THURSDAY DOG HIKE on AL FOSTER to ROCK HOLLOW. 5 miles, easy, level, some paved

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TRAIL IS EASY, LEVEL, SHADED, GRAVEL, & VERY QUIET. GOOD FOR BEGINNERS. Trails don't get any prettier or easier than this! It goes between towering bluffs on one side, and the Meramec River on the other.

Dogs must be onleash, one dog per person please.

We walk at a reasonably brisk pace, and this will be about 2 hours of actual walking. However, we will not be trying to set any speed records, we stop when we need to.

For this week only, we are diverting from the second leg of the Al Foster. We will detour after less than a mile to the ROCK HOLLOW TRAIL/Zombie Road (BELOW). It is level, PAVED, and beautiful. Doubtful that we'll be able to let the dogs swim, the beaches should be pretty much flooded this week.

Allow 2 hours for this 5 mile hike.

Please be on time, we hit the trail promptly at 10:00.

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DRIVING DIRECTIONS

If you don't read these carefully, you will go to the wrong place!

OLD STATE ROAD is about halfway between Hwy 44 and MANCHESTER ROAD off HWY 109. Take Hwy 109 about 2 miles from either end to stoplight at OLD STATE ROAD. Turn on OLD STATE ROAD, then IMMEDIATELY RIGHT ON WASHINGTON.

Go all the way to the end of the road, past the RR tracks. Your GPS will send you to a different parking lot inside the park, just keep driving until the road ends. Map above is very good, use it if you don't know the area. Very easy to find this one, if you follow these directions.

Meet at the LAST PARKING LOT on the road, PAST THE RR TRACKS !

No bathrooms here, only at the first parking lot.

Also, no water in this park, bring some to drink. More important, BRING SOME FOR YOUR DOG.

NO RETRACTABLE LEASHES ALLOWED unless you keep them shortened! When we walk as a group, they are a danger and, at the very least, A HUGE AGGRAVATION, to the rest of us.