Don Robinson State Park

Feeling restless and anxious to log some more miles in preparation for my next Grand Canyon hike, I sought out a new, rugged trail at Don Robinson State Park.  My plan was to go hike the 4 mile Sandstone Canyon Trail, then the 2.5 mile LaBarque Hills Trail and make it home in time to put dinner together.  I tried to recruit some of the crew to join me, but work, soccer, and social calendars won out and left me solo again.  The new state park is located only about 30 minutes from my home in nearby Jefferson County, and has plenty of parking at the top of a very high ridge overlooking a mainly wooded valley.  There are restrooms and a very large picnic shelter that offers an impressive view.

Directly uphill from the shelter is Don Robinson’s house, presumably where he lived before his death in 2012.  Don Robinson made his fortune selling “OFF” cleaner, apparently marketing the product on late night infomercials.  His house is described on the information board as “eclectic,” and looks like it would be a fun place to explore some day.  A friend of Mr. Robinson was quoted on the board saying, “He had tons of projects going and his life was an unfinished project.  That’s because he enjoyed the journey a lot more than the destination.”  With that piece of information and the fact that he made this 800 acre piece of heaven his home, I believe Don and I could have been great friends.

I started down the wide asphalt trail, following the red blazes onto the Sandstone Canyon Trail.  The first half mile or so is asphalt and leads to a few picnic tables and benches.  There are 5-6 handicap parking spots near the trailhead and this would be a great spot for someone with limited mobility to get a taste of this wild park.  Once  the trail leaves the pavement, it is almost entirely earthen with some rocky patches.  Heading counter-clockwise, the trail winds through our typical oak, hickory, and cedar forests with an abundance of Chinkapin Oak.  Wildflowers were present, but still not in numbers that I would associate with April in the St. Louis area.  I found Dutchman’s Breeches, Spring Beauty, Common Violets, and increasing numbers of Toothwort.

Even though our temperatures were still in the 40’s, the sun was out and the birds were fairly active.  Still plenty of winter birds, with both kinglets following me every step of the way, Brown Creepers, chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches all plentiful and boisterous.  I also had my first Black and White Warbler of the year come in for a brief but close visit.

I moved along at a brisk pace, at least for the first 2.5 miles.  Then I came upon the Sandstone Canyon that is the centerpiece of this park.  The world slowed down for me here.  The clear, slow, small creek began quietly enough before opening up into some larger pools and soon winding through a very large canyon.  Water was dripping everywhere, and in the shade icicles were still clinging to the face of the cliff.  With the water trickling in the creek and the cool  humidity within the large shelter caves, I had to stop and find a seat and take it all in.  The many side trails and presence of graffiti on the walls of the canyon tell me that this is a busy place, but on this day I was blessed to have it all to myself.  I ate my sandwich in peace, and wondered to myself what this must have looked like 1,000 years ago and who may have called it home.  I guess I am just thankful to Don Robinson and to the Missouri State Parks for giving me the opportunity to be here today.

I took a lot of photos, but was totally unable to capture the grandeur and scope of the canyon walls.  The harsh late afternoon sun and the  dark contrasting shadows were too much of a challenge for my photographic skills.  Would be a nice place to visit in the early morning for this purpose.

Begrudgingly, I moved onward and upward beginning the climb back to the trailhead through some dry cedar glades.  It was a good workout and I have to admit it was nice to get to the top and back to relatively level ground.  I had clearly lingered too long in the canyon area, and no longer had the time necessary to walk the other trail in the park.  So instead I will have to return and take on the LaBarque Hills Trail another day.  If you have not been to this park yet, I encourage you to add it to your list.  The 4 mile trail is very manageable, but if you want to take a short cut to the canyon then start out hiking counter-clockwise, then take the white connector loop until it meets back up with the red blazes and turn right, you will be there very quickly.  For more information on the park, check out:

https://mostateparks.com/park/don-robinson-state-park

As for me, I failed to log the miles I probably need to prepare for my rim to rim hike, but I will get over it.  I enjoyed another fantastic day in the MO-Outdoors, explored a new place, and hopefully can inspire some of you to get out and do the same.  Thanks for reading.