October Well-Being Challenge

Originally published in the October 2021 issue of the St. Louis Lawyer magazine. Download PDF.

BAMSL's Well-Being Committee is challenging all members to get some outside time enjoying the wonderful fall weather and explore some of St. Louis' beauty during the month of October. Get out and explore your neighborhood park or do a destination walk/hike/run. Take a picture of your hiking buddy (two- or four-legged), or a captivating nature shot. Send it to the Well-Being Committee at dbarnett@bamsl.org and it will be posted on BAMSL's social media pages each week. Let's get outside and improve our physical well-being.

We have prepared a list of some of our favorite walks and hikes in surrounding local parks, state parks and conservation areas to give you some inspiration.

Carondelet Park off of Loughborough Exit on I-55. The park has a paved 1.7-mile loop around the park (do it twice and you have done a 5K!). There are paths that cut across the park at various points if you want to lengthen or shorten the distance. (easy)

Riverscene Trail at Castlewood State Park in Ballwin - 3.25-mile loop - views of the Meramec River valley (moderate)

Lewis & Clark Trails at Weldon Spring Conservation Area in St. Charles - Clark Trail is a 5.2-mile loop with an option to add on another 2.3-miles with the Lewis trail loop - scenic lookouts over the Missouri River (moderate)

Mooner’s Hollow Trail at St. Francois State Park - ~1 hour south of St. Louis - 2.75-mile loop - wooded hike along Coonville Creek with a view of falls/cascades (moderate)

Lime Kiln Loop at Rockwoods Reservation in Wildwood - 3.2-mile loop - scenic rock outcroppings and a natural spring (moderate)

Des Peres Park at Manchester and Ballas Roads has a 0.91-mile paved walking path loop around the perimeter of the park (easy)

Laumeier Sculpture Park in Sunset Hills has three different paths/trails (easy)

• paved central pathway 0.64-mile loop
• art hike trail that is 0.77-miles
• western woodland trail that is a short 0.15 miles

Kirkwood City Park, located at Adams and Geyer Road, has a 1.6-mile loop around the park (easy)

Creve Coeur Park (easy to moderate)

• Bootleggers Run Trail - Earthen Treadway, 2.5 miles
• Creve Coeur Connector Trail - Paved, 3.8 miles
• Lakeview Loop Trail - Paved, 3.8 miles
• Mallard Lake Loop Trail - Paved, 1.7 miles
• Meadows Loop Trail - Paved, 3 miles

Forest Park (easy)

• Wheels and Heels Path – 5.8 miles
• Wheels Path – 5.7 miles
• Emerson Grand Basin Loop – 2.5 miles
• Picnic Island Loop – 1.1 miles
• Saint Louis Zoo – 2 miles
• Heels Path and Prairie Boardwalk – 1 mile

Shaw Park loop trail 1.8 miles (easy)

Tower Grove Park outer paved path is approximately 3-mile loop (easy)

Pere Marquette (easy to moderate)

• Outer Loop – 5.9 miles
• Hickory South, North, Fern Hollow and Goat Cliff Trail Loop – 3.9 miles
• McAdams Peak Trail – 1.9 miles
• Fern Hollow Trail – 2.9 miles
• Hickory Trail - 0.8 miles
• Dogwood Trail – 0.7 miles
• Pere Marquette Trail – 3.2 miles

Hughes Mountain Natural Area south of Potosi, approximately an hour from St. Louis. A hike to Devil's Honeycomb will take you to the 1.5-billion-year-old Precambrian rock outcrops—some of the oldest rocks in the United States. The hike is a .75-mile out and back hike. The views are wonderful. (easy to moderate)