Hiking High Ridge Trail at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park
Hiking High Ridge Trail in Rock Bridge Memorial State Park
In this video I’m hiking High Ridge Trail in Missouri’s Rock Bridge Memorial State Park, just south of Columbia, Missouri. High Ridge Trail is a beautiful trail along one of the highest ridge lines in the park, through native grasslands offering scenic views of the surrounding hills. A short, easy to moderate hike, High Ridge Trail is worth the extra time and mileage during your trip to Rock Bridge Memorial State Park.
Note: High Ridge Trail does allow mountain biking in dry conditions.
High Ridge Trail
Type: Loop | Rate: Easy / Moderate | Traffic: Moderate | Distance: 1.7mi | Elevation Gain: 226ft
Hike through native grasslands with beautiful views along one of the highest points of Rock Bridge Memorial State Park.
View the full route on AllTrails.
A Tunnel of Native Grassland
After a short 0.2mi ascent to the top of the ridge, the trail follows a mowed path through the tall native grasslands. Reaching nearly 6ft tall, the experience is like walking through a tunnel of grass. There are several mowed paths leading toward S Rock Quarry Rd, but follow the Blue Blaze and keep straight to stay on High Ridge Trail.
Clear Creek
After the grasslands, the trail begins to descend down off the ridgeline toward Clear Creek. This is one of the steeper sections of the trail so take caution on the descent. Winding through the woods alongside the ever-flowing Clear Creek is a welcome and relaxing change of scenery. If there is time for exploring, Clear Creek is one of the best creeks in the park for wading and viewing aquatic life. Perfect on a hot day.
Rock Bridge Memorial State Park
The Rock Bridge, Devil’s Icebox, and Connor’s Cave are probably the main reason for a trip to Rock Bridge Memorial State Park. After exploring the caves and rock bridge, this is a lovely trail worth the quick trip. It’s a short 2min drive or 0.4mi walk via the Spur to the Gans Creek Wild Area Trail across MO-163 from the Devil’s Icebox parking area.
More Missouri Hiking Videos
Devil’s Icebox & Connor’s Cave at Rock Bridge Memorial
Rocky Falls in Winter
Hiking Gear List
Headlamp - Petzl Tikka Headlamp
Jacket - Patagonia Nano Puff Hoodie
Beanie - Ope Outdoors Chunky Knit Beanie
Long Sleeve Shirt - REI Co-op Midweight Base Layer
T-Shirt - REI Co-op Sahara T-Shirt
Pants - Wrangler ATG Fleece Lined Pants
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 a6400
SD Card - ScanDisk Extreme Pro 128 GB 200 MB/s
Follow me on Instagram @mshepjordan9 for more photos from this hike!
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