Beautiful Bluff Views on the Lewis and Clark Trail | Hiking Missouri
Beautiful Bluff Views on the Lewis and Clark Trail | Hiking Missouri
Today I’m hiking to some beautiful Missouri bluff views on the Lewis and Clark Trail at Weldon Spring Conservation Area close to St. Louis just across the Missouri River in St. Charles County. If you’re looking for the best Missouri hiking trails with bluff views then the Lewis and Clark trail needs to be at the top of your Missouri hiking list. I hiked this trail in July so much of the bluff views were obscured by summer foliage, but there are seven overlooks with unobscured bluff views of the Missouri River.
Lewis and Clark Trail: Lewis Loop
Type: Loop | Rate: Moderate | Traffic: Moderate | Distance: 8.3mi | Elevation Gain: 951ft
Both the Clark Loop Trail and Lewis Loop Trail begin at the parking lot off Hwy 94, and both trails take you to the same bluff views.
*Note: My distances are skewed as I walk back and forth to my camera while filming.
Two Trails One System
The Lewis and Clark Trail system consists of two trails: the 5.14mi Clark Loop and the 8.3mi Lewis loop. Both trails are loop trails and begin and end at the parking lot off Hwy 94. The Clark Loop and Lewis Loop both feature the same excellent bluff views of the Missouri River, but knowing which trail you want to hike will help determine the recommended hiking direction.
When hiking the Clark Loop I recommended hiking counterclockwise (as suggested in AllTrails) beginning at the trail signs in the southeast corner of the parking lot. The bluff views will begin near the halfway point of the hike 2.1 miles in before cutting through the center of the conservation area and returning to the parking lot. When hiking the Lewis Loop I recommended hiking clockwise, beginning on the eastern side of the parking lot, thus saving the incredible bluff views for the end of the hike. Here is an AllTrails map of both trails.
Clark Loop Trail vs. Lewis Loop Trail
Unless you want the additional 3 miles, all of the good bluff views are featured on the Clark Loop Trail. The Lewis Loop Trail does have two unobscured overlooks and some off shoots to wildflower fields, but it’s not necessarily worth the extra milage - particularly in the Spring/Summer. As with many Missouri hiking trails that run along a bluff, much of the views of the Lewis Loop Trail are obscured by foliage. If you’re hiking this trail in Winter then it might be worth the extra miles as you’ll likely experience a mile long ridge with views of the Missouri River throughout. Whatever time of year you’re hiking the Lewis Loop Trail I still recommend hiking the trail clockwise.
Because of Weldon Spring’s proximity, I would consider the Lewis and Clark Trail a St. Louis hiking trail. The short 30min drive to the trailhead from downtown St. Louis makes the Lewis and Clark Trail one of the best St. Louis day hikes! Happy hiking!
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Hiking Gear List
Shirt - REI Co-op Sahara T-Shirt
Shorts - prAna Alameda Shorts
Underwear - REI Co-op Everyday Boxer Briefs
Shoes - The North Face VECTIV Fastpack FUTURELIGHT Hiking Shoes
Pack - REI Co-op Flash 22 Pack
Water Bottle - REI Co-op Nalgene 1L
Camera Gear List
Camera - Sony Alpha a6400 Mirrorless Digital Camera with 16-50mm Lens
Ballhead - Joby BallHead 3K
SD Card - ScanDisk Extreme Pro 128 GB 200 MB/s
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