Month: August 2020

Maramec Spring Park

We recently visited Maramec Spring Park near St. James, Missouri. It is worth the drive to see the beautiful blue water of the spring, the trout hatchery, hiking trails, trout fishing, and the history and remains of Maramec Iron Works and the iron ore quarry. There is a fee to enter the park and to fish. The walking trail around the spring is wheelchair accessible. There are other trails around the park that are not wheelchair accessible. The park has a designated fish cleaning area for those that would like to keep and eat what you catch. There is also a campground close by. This was our first time visiting and we plan to go back. We only hiked this time and took in the scenery.

The photo gallery below shows the beautiful spring and the trout hatchery. The spring is home to both brown trout and rainbow trout. The area that these photos were taken are off limits to fishing.

The photo gallery below shows river below the spring and trout hatchery. Some pictures are of the river are off limits to fishing.

The photo gallery below shows the foundry and tools from the Maramec Iron Works that still remain. A picnic area is also close by.

The photo gallery below shows the iron quarry where the iron ore was taken from and transported down to the foundry. There is a scenic and historic drive that accesses the area and highlights the history and people of the area.

You might see some other wildlife on the scenic drive through the park.

Elephant Rocks State Park

We took a recent trip down to Elephant Rocks State Park located near Belleview, Missouri to walk our dogs on a shaded trail. It was a very hot day on this visit, and the trees created nice shade. The park is located less than 2 hours south-southwest of St. Louis and is the site of a retired rock quarry. As you can see in our pictures, the park is named for a string of enormous granite boulders which resemble a train of pink circus elephants.

There is a nice paved walking trail that is wheel chair accessible. Dogs are welcome to be walked on a 6 foot leash and bags are also available to pick up after them. Along with the paved trail, there are options to walk off the trail to explore more of the park and access for rock climbing on some of the big rocks. Keep in mind, the side trails are rugged, narrow, and not paved. Signs are posted to let you know which way to go for the wheel chair accessible path. There is also a nice picnic area where you can sit and eat lunch with the elephant rocks. This was not our first trip to visit the Elephant Rocks, and we feel it is well worth the approximately 1.5-2 hour trip from St. Louis.