East-Central Mo.
Explore and relax in the Great Outdoors just west of St. Louis

To escape the rigors of city life, head to a scenic region just west of St. Louis where you can experience the great outdoors and reacquaint yourself with nature. The area features several parks where you can pet animals, hike through pristine forests, explore caves and just relax.

A living memorial

To begin the trip, which can be made in a full day, take Interstate 64 west from St. Louis to the Long Road exit, which is a few miles west of Highway 340. Continue on Long Road to Wild Horse Creek Road (Route CC), and turn right here and follow it to Highway C, where you’ll turn left. Follow Highway C for 3/8 mile to Highway 109 and turn right. As you head south on Highway 109, you will see Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park on the right. But be careful in this area, as it is a favorite for cyclists.

The park was presented to the state in 1934 by Jacob and Henry Babler as a living memorial to their brother, Edmund, a renowned St. Louis surgeon. Its thick deposits of rich loess soil prompted the development of towering forests and a diverse variety of wildflowers.

While exploring Babler, you will probably see a deer or two scampering through the woods as this park is full of wildlife. The park also offers a swimming pool, camping, tennis courts, an outdoor education center for people with disabilities, a visitor center and hiking and equestrian trails. With more than 200 picnic areas, it’s a great place to stop for lunch. The park is open from 7 a.m.–9 p.m. daily April–October, and 7 a.m.–6 p.m. the rest of the year. Call (636) 458-3813, or visit www.mostateparks.com.

Hiker’s paradise

When you leave the park, head south on Highway 109 for about seven miles and follow the signs to Rockwoods Reservation on the right side of the highway. This natural area, maintained by the Missouri Department of Conservation, has a rich diversity of plant and animal life, as well as caves, springs and rock formations. Raccoons, coyotes, turkeys, chipmunks, snakes and deer are among the animals that call the reservation home.

You may want to explore one of the reservation’s seven self-guided nature trails. Three of the more popular routes are the Trail Among the Trees, the Wildlife Habitat Discovery Trail and the Rock Quarry Trail. Brochures to help you can be found in boxes at the trailheads.

Among the features of the reservation are Cobb Cavern and the lime kiln, which date back to the era of limestone mining in the late 1800s. There is also an interpretive education center with exhibits on the region’s wildlife resources. The reservation opens at sunrise and closes one-half hour after sunset. Admission is free. For details, call (636) 458-2236.

Parade of pets

To learn more about the animal kingdom, take Highway 109 south to Interstate 44 west, and exit at Gray Summit. Go 1/2 mile north to Highway MM, which intersects on your left. You will see signs for the Purina Farms entrance about a mile down Highway MM on the left side of the road.

Demonstrating the role pets and domestic animals play in human life, the farm is a wonderful adventure for everyone. A theater, housed in a converted 48-foot-wide grain bin, offers a film about Ralston Purina’s history.

In the Pet Center, visitors can cuddle kittens and puppies and learn proper grooming, feeding and care tips. In addition, demonstrations on pet obedience and grooming are offered daily. Also, the Barn and Play Area allows visitors to interact with a variety of domestic animals found on a typical farm, including sheep, horses, cows, chickens, hogs and more.

Reservations are required, and admission is free. The center is open 9:30 a.m.–3 p.m. Tuesday–Sunday from Memorial Day–Labor Day, and from 9:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Wednesday–Sunday in the spring and fall; it is closed in winter. Call (314) 982-3232 or 1-888-688-7387, or visit www.purinafarms.com.

Outdoor education

Take Highway MM back to Highway 100 and go west. Cross over Interstate 44 and continue a short distance to the Shaw Nature Reserve, formerly known as the Shaw Arboretum. Stop at the visitors center before entering the grounds. Here you’ll find exhibits on area wildlife and information on the various trails and gardens.

The 2,400-acre site was founded in 1925 as a lifesaver for the Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis, which was suffering from the coal smoke pollution. The Garden’s orchid collection was moved to the Nature Reserve, but pollution in the city abated before it was necessary to move the entire plant collection. However, the reserve remained and flourished.

Today visitors can hike a 14-mile network of trails through a diversity of Ozark landscapes, bird watch, picnic and study wildflowers. You might spot white-tailed deer, fox or wild turkey. And visitors can catch a glimpse of other creatures from a gracefully curving boardwalk that runs through part of 11 acres of wetlands where beaver, mink and turtles dwell.

One of the most popular spots in the park is the Whitmire Wildflower Garden, a beautifully landscaped 5-acre flower display. Hundreds of wildflower species are grouped by their natural habitats. And the Pinetum is a 55-acre park-like expanse of meadows studded with conifers.

Within the reserve is the Dana Brown Overnight Education Center, a cluster of restored log or post-and-beam structures dating to the 1800s. The center accommodates school groups, retreats, workshops and meetings.

The Nature Reserve is open daily from 7 a.m. to sunset. Admission is $3 for adults, $2 for seniors 65 and older and free for children 12 and under. For details, call (636) 451-3512, or visit www.mobot.org.

To return to St. Louis, take Interstate 44 east. The approximate round-trip mileage is 80 miles.

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