Camping, backpacking, hiking, et al

[Freed Roger]

You've probably heard us mention Hawn St Park. Great facilities and some nice trails. Without the weekend crowds -it should be nice -kids can bike/scooter around the CG. Has a playground. The water in the creeks is a little low for goofing around in. but still some there. A side trip over to Ste Genevieve is kind of fun - some decent joints to eat -i.e. the Anvil.

[Fat Strat]

Good call. Had forgotten about Hawn. It's been on our list for next year, but it would be perfect for Labor Day evening and Tuesday. Thanks for the tip!

[Hungary Jack]

Hawn SP is arguably MO's best state park (Taum Sauk/Johnson Shut-ins also gets a vote). There is a backpack camp site situated on the outer loop trail, but it sounds like you'll be using the car sites, which are pretty nice. It is in a deep wooded valley next to a beautiful Ozark stream.

One note about camping at HSP. In the cool nights of fall, the cool air will settle deep in this valley, making it strikingly cooler than the surrounding upland. A night forecast for 45 degrees might be close to 35 down in the valley.

Great thing about HSP is that you are very near Pickle Springs CA (just west on 32 5 miles or so) and Hickory Hollow CA (a bit east, and north on some county road--forget which one). Both are really cool short hikes (<2 miles) for viewing some prime Ozark "hollers".

Strat--I can also recommend some great places in the Shawnee NF in southern IL. This area is underappreciated for its beauty. Giant City State Park, south of Carbondale, is pretty well suited for a young family. The Giant City trail is really cool. They have cabins too.

[Radbird]

I just google mapped Hawn State Park because I hadn't heard of it and I see something else I never knew - that there is a part Illinois on the western side of the Mississippi. Kaskaskia? And then I see there are parts of Missouri on the east side. I always thought the border was straight down the middle of the river.

Learn something new every day, I guess.

[Freed Roger]

I just google mapped Hawn State Park because I hadn't heard of it and I see something else I never knew - that there is a part Illinois on the western side of the Mississippi. Kaskaskia? And then I see there are parts of Missouri on the east side. I always thought the border was straight down the middle of the river.

Learn something new every day, I guess.

From St. Louis to the confluence of the Ohio River, the Mississippi became wider and more shallow, with more severe flooding. Much of Kaskaskia and other French colonial towns has been lost.[8] Following the Great Flood of 1844, Kaskaskia relocated to the south. The original location of Kaskaskia became an island, surrounded by the Mississippi River. The flood of 1881 destroyed all remnants of the original town and the Mississippi shifted into the channel of the Kaskaskia River, passing east instead of west of the town. Parts of the town were rebuilt in the new area.

Twain's "Life on the Mississippi" gets into how the river did this stuff to towns and borders up and down the river

/I feel like Cliff Clavin

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

Boundary disputes have occured in the past and cotinue today (South Carolina and Georgia ....I think) because of this sort of thing.

Edit: It was Georgia and South Carolina in the past and is Georgia and Tennessee today.

[lukethedrifter]

Might be hard to get into Hawn for an overnight this weekend.

[go birds]

Wow Freed, great information! Thank you!

Awesome pics as well! I'm very eager to hit up the Smokies now after seeing those.

We actually decided to take a day trip to Fall Creek Falls on Sunday instead. I'm not sure if you've heard of it, but it looks really nice and they appear to have a ton of trails. But, we're gonna try to get to the Smokies before it gets cold.

[go birds]

The kids are off school on Tuesday. My 4-year old declares that she wants to go "camping in a tent". Sounds good to me. Where should we go?

We live in Cape Girardeau, so anywhere in the Ozarks are within an easy drive. This year we've visited Johnson Shut-ins, Elephant Rock, and Sam A. Baker state park on day trips. Would gladly go back and camp at either of them, but am open to other suggestions as well.

Keep in mind that it would be a family trip. My wife and I, a 7 year old and a 4 year old so back country stuff, as much as my son and I would enjoy it, is probably out.

Nice to see a fellow cape girardeauian on the board as well

[go birds]

Beaman Park in Joelton- in Davidson County- has really nice hiking.

Also, this is only a 30 minute drive from us so we will try this one out as well.