Meramec State Park – Natural Wonders Trail (1.3 miles)

Hiked September 6, 2010

After a picnic lunch by the dining hall/general store, we headed off on our second hike of the day; a 1.3 mile trail called Natural Wonders.  It  began by the Visitor Center.  At first, it seemed like it would be just hiking in the woods (which, when you don’t know how to identify different trees or flowers, can get a bit monotonous).  However, the trail lived up to its name.

From the visitor’s center parking lot, a set of steps led us into the woods.  The woods were pretty thick, but the trail was pretty easy.  It wasn’t long before we came upon a spring-fed stream that had water cress growing in it.  The kids enjoyed watching the pond skaters and the fish swimming in the clear water.  I tried to look for tadpoles and craw dads, but none were to be found that day.  So, we moved on.  Natural wonders abound!  We found a cave!  This one didn’t look safe to explore.

It wasn’t long before we came upon another cave.   Evidently, it had once been open for exploration but was temporarily closed to prevent the spread of White-Nose Syndrome, a mysterious fungus of sorts that is rapidly killing bats. 

After more walking through the woods, crossing streams and exploring rock outcrops, we came upon our third cave!  As you can see from the picture, we definitely couldn’t explore this cave.  No  explanation was given, but I assume it was either unstable or, again, trying to protect the bat population.  Still, it was so nice  just to stand in front of the cave and cool off for a while.  Caitlyn found some crevices near the cave to explore. 

Toward the end of this hike, the kids were getting tired and a bit whiny, but not too bad.  The possibility of finding another cave kept them on their toes and eager to finish the hike.  It ended with a nice walk through open woods.

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