Meramec River Out-and-Back

The hike begins at the Hickory Trail trailhead at the far end of the bird enclosures and is capped with a beautiful songbird observation deck. The Hickory Trail immediately heads downhill through a grove of Hickory Trees. Hikers will land at Walt's Pond at the bottom of the Hickory Trail. From here, hikers may choose to go back the way they came or continue on to the Tunnel Trail and head down to the Meramec River.To get to the river, follow Tunnel Trail, ramble under the train tracks through a tunnel and down a steep set of stairs to a dirt and gravel trail.The terrain for this set of trails is dirt and gravel with no obstacles and several switchbacks to lessen the grade. The hike is through the woods so, there is shade throughout the year.