A walk and history tour at Ft Belle Fontaine $5 fee

This photo is the entrance gate to the park. It is located at the end of Bellefontaine Road in North St Louis County. There will be a guard, and you will have to provide a name to him. He can give you directions to the Grand Staircase. As a point of reference, the park is approximately a 40-minute drive from Kirkwood, MO. On the way to the Grand Staircase there is a parking lot on the left where there is a Johny-On-The-Spot. If you think that you will need to use this arrive early, then drive to the Staircase. If you need to communicate with me, please call me at 314-306-3222.
Pat is bringing a picnic lunch for everyone since there are no nearby restaurants. The menu is: Bottled water and tea, Chicken salad on croissant rolls, Fruit, Chips and Cookies.

There will be a $5 fee to be paid to the Park Ranger (not the gate guard) leading the tour. Please make sure that you have the correct change.
Arrive early enough to checkin and to find the meeting point the Grand Staircase.
Plan on walking around 3 miles.
Here is a link to Fort Belle Fontaine website
Park trail map

There are a number of dorms on the grounds that belong to the Missouri Division of Youth Services which is responsible for the care and treatment of youth committed to DYS custody by one of the 46 Missouri juvenile courts.

## History

Fort Belle Fontaine Park has been a St. Louis County Park since 1986. Few are aware that this was the first United States military installation west of the Mississippi River, established in 1805.
Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery expedition (1804-1806) spent the first night of their expedition on an island opposite Cold Water Creek and their last night two years later at the fort, which had been established in their absence. Other major expeditions left from this site between 1805 and 1819 to explore the newly acquired Louisiana Territory.
Until it was replaced by Jefferson Barracks in 1826, Fort Belle Fontaine was an important gathering place in the wilderness for officers and enlisted men, Native American, French, Spanish and American settlers, trappers and traders, and the local businessmen and farmers who supplied the fort with necessities.

## Features

The Park comprises 305.6 acres on the Missouri River in north St. Louis County, about three miles west of the confluence of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers.
It contains four main areas: the Missouri River; Belle Fontaine Spring; Coldwater Creek; and a 50-acre upland prairie and wetlands. A visit to this site reveals the beauty of the land and wildlife Lewis and Clark observed in 1804 and 1806.
The Lewis & Clark Interpretive Trail in Fort Belle Fontaine is a 3-mile multi-purpose trail which includes a trailhead and interpretive signage which guides visitors to all four main areas of the park. The trail also passes massive stonework features that the Works Progress Administration added in the 1930s when the City of St. Louis owned the property.
Plan on walking around 3 miles.
Here is a link to Fort Belle Fontaine website
Park trail map
I suggest using Google Maps for directions. Here are the details:
Follow I-270 N to MO-367 N/Lewis and Clark Blvd. Exit from I-270 N
22 min (23.5 mi)

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Merge onto I-270 N
22.9 mi

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Use the 2nd from the right lane to take the exit toward MO-367 N/Lewis and Clark Blvd
499 ft

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Use the left lane to take the ramp onto MO-367 N/Lewis and Clark Blvd
0.6 mi

Continue on MO-367 N/Lewis and Clark Blvd. Drive to Bellefontaine Rd in Spanish Lake Township
8 min (4.5 mi)

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Merge onto MO-367 N/Lewis and Clark Blvd
2.2 mi

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Jamestown Way Dr / New Jamestown Rd exit
Slight right toward Lusher Rd
Exit == Jamestown Way Dr / New Jamestown Rd
0.1 mi

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Merge onto Lusher
0.3 mi

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Turn right onto New Jamestown Rd
0.6 mi

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Turn left onto Bellefontaine Rd
1.4 mi
If you need a detail map of the park send me an email to muleskinner48@charter.net. Don't reply through Meetup.
314-306-3222

What to bring:

• WATER – THIS IS IMPORTANT ALL YEAR LONG AND ESPECIALLY IN THE WARMER MONTHS. WE WILL USUALLY BE OUT FOR AT LEAST 1 ½ HOURS AND THAT IS TOO LONG TO GO WITHOUT REPLENISHING THE LIQUIDS THAT YOU WILL BE BURNING WHILE WALKING. – I AVOID DRINKING CAFFEINATED BEVERAGES BEFORE WALKING. THE ARE A LOT OF GOOD ARTICLES ABOUT “effects of caffeine and exercise” ON THE INTERNET OR ASK YOU DOCTOR.
• Dress in layers (not sure what the weather will do). The top couple of layers should be easily unbuttoned or unzipped to allow easy ventilation. Wear a hat.
• I recommend broken in hiking shoes over Tennis shoes. A lot of the trails are over loose gravel and dirt and the treads on the hiking boots work much better.
• Snacks – EAT LIGHTLY BEFORE THE WALK AND BRING A POWER BAR OR SNACK TO MUNCH ON DURING THE WALK.

Meetup Donation: Meetup charges me $178 every six months to have the Walking site. If you would like to donate $1 at some of the walks, it will be appreciated.
Greg Kluempers