St. Francois State Park
Big River at St. Francois State Park - Bonne Terre, MO
My hike for Sunday morning April 23, 2023, was St. Francois State Park in Bonne Terre, MO. Its was a short 45 minute drive my house to get to the park. This was the second visit to this park. Last trip was in November and I wanted to come back for the Spring season. It was a very chilly spring day with temperatures around 38 degrees in the morning and by afternoon is was warm with temperatures around 55 degrees.. The plan was to hike the Swimming Deer Trail at 3.1 miles and the Mooner’s Hollow Trail at 2.9 miles. Denise, Joe and Ann were with me today.
This park is large for a Missouri park. There are 2,256 acres of land within the park boundaries. St. Francois Park pack in a lot of natural beauty including varying species of trees (white oak, black oak, shagbark hickory, dogwood). Within the park the full spectrum of Missouri wildlife is free to live. Gray squirrels and deer are the most populated animals in the park. The mighty Big River runs both adjacent and through the park in a couple of spots. Its a great river to walk along and I was able to capture some excellent pictures which are posted below. Sumner float trips down the Big River are common after the spring rains lift the water level.
The hiking trails in the park are mostly dirt-based paths and easy to hike. There is not a lot of elevation gains on either trail (only 550 feet according to my watch) nor other difficulties so these trails are for the whole family. You also get some great view over the bluffs looking down on the Big River and the valley. Nice spot for more pictures and a selfie for sure. The Mooner’s Hollow Trail was very scenic and lead to sizable waterfall.
Along the trails you can see various areas where past settlers had dug shallow surface mines in search of lead deposits (part of the park’s cultural history). There are a couple of nice footbridges, which help with navigating on some small creeks that feed into the Big River. On this Sunday afternoon neither trail was crowded and it felt like we had the park to ourselves to explore.
St. Francois Park is a beautiful park for a nice spring hike. Both the Swimming Deer Trail and Mooner’s Hollow Trail hikes were a lot of fun and easy to complete. The views and access to the Big River make this one a must see for your Missouri hiking plans.
