Short day hikes are a great way to enjoy nature and get out of the house. Our latest hike took us to Hickory Canyon outside of Ste Genevieve Missouri. (It’s about an hour south of St Louis). Although I was able to find a few blog posts prior to our hike I want to cover some of the questions and concerns I had going in, especially as a plus size hiker.
Getting There
Despite being pretty remote I was pleasantly surprised that we were able to use GPS the entire way there. However, GPS told us to turn onto a road that was marked as private property. So use your GPS to get close but DO NOT turn off Sprott road! Just keep driving until you hit the gravel parking area.
There are two trails – both right off the road. The 1/2 mile trail goes down to the waterfall while the 1 mile loop across the road goes past a smaller waterfall and amphitheater like rock formation.
Trail Conditions
While we initially intended to hike both trails we only did the waterfall due to timing. However, there was another group coming off the loop when we arrived and they had small children with them and did the waterfall trail too so I am sure that trail is no more difficult.
Keep in mind this is a Nature Area vs a state park – there are no rangers to know you are there and it’s very remote. There’s also no cell reception if you are down in the canyon. This also means there are absolutely no railings or infrastructure to the trail that has been created by other hikers. We found the ground to be pretty packed but there were a lot of leaves making it a little difficult to tell where the trail was at times.
After going down the hill a short way the trail splits and there’s no designation as to where each goes. The left will go down to the base of the Canyon / Waterfall – the right goes to the top of the waterfall but it’s not too far and pretty flat. We went to to right first up to the stream that creates the waterfall which was really pretty. It had rained the day before our visit so there was a nice light but steady flow.
Seeing the stream was really the highlight of the overlook in my opinion because with the water flow being so light you have to really get right on top of the waterfall to see it. And while there is nothing preventing you from doing so I don’t thinking standing at the top of a slippery rock with a 30ft drop (I’m guesstimating here) is a smart idea.
We then went back to the split to hike to the base. The trail is not too steep but there are rocks and roots to climb over and leaves on the ground can make them difficult to see. There were times when we had to step sideways or place our feet at an angle to step on the most solid ground. Overall though it was pretty easy to navigate.
Once we could start to see the base it was hard to tell which way to go – to the left is a light trail down a steep but rock free area that goes to the creek and to the right are the rock formations that make up the canyon. While you probably could just walk through the creek the right is the way to go.
The Waterfall
The walk from the canyon wall to the waterfall is pretty easy. We went right after a day of rain so a small pool had formed under the waterfall, it looked to be knee deep at it’s deepest.
We were the only ones there so we decided to sit for a bit and listen to the water. I was very peaceful just being there. After 20 minutes we hiked back to return to the world. Climbing up is easier than down from a footing perspective. Going back was much faster since we knew exactly where to go but I did have to catch my breath a little by the time we got to our car at the top of the hill.
Overall this is a really nice and simple hike and I definitely recommend it if you’re in the area.
One thing to note: Since our last hike sold me on the idea of better footwear I did buy a pair of hiking boots and they provided the perfect support. I also prefer to use a walking pole – especially on uneven terrain. The two other groups we saw wore regular sneakers and did not have poles so not a necessity for this trail not bad to have either. I wore regular fitness apparel for this hike.