We were recently looking for a new place to hike with the dogs. We decided to head to St. Louis and visit the Jefferson Barracks Park hiking trails. The weather was going to be hot, so we were not looking for something too long nor in the sun too much.
If you are not familiar with the location, the Jefferson Barracks Military Post is approximately 1,780 areas located on the Mississippi River in Lemay, Missouri, south of St. Louis. It was an important and active U.S. Army installation from 1826 through 1946. On the premises, there are 3 different paved trails that are available for walking or bicycle riding. You can also play on the playground or play a round of Frisbee golf. There are several pavilions for picnics and family events and two museums – powder magazine and an ordnance museum. Check the local website for closures and times due to COVID-19 restrictions.
We chose to hike the Dennis A. Schick Trail which is named after a long time, now retired Park Construction Supervisor. This trail is directly off the main entrance road to Jefferson Barracks Park, but you can use other parking lots to pick up the trail in numerous spots. The trail is kept very neat and clean and is smooth. It is also mostly flat with only slight inclines and could be considered handicap accessible. The part of the trail we chose to start at makes a nice 1.6 mile loop if you stay to the north loop or you can add an additional 1.1 mile loop by turning onto the south loop.
We enjoyed seeing some natural wooded and prairie areas along the trail. There was lots of wildlife! Jaime spotted some wild prairie flowers growing where some bumble bees were busy pollinating. We also stopped for a moment in a wooded area to enjoy the sight and sounds of a male cardinal flitting around. The park also highlighted several areas where deer frequent.
The trail was definitely a breathe of fresh air. There was plenty to see and do at Jefferson Barracks, and we only explored a small, beautiful part of it. If you are looking for some outdoor activities for the entire family, we encourage you to stop by and check out the park. We hope to see you there!
UPDATE:
We have visited Jefferson Barracks walking trails a couple of times since we first posted about it. We walked on the 1.1 mile south loop of the trail for a longer walk and it was excellent like the rest of the trail. The area is beautiful and it is easy to forget that you are just minutes away from downtown St. Louis. We also found that you can connect to the Mississippi Green Way trail that we will check out later and possibly ride our bicycles on. There are plenty of sites to see around the Barracks as well. History of the area is in abundance along with some splendid views and overlooks of the Mississippi River.
The park also gives you an excellent chance to see deer up close. We have seen deer on each visit to the Barracks. In the picture below, you will see a herd of deer that had several nice bucks with large racks along with an abundance of does. Sometimes the deer are tucked in the wooded areas and sometimes they are roaming out in the open. The picture below was a little later in the day and the deer were grazing in the area near some softball fields.
