Lone Elk Park
Ron near the lake at Lone Elk Park
Lone Elk Park - Valley Park, MO
Travel by car to Lone Elk Park in Valley Park, Missouri was only 20 minutes mostly on Interstate 44. Once I existed off the highway there were two roundabouts to pass through. On the second roundabout I saw the sign for the park. From that point you are on the outer road and there are good signs leading to the park and the main parking areas. The day was mostly overcast with a cool morning temperature of 45 degrees. On this hike I was alone.
From the parking lot, I had no trouble finding the White Bison trail head. My hike for this day was to stay on the White Bison Trail and also make some off trail scrambles to see the lake and Elk. The trail was basically looped, although, it crossed into a number of parking lots. From those parking lots I needed to pick up the trail head. One trail head was slightly tricky to find, but solved with a three-minute view of the printed map I took with me from the park’s website. The whole hike was mapped at 4-miles and hilly trek. That is exactly what I did.
The start of the hike was a soft walk in the woods with a leaf covered trail. You do not really get deep into the woods. The trail is never far from a road, ranger only structures or one of the many picnic shelters. The trail surface is mostly dirt with some mixed gravel so it was easy steps for sure.
I had a great view of the lake on a couple of occasions and took a number of photos (all posted in the gallery). The topography of the hike lends itself to some nice natural views of the rolling hills we have in Missouri. Most of the leaves are gone now, so the colors were not great, but still a nice landscape. For this hike there was no real summit and the elevations throughout the hike were mild. One time the Elk were blocking the trail and since its mating season the Park Rangers recommend you keep your distance. To go around the Elk, I had to scramble off trail straight up and around to reconnect to the trail. No big deal, but that off trail scramble was the hardest part of my hike and the steepest climb. Of course, pictures of the Elk are in the gallery.
As I looped back toward the starting trailhead, there were a flock of geese the spooked when they saw me. I took some good photos as they started off in flight mode. Along the hike I also saw squirals, blue birds, Elk and one lone deer. This hike would be good with children or those that are looking for a leisurely stroll in the woods. Lots of lake views, animals and people. The trail was crowded on Saturday morning.
The total 4-mile hike took me one hour and thirty-seven minutes. My Apple watched indicated the elevation gain was 702 feet. Based on the distance, steepness and surface, this trail is not my favorite as I do enjoy something more challenging. It would be a good social trail to bring a group including children. The lake, animals, etc., also make it great for interacting with nature.
