While the national park in St. Louis is an urban park, there are lush state parks all around the outside of the city. Castlewood State Park is 30 minutes from St. Louis, with several hiking trails and sights to pull you into the beauty of the lush valley. The park is an escape for locals or a spot for visitors to get out of the city and explore Missouri without having to travel far.
When you get to the park, there is a variety of trails to choose from. There are eight main trails in Castlewood State Park, with routes ranging from easy to rugged. The most popular trail in the park is the Riverscene Trail, which brings hikers to the best view of the park overlooking the Meramec River. The 3.4-mile trail passes remnants of foundations from the Castlewood Resort days when it existed in the 1920s and 1930s.
The Grotpeter Trail is the second most popular trail because of how many variations of the route you can take with challenging terrain. There are several connecting trails along with the main trail, so hikers can shorten or lengthen their hike as they would like. This path has a bunch of road crossings, so it is recommended to take extra precaution while crossing the roads to stay safe. While you hike the trails during the spring and summer, keep an eye out for wildflowers that bloom all around the park, including patches of bluebells near the river.
Ways to explore the park
This little escape is a natural playground, which can be experienced in many different ways. Castlewood State Park is known for being one of the best mountain biking spots in the St. Louis area, and mountain biking is allowed on all of the trails. Chubb trail is a multi-use pathway, which allows hiking, biking, and horseback riding. The 2-mile trail is mostly flat with hills on each end of the trail, traveling through prairies and ending up on the south side of the Meramec River. Once you are done with your trail ride with your horse, you can enjoy a picnic lunch at one of the equestrian picnic sites in the staging area. They have a picnic table, charcoal grill, and a hitching post for your horse…