Graham Cave State Park

Camping during October in Missouri when the leaves are changing, the air is crisp, and the sun is still warm enough for you to sport a light jacket captures the essence of Fall. It’s just cool enough for you to warm yourself over an open fire and snuggle into your tent after a couple of drinks and full belly. The temperature and scenery makes it perfect for hiking- the ground is solid and the air is cool.

 

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Yes. We like watching the earth die each year, it’s very beautiful. To celebrate the death of the earth, and an open Saturday afternoon from work, we decided to venture out into the woods and enjoy the perfect autumn weather. Our goal was to find camping for Friday night and wake up in the woods Saturday morning to enjoy our coffee and get in a short hike before returning to the world of work and responsibilities. Many of the national parks have a 2-night minimum campsite policy and with the perfect weekend weather in tow, we knew camping could be a bit of a challenge.

Alex settled on getting us out to Graham Cave State Park which was an approximately 1.5 hour drive from St. Louis and one of the first archaeologically designated sites in the state with artifacts dating back approximately 10,000 years ago. We were able to do a one night stay and get in a short hike before having to head back home on Saturday. This was a perfect spot for a last minute, one-nighter from St. Louis.

As the park has been excavated from 1949-1961 by the Missouri Archaeological Society and the University of Missouri, there is keen documentation outlining the history of this park’s rich history. The park is situated in the Graham Cave Natural Glades area, protecting sandstone and dolomite glades.

 

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The Cave

 

This is a smaller national park, boasting only 5 hiking trails. We had the chance to explore 3 of the shorter trails: Fern Ridge Trail, Graham Cave Trail, and Indian Glade Trail. We were able to do all three in just a couple hours and had time to spend looking through all the wonderful displays they had throughout about the history of the park. The trails offered easy inclines through winding glades.

 

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The Trail

 

All in all, this was a great quick little jaunt down highway 70. The camping facilities were well kept and their trails well maintained. It would be a great day trip as well as a one-nighter.
Happy Travels!

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