Young Conservation Area

The cool weather and quiet Sunday afternoon afforded me the opportunity for some exploring at Young Conservation Area.  I have visited this area many times over the years, and rarely leave disappointed.  Today was no different.

Young Conservation Area is located in Jefferson County, only minutes from Eureka.  The area is home to a few hiking trails, LaBarque Creek, a small glade, and is mainly forested with a few old fields.  I have birded, fished, hiked, and hunted many parts of Young CA in the past.  Today, though, my mission was hiking the Taconic Loop trail.  Well, at least that’s how it started.  The Taconic Loop is a 2.5-3 mile trail that is really pretty easy with only a slight gradient change and a generally pretty solid trail surface.  There are a few intermittent streams to cross after a rain, like today, but I consider those to be a good thing.

The trail starts with a wide path through an old field.  The field is filled with big bluestem, Indian grass, and copious amounts of blooming goldenrod.  Butterflies, indigo buntings, and goldfinches were everywhere.  From there, I followed the trail over the new bridge across LaBarque Creek.  The creek itself is beautiful, shallow and clear, with a few deeper holes.  In the past we have caught a few smallmouth bass and sunfish in the creek.  However, we usually just wade, throw rocks and catch frogs when exploring the creek.  I continued up the hill towards the large pond where I was rewarded with nice views of a green heron and a pair of wood ducks.  I used the well-placed bench to rest and watch over the turtles surfacing in the pond.

After leaving the pond, the trail follows a ridge above LaBarque Creek through a mixed hardwood forest consisting of black oak, ash, and hickories.  The understory is loaded with spicebush and dogwoods.  The spicebush plants are loaded with red berries, and some of the leaves are yellowing so they provided a nice contrast from the greenery of the forest.  Since we received several inches of rain the last few days, the intermittent creeks were flowing with several inches of crystal clear water.  The trail passes through a few power-line cutouts, then enters a small grove of short-leaf pine.

It was here, in the pine grove, that I was reminded what I love about Young Conservation Area.  The soft needles allow for nearly silent steps along the trail, and the aroma from the pines brings a smile to my face.  This point is finally far enough from the highway that the noise from passing cars if faint.  The resident pileated woodpecker was present again, working over dead pine just off the trail.  Again I stopped and soaked in the scene from one of the wooden benches along the trail.

As I headed back down the trail towards the truck, I couldn’t resist the urge to wander and go check out LaBarque Creek.  So of course I did, clamoring down a hill off trail and ending up near a deep hole in the creek.  I looked for arrowheads, unsuccessfully as usual, for a few minutes and followed the creek for a few hundred yards.  Eventually I crossed the creek and cut back through the fields towards the trailhead. I stumbled across a few deer, who were nervous by my presence but remained still just 30 yards off the trail.  I told them that deer season was only 6 days away and they might want to change their strategy, but they just looked at me like I was crazy.  After crossing the big field I was back at the truck, relieved and sorry at the same time.

Young Conservation Area again managed to provide me a positive and eventful outdoor adventure.  While the area does not provide any spectacular vistas or iconic photo opportunities, it does all of the small things well.  The plant diversity, the water features, and the wildlife never disappoint.  The Taconic Loop trail is short, but you could tack on an additional 3.5 miles on the LaBarque Hills Trail if you are looking for a longer adventure.  Just remember that the area is open to hunting, so probably not a bad idea to wear a bit of orange if hiking in the fall.

For more information about Young Conservation Area, check out:

https://nature.mdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/places/young-ca