Castlewood State Park

Castlewood State Park has to be one of the busiest state parks in Missouri.  The beautiful park located along the Meramec River in St. Louis County offers visitors a little bit of everything.  Castlewood is a premier mountain biking destination, offers tremendous hiking options, as well as picnicking, fishing, birdwatching, and other outdoor leisure activities.  It is usually a busy place, especially on weekends in spring or fall.

I figured with the overnight snowfall of 5+ inches that Castlewood State Park would be the perfect place to explore.  I stressed over what trail to hike, knowing that a few offer pretty intense hills and the excellent vistas that go along with them.  Other trails were more flat and perhaps easier to walk on a snowy day.  You really can’t go wrong as every trail in Castlewood offers plenty of scenery.  However, turns out that the right Trail wasn’t even a trail at all.

I started out on the Grotpeter Trail, and successfully located the resident red-shouldered hawk who frequents the area.  The snow quit falling just as soon as I pulled into the park.  The cooperative hawk posed for a few photos against the now blue sky.  After watching him for a while, I decided to skip the trail and just wander along and wade in Kiefer Creek.  The road less traveled proved once again to be a good decision.

I meandered along the shallow creek, following it all the way up to where it meets the Meramec River.  Kiefer Creek was actually beautiful, and the sound of running water can’t be beat.  I didn’t see anyone else along the way.  However, there was another set of footprints in the snow for much of the way so I wasn’t the only one with this idea today.  The winter flocks of white-throated sparrows, song sparrows, goldfinch, chickadees, cardinals, and juncos were my walking partners.  Carolina wrens were a constant companion, though most were heard and not seen.  Bluebirds and cedar waxwings worked the tree tops but never came in for a closer view.  I did get some nice views of a few whitetail deer, but the other 4-legged critters laid low.

After reaching the Meramec River, I joined up with the River Scene Trail and followed it to the beach.  A few of the oaks, sycamores, and maples still held tight to their foliage along the river.  The fall color and the winter snow made for a nice contrast next to the blue river.  I absolutely enjoyed the solo hike today, although it really was more of a stroll.  It was an ideal day to slow down, take lots of photos, and soak up the peace and quiet that comes with a winter hike.  I tell anyone who will listen that I hate snow, but my walk at Castlewood State Park may have turned me into a liar.

For more information about Castlewood State Park:

https://mostateparks.com/park/castlewood-state-park

I did write a few other blog posts about the Castlewood State Park trails, both of those were more fitness hikes and beautiful all the same.  

Chubb Trail

A Winter Hike at Castlewood