Scour Trail

After a crazy busy month and a half of travel and overloaded work schedules, the McCaslin crew finally found a Sunday basically freed up from any other responsibilities and decided to hit the trail.  The target was the Scour Trail at Johnson Shut-ins State Park.

HISTORY:

In 2005, the Upper Taum Sauk Reservoir collapsed, suddenly releasing over a billion gallons of water down the mountain side within the park .  The incredible force of the water moved everything in its path, including the trees, rocks, and millions of years worth of soil leaving a unique scour trail where there once was forest.  The damage to the park was severe, and it took about 4 years before the park was completely re-opened.

THE TRAIL:

Scour Trail is an easy 2-mile loop, with a beginning and end that runs through a very beautiful St. Francois Mountain forest. The forest is mostly mixed hardwoods with a few short-leaf pines mixed in.  The trail is blazed in red and is easy to follow through the forest.  At the edge of the scour, the trail splits off onto a portion of the Taum Sauk section of the Ozark Trail so pay attention to follow the signs carefully.  There is a small shelter with some signage explaining the scour and the significance of the newly exposed geology, as well as a large illustration of sorts printed on the ground.

From here and all along the way while in the scour, the trail is barely signed at all.  You basically follow a narrow path through the grass and along the rocky creek beds working your way up hill.  As long as you stay in the clearing and pay attention to the left turn sign at the top of the hill, there is no real way to get lost.  However, it can be confusing.  The surface is uneven, wet in places, and rocky throughout so a certain level of agility is required.

OUR EXPERIENCE:

On this comfortable, breezy July day the trail was absolutely beautiful.  A wide assortment of wildflowers bloomed along the trail, with Rudbeckia species stealing the show.  There were bass, sunfish, and soft-shelled turtles in the small pond, and several types of very small frogs.  We were lucky enough to see a few lizards, including both male and female Eastern collared lizards.  Bird activity was very low this late in the summer, but none of us had a chance to get bored.

Every bend in the path led to a small bubbling stream, a colorful pile of boulders, or a mixed bag of wildflowers to keep us interested. Even Daniel was all in, loving the hike and the opportunities to explore and climb up some large boulders.  It was easy to dawdle, as this was no ordinary trail and the unique features and scenery demanded our attention.  At the top of the hill, back at the wood line, there is another lookout that offers a nice view of the rebuilt reservoir and of the scar that remains on the side of the mountain.

In the end, I had to pry the boys away and keep them moving.  We also had planned to jump into the Black River and explore the shut-ins for a few hours.  If you have never been to Johnson Shut-ins and waded the river, played in the falls, or swam in one of the pools then make it a priority to get there.  It is always a good time and always a great place to people watch.  However, expect a crowd on a warm summer weekend. Just make sure to save time to get an ice cream cone from the park shop at the end of the day.  I am grateful for another great day in the MO-Outdoors, and even more so that most of my crew was able to join me.   We missed Katie, but she was off exploring Lake Michigan with a friend so at least she was outdoors too.

Also check out my last visit to Johnson Shut-ins:

https://mo-outdoors.com/blue-spring-and-johnson-shut-ins/

For more information about Johnson Shut-ins State Park:

https://mostateparks.com/park/johnsons-shut-ins-state-park

For trail map of the Scour Trail:

https://mostateparks.com/sites/mostateparks/files/trail_maps/jsi_scour.pdf