Backpacker Magazine – November 2012

From the Field: BACKPACKER trail scouts' top Central local hikes

Try a 9-mile out-and-back in Ohio's Hemlock Gorge or hike through history in Per Marquette State Park or on the Saddle Rock Trail in Nebraska.

by: Sarah L. Stewart

Tags:
• RipGo
|
• Texas
|
• Missouri
|
• Ohio
|
• Nebraska
|
• Illinois
|

---

Wilderness Trail, Meramec SP, MO
Brian Wilcox, Sullivan, MO

Soak up quintessential Ozark scenery and solitude on this nine-mile loop past shady hollows, spring-fed streams, and the free-flowing Meramec, one of the state’s longest undammed waterways. Hike through an open oak-hickory forest to camp at one of three sites at mile 4.5. Day two, catch sunrise at mile five, overlooking the river valley. Close the circle past a handful of small glades, home to prairie grasses that turn golden in the autumn chill. Trip ID 17035

“Centuries-old post oaks tend to grow twisting branches.”



Subscribe to Backpacker magazine
Sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter