Pickle Springs Natural Area

Great place for a family hike. Trail has many beautiful sights to see and is good for all ages.

This was my first hike on my trip to Missouri, and it was better than expected. I loved it.
The person who laid out this trail did a great job. I forgot dude’s name, but you can read about him on a plaque near the trailhead. Say a Hail Mary for him, ‘cuz he deserves it… and may need it. It seemed every time I started to get a little bored, a new surprise was waiting around the corner. That’s the foundation for a 5-​star trail, my friends.
I took this loop clockwise, and I recommend you do the same. You will encounter box canyons, overlooks, bluffs, waterfalls, hoodoos, rock shelters and other sandstone creations that are just magnificent. I found a great little cave that sheltered me from the light rain that helped keep people off the trail. It was also a great place to take in a salty snack and relax. Find it and I’ll spring for a Duane Purvis Burger.
If you are into plants and stuff like that, come on down. You will notice a variety of different plant life… moss, fern, lichen, and tons of other crap that I cannot name. Either I was really trippin’, or I spied some cacti. I crap you not.
My favorite highlight was a piney sandstone bluff that lets you take in some great views of the Ozarks. I stayed up there taking photos of the trees and plants growing through the sandstone. The sandstone creations up here are photogenic, so make sure your Brownie is humming. It would be a beauty of a campsite, but that’s not going to happen. Dang it.
Once it appeared it was ending, I was sad. I really dug this trail. So I made a PB & J, poured myself a tall container of Tang, and hit the trail again. I went counter-​clockwise for my second round. It was almost a different trail.
Friggin’ awesome. Pony up the tots, grab some vittles, and hit this trail, folks. You shouldn’t be disappointed.

The Pickle Springs Natural Area is about 12 miles west of the Hwy 32 Ste. Genevieve exit. It’s a little hard to find, but well worth it. The two mile hike includes the spring, waterfalls, sandstone knobs, arches, canyons, and cliffs. There are some manmade bridges and decks to make this a more family friendly hike.
We brought our daughter at age 4 and although she had a great time, it was a challenging hike for her. If your kids are that age or younger, you can cut the length of the hike down by taking them (heading left from the parking lot) about a half a mile in, to turtle rock, then head on back. You won’t get down to the spring or waterfall area, but you will see the most impressive rock formations on the trail.
If you enjoy places like Elephant Rocks or Johnsons Shutins, this is a nice kind of scaled back experience, without swimming. It’s all free, of course, and fairly popular on nice days, so you might want to arrive early or late. Keep in mind, though, the earliest visitors knock down all the cobwebs. If you have the energy, combine this hike with the Pickle Creek trail at Hawn State Park.