January 7, 2020
Somehow even with all the time spent exploring the area, I had never visited Hughes Mountain Natural Area near Caledonia, MO. The 462 acre area is covered mainly in oak/hickory forests with a few glade areas at the summit. Sounds pretty typical, right? Far from it. These rhyolite glades formed from lava 1.5 billion years ago are unique to Missouri and a sight to see. Soon with a little time to kill on this perfect November afternoon, I added Hughes Mountain to my route home.
Uphill Trail
I arrived at the trailhead mid-afternoon and found a parking spot among the other 12-15 cars present. Anxious to get up to the top of the summit, I started uphill at a rapid clip. The trail starts out as a wide path through a brushy area, and soon leads through an open woodland with oaks, hickories, and sugar maples. Not sure what I expected, but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of woods for the first half of the trail. A little over 1/2 mile from the car the landscape began to change. The trees became shorter, brushier, with blackjack oak and cedar trees. The trail narrowed and the grade leveled out.
The Glades
The top of the hill soon opens up to a strange, open rocky glade. The 1.5 billion year old rocks are pink in color, and many shaped like cubes. The vegetation is sparse, but present. And the views of the surrounding Ozark countryside are beautiful. On this day I shared the summit with several groups of hikers, mostly couples and families who meandered loosely through the moonscape. Most stopped and stared at the distant hillsides, posing for selfies and speaking quietly among themselves. Take a look for yourself in the gallery below:
I wanted to wait for the sunset, but after a full day of exploring the region I was ready for some dinner. No doubt I will be back to visit this area again, and I believe it would be a great family hike. I would also like to visit Hughes Mountain Natural Area during warmer weather as I’m sure it will be a good location for viewing lizards. I would encourage you to fit in to your plans next time when you are exploring near Johnson Shut-Ins, Elephant Rocks, or Buford Mountain.
For more information, check out this link:
https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/hughes-mountain
