Powder Valley Conservation Area – After the Rains!
The Missouri Department of Conservation has some great areas in the St Louis Region, here is a short write-up of Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center. Enjoy!
Recently the Midwest had several days of rainy downpours. On the unfortunate side, the aftermath was sever flooding in the area. Locations that had just recovered from a January 1st, 2015 “500 year” flood were suddenly sandbagging again to protect their homes and businesses. We were safe from any flooding but most of the highways heading to the city had all been closed due to flooding, a little work from home and a few days of detours, we were very fortunate.
BUT, before all the flooding and after much of the rains I had a chance to get out and do a little hiking! You wouldn’t realize it, but at the intersection of two major interstates (44 and 270) in St Louis there is a really cool Conservation Area called Powder Valley. The area has three short hiking trails, all paved but definitely not flat. Because of the terrain there are several streams that form after rainfall and I had wanted to see what a good flow in the creeks would be like. So on a nice Sunday after several inches of rain from the previous two days, the weather broke and I made my way.
About the area itself, from the Missouri Conservation Website, it does have a pretty interesting namesake:
“Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center is nestled within 112 acres of oak hickory forest—a quiet corner in a busy urban world. Our name comes from the historical use of the general vicinity for manufacture and storage of explosive powder used in the Civil War and World War II. Leave your chaotic lifestyle behind and escape to the tranquility of nature. The area has three trails, one of which has interpretive signs and is disabled accessible. Naturalists conduct interpretive programs on numerous conservation topics for schools, homeschool families, civic groups, and the general public. The nature center has two levels of exhibits related to backyard wildlife and conservation practices in urban areas.”
It turned out to be an excellent time to visit, it was early May, with the Spring season and a good rainfall the foliage was a vibrant green color and the streams and creeks were gushing. I did two of the three paths, the Hickory Ridge Trail (1-1/5 miles) and the Broken Ridge Trail (2/3 mile). With the recent rainfall the trails and bridges were fairly slick (I about busted my butt on everyone of the wooden bridges!) The creek was even over the path in one area giving me a chance to find out how not waterproof my shoes were. 🙂 Absolutely worth it though!
The photos are below in the gallery. This is a great park, I would highly recommend anyone coming through the area to stop and visit. Thanks for reading!
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One thought on “Powder Valley Conservation Area – After the Rains!”
We used to go there when we lived in STL. It’s a great park for parents with babies because it’s stroller accessible. I wouldn’t call it stroller-friendly though because as you mentioned, some of this hills are beastly.