Weldon Spring Conservation Area, MO - Lewis & Clark Trail

ABOUT THE PARK:
Weldon Spring Conservation Area - Missouri Department of Conservation

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 38.69107, -90.72417

TRAIL MAP:
Weldon Spring Conservation Area Map - Missouri Department of Conservation

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HIKE DISTANCE: 5.7 miles

THE HIKE:
I had planned on hiking the 8.2 mile Lewis Trail Loop but ended up hiking the shorter Clark Trail Loop due to flooding.

There was no mention of this on the website, which I had checked because of flooding in the area.  There was also no mention of part of the trail closed due to bridge replacement which we discovered near the end.

Missouri River

The trail was flooded and impassable just before the Lewis and Clark split.  The only option was to backtrack.

But up higher beyond the flooded section, is that dry trail down there?

We bushwhacked steeply downhill and met up with the trail beyond the flooded out section.

All that flooding and here is a dry creek bed.

The shorter Clark Trail goes straight, the longer Lewis Trail goes right.  We turned right.

Ugh.  A few logs placed over the wet area made the crossing doable.  But a short distance ahead ...

... the trail was completely flooded out.  Turning back to take the Clark Trail instead.

The Lewis Trail joins back in from the right.

A short side trail went to this field where there were two turkeys that promptly took off.  They were somewhere way over on the far side.

Coming up on a bridge that was being replaced.  The men asked if there was no sign saying the trail was closed.  No there was not.

We ended up dropping down into the dry creek bed, going under the bridge and climbing back up to the trail. 

Back at the parking lot.

Five Rivers Metroparks, OH - Taylorsville East Park

ABOUT THE PARK: 
Five Rivers Metroparks Taylorsville - Metroparks.org

DIRECTIONS:
GPS Coordinates 39.881401, -84.155940

TRAIL MAP:
Five Rivers Metroparks Taylorsville Trail Map - Metroparks.org

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HIKE DISTANCE:  5.25 miles

THE HIKE:

The trail starts at the kiosk.

We kept right at the intersection on the orange trail.  We'd be taking the yellow trail later.

There were people at the rock outcrop so we didn't stop but there would be another opportunity later on

Keeping right on orange.

No matter how often I checked, partial cloudy was never in the forecast.  No more rain but it was supposed to be solid clouds.  Glad they were wrong.

An overlook ...

... that is no more.

Great Miami River spilling over its banks through the power cut.

The trail follows along the Great Miami River.

Uh oh.  The trail flooded out.  Fortunately this is right at a connector trail so we turned left and took that.

The connector trail met up with the orange trail that we had come in on so we backtracked and took it around the other way ...

... to where that end was flooded out but it was a good view of the river.

Retracing to the rock outcrop.

At the intersection we continued right on the yellow trail.

The overlook platform on the yellow trail ...

... with a little bit of a view of the Great Miami River.

It made a nice dry break spot.

Continuing on yellow.

Yellow was also flooded out but by looking at the track compared to the map, it should turn left just beyond this point away from the flood waters.  Indeed, after bushwhacking a short distance through stinging nettles (OUCH) we met up with ...

... the trail coming out of the flood water so we were able to complete the loop.

At the picnic pavilion keeping right leads back to the parking lot.

About 6 hours later, our destination.