County: Madison County, MissouriNearest City: FredericktownTrailhead: 37.553909, -90.437662Distance from downtown STL: 1 hour 29 minutes / 95 milesTrail Length: 1.5 milesTrail Format: Out and backLand Management: Millstream Gardens Conservation AreaCamping: No camping allowedShut-ins Location: 37.5642, -90.4522Watershed: St. Francis River Trail Maps:8.5 x 11 PDF8.5 x 11 JPGGPS Track: (How to use GPS on your phone)Mud … Continue reading Mud Creek Shut-in
Author: midwesthiker
Rock Pile Mountain Exploration
Day hiked a CCW loop through Rock Pile Mountain with Joyce, Mike K., Leslie & James. Finally made it down to the southwest corner along the river. There are some really neat sandstone bluffs with arches, pinnacles & shelter caves. You really need two days to explore it. Setting up camp at the shut-ins would … Continue reading Rock Pile Mountain Exploration
Mud Creek Shut-in in the Rain
I've always visited Mud Creek by fording the St. Francis river in low water. It's a really neat area with lots of open rock and moss and a nice little swimming hole. However there's usually not much water flowing through it because to ford the St. Francis you need at least a week without any … Continue reading Mud Creek Shut-in in the Rain
Creeks near Council Bluff Lake
Took the camera to James Creek Tributary Shut-in on Saturday. The creek had good flow and I was pretty happy with the photos. It got a bit brighter as the day continued. My next stop was Cub Creek Shut-in. This shut-ins was much larger than I expected. It might actually look better with a bit … Continue reading Creeks near Council Bluff Lake
Rocky Creek Ozark National Scenic Riverways
Took the trailer down to Rocky Creek area for the weekend. Was able to get tucked in just up the road from the falls. The creek upstream from the falls was too high to ford so ended up in a turn around pullout. Parking area across the creek does have a no camping sign. Though … Continue reading Rocky Creek Ozark National Scenic Riverways
Arnett Mountain Bushwhack
Off trail hike to see Lee Bluff, the Fish Trap and Arnett Mountain. This was after big snow melt and water was very high. Despite this, the flow in Bill Smith Hollow was still pretty low. Would not return to Bill Smith.
Missouri’s February Deep Freeze
We had over two weeks of weather where temperatures didn't make it much above freezing. Some days were in the single digits. If this happens again I'd like to take multiple days off work to visit a wider variety of places. One in particular would be Lee Bluff from the other side of the river. … Continue reading Missouri’s February Deep Freeze
Linville Gorge North Carolina
Winter hiking trip of 2021. Covid was still raging but kept plans to hike Linville Gorge with Mike & Aaron. We stayed at Buck Hill campground in a camping cabin. It worked out great. We had trouble with icy roads trying to access trails we wanted to hike in the gorge. But there's all kinds … Continue reading Linville Gorge North Carolina
Happy Hollow at Fern Clyffe
Too much to see here in a single day. The campground is open April 1 - October 31. Walk in November 1 - December 31.
Burlington Limestone of Northern Missouri
Took a road trip north of interstate 70 to see Sandy Creek Natural Tunnel, Union Covered Bridge and The Pinnacles. The rock formations for both are of Burlington Limestone. Camped at Tri-City Community Lake which had 6 or so nice little sites on a hill next to the lake.
Midwest Hiker 