LaBarque Creek CA

LaBarque Creek conservation area is an out of the way conservation area of rugged forested hills, steep valleys, canyons, bluffs and shelter caves carved into St. Peter sandstone. The trail there is a 3 mile loop with a short spur that is travelled enough to keep the trail from becoming overgrown but not much more. The day we hiked it was a Saturday in September that was clear and 70 degees. You know, one of those perfect days for hiking. During the several hours on the trail we ran into 3 sets of hikers (actually one was a runner). Its narrow path winds through a variety of unique natural communities including hardwood forests, cedar forests and glades.
You start the trail crossing a bridge over LaBarque creek and winds its way up the side of a hill. It runs parallel to the river until you come to the loop. We went right and hiked the trail CCW. That brought us back down the hill along the river again until the trail turns south and climbs a ridge. It doesn’t take long to notice how often the trail seems to change. You will go through forest so thick that there is very little undergrowth then it will open up to savannah type habitat that is open enough for grass to be growing under the trees. You will also walk through areas that are glade-like where the bedrock is exposed and the main growth is mosses and lichens. For all the hiking we’ve done, I don’t think we have seen so many great expanses of moss like those on this trail.
The surface of the trail also changes. It starts out your basic brown clay soil. I’m sure it would had been slippery if it had just rained. It changes to chert covered with rock outcroppings a few feet high. Some of the trail follows the top of bluffs though it is so thickly wooded you would hardly notice unless you are looking. Later on the soil turns to red clay.
As you reach the highest point, the trail turns to the north-east and goes downhill a bit to follow the top of a ridge to the next high point. Along this stretch is a very interesting set of rock outcroppings that could easily join the multiple geological features in Missouri named “Devils backbone”.
I’m sure it was the time of year but we saw a myriad of colorful mushrooms from bright orange to red to brown, flat topped, round topped and even stag horn shaped.
There is a little more up and down after you pass the second highpoint which brings you back down to the beginning of the loop.
It’s a very interesting and unique trail close to home.

MDC Brocure:http://extra.mdc.mo.gov/documents/area_brochures/200608.pdf
MDC Map:http://extra.mdc.mo.gov/documents/area_brochures/200608map.pdf