Hike Forest 44 Conservation Area

We will join up with the West St. Louis County Hikers and hike two of the trails in the conservation area. The Losing Stream Trail begins at the parking area and winds around a grassy meadow area. We will cross the stream at a bridge and take a few minutes at the observation deck near an open field. Then we will ascend a steep hill and walk along the Dogwood Ridge Trail for about two miles. Along this trail is a geocache (http://coord.info/GC3CWW7) and we will stop to search for it.

On the return leg, we will take the Brown and Yellow trails. This Google map (https://www.google.com/maps/@38.5252877,-90.5203128,1340m/data=!3m1!1e3) shows the trails that we will hike. The expected length of the hike is about three miles.

Meeting time is 8:50. Hit the trails at 9:00 AM.

Driving Directions

Forest 44 is near the intersection of I-44 and Highway 141 in St. Louis County. Take Meramec Station Road off Highway 141 west 1 mile, then left on Hillsboro Road 0.5 mile to the area entrance.

Trail Background

The Dogwood Trail is quite scenic in spring when the Dogwood trees are in bloom. The terrain is hilly and you should be prepared for changes in elevation of two to three hundred feet. At times the trail is narrow and drops off to one side.

There is no running water in the conservation area, but there are basic facilities near the parking area.

More information about this area can be found on the Missouri Department of Conservation web site's area summary (http://mdc4.mdc.mo.gov/applications/moatlas/AreaSummaryPage.aspx?txtAreaID=9023).

A map of all the hiking trails in Forest 44 (http://extra.mdc.mo.gov/documents/area_brochures/9023map.pdf) can also be found on the MDC site.

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