Author Archives: Michael R

Hughes Mountain Natural Area was the next stop on day 3 and another wonderful surprise.  The glade on top was far bigger, and the view was far more expansive than I imagined. 

Day 3 started at Elephant Rocks State Park, a bit north of Johnson’s Shut-ins.

Saturday afternoon was spent at Johnson’s Shut-Ins State Park.  The park has reopened in stages following the Big Flood, with the final piece being the new campground opening April 2010.

Saturday morning I headed for Taum Sauk Mountain State Park.  Besides being the highest point in Missouri, it’s also home to the tallest waterfall and deepest valley in the state so I expected some great scenery. 

Crane Lake Recreation Area was next on the itinerary.  It’s a 100 acre man-made lake circumscribed by a 5 mile trail that is one of the few National Recreation Trails in the state. 

My adventures started with a day hike at Rock Pile Mountain Wilderness, the smallest of Missouri’s wilderness areas and probably the least-visited.  The trail begins on Little Grass Mountain and proceeds south to the top of Rock Pile Mountain.  The … Continue reading →

“A Complete Guide to Hiking and Backpacking in Missouri” describes the Piney Creek Wilderness as “a terrain of tortured roughness” and “Hiking Missouri” gives its Lookout Tower Trail the highest difficulty rating (5 boots!) so I was immediately smitten, of … Continue reading →