afterwards was almost worth it so the kids could finally play with other humans. Maramec Spring Park is located in St. James, MO and right off Highway 44. Campground – 4/5 The campground we stayed at was a big loop with a large open area in Continue Reading