BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICATROOP 313DES PERES, MISSOURI

Since 1944

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Patch Comments

Anpetu-We Trail 10 Hike this one soon as it may go away with the Council merger. At Camp Lewallen, 5 miles out and back.

Audubon Trail 12 Loop trail, nice rugged hike, haven't done recently

Daniel Boone Trail 20 One-way, mostly on the Katy Trail, ends at the historic Daniel Boone homestead. Good for Scouts needing the 20-miler "final" for Hiking Merit Badge

Carondelet-Jefferson Barracks Trail

12 Loop trail in south St. Louis and south County. We have never hiked this one.

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Gateway West Hirstoric Trail

10 Loop trail starts and ends at the Eads Bridge. All on paved surfaces.

Green-Rock Trail 14 One-way, very rugged trail. Perfect for Philmont training hikes. See Six Flags from the early part of the trail. The St. Louis County highpoint is close to this trail.

Henry Rowe Schoolcraft Orienteering Trail

14 Loop trail, may be split into 9-mile or 5-mile sections. No "trail." Most of it involves orienteering either along jeep trails or bearing-and-distance navigation. Best done in fall/winter or early spring without leaves.

Les Petites Cotes Trail

10 Loop trail through historic St. Charles. All on paved surfaces. Interesting to see some of the historic sites.

Lost Creek Trail 20 Loop trail. Partly on a county road, mostly on gravel farm roads. Not recommended unless you're desperate for a 20-miler.

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Moses Austin Trail 14 Loop trail. Nice rugged trail through the woods, not far from Potosi.

Pioneer Trace 17 Loop trail, one of several through Beaumont. You'll see parts of Beaumont you've never visited. Good for a 2-day backpacking trek, camp either at Nusser (halfway) or Nagel (a bit more than halfway) or for the semi-final 15-miler for Hiking Merit Badge

Shawnee Trail 20 Out-and-back trail at Beamont to add up to 20. Much of it follows the Tomahawk Trail. Start above the Chapel, loop around to Mud Cave, stop and reverse your way home. Good for a first 20-miler since you can bail out easily after 10.

Taum Sauk Trail Depends This follows the Ozark Trail and is one of the most scenic and rugged stretches of trails in MO. Distance will depend on which trailheads you use for start/finish.

Three Notch Trail 10 to 21 This is the S-F trail system. Depending on which sections you hike, you can do from 10 to 21 miles. The East Loop is not recommended for cold weather because of river crossings.

Trail Name Distance

Patch Comments

Tomahawk Trail 12 Loop trail at Beaumont. 12 miles is generous (10.5 or 11 is closer) Troop 313 maintains this trail, so most of us know it quite well.

1904 World's Fair Trail

10 Loop trail through Forest Park. Mostly on paved surfaces but gives a good overview of the park.

Bell Mountain Trail

10 Lollipop trail, 1-mile lead-in with a loop. Goes over one of the tallest hills in MO. Good views and nice open glades on top of Bell Mountain.

Berryman Trail Varies...10 to 25 miles

Trail system that can be done as point-to-point or loop. Distances can be planned based on group dynamics, whether day-hiking or backpacking, etc.

Chubb Trail 7 Point-to-point trail from West Tyson to Lone Elk parks. Killer hill at the beginning but mostly flat after that. Not good if the Meramec river is high.

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Council Bluff Lake Trail

10 Loop trail. Easy, as most of it is fairly flat along the shoreline of Council Bluff Lake near Potosi. Check park schedule as mountain bike races are held on this trail.

Cuivre River Park Trails

Varies This trail system runs through Cuivre River State Park. Distances can be matched to the plan. Try to avoid the mixed-use equestrian sections as they are scented and muddy.

Des Peres City Trail

10 Loop trail. This was created as an Eagle Project and needs to be updated now that Bittersweet Woods has been added to the Des Peres park system. All on paved surfaces.

Lewis and Clark Trail

5 or 9 Loop trail. This trail has a 9-mile loop with a cutoff for 5 miles. Nearby in St. Charles County, it's a good New Scout hike choice. Nice views of the Missouri River.

Meramec State Park Wilderness Trail

10 Loop trail. This trail meanders through Meramec State Park. Very woodsy. Some views of the river during the winter but not with leaves on the trees.

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St. Francois State Park Trail

10 Loop trail. Another nice woodsy trail, this one through St. Francois State Park.

Whispering Pines Trail

6 or 10 Loop trail. This trail through Hawn State Park is a figure-8. Doing the north loop is 6 miles (good New Scout hike) or the whole loop is 10, so older Scouts can race the New Scouts and see who finishes first. Good backpacking campsites on the longer loop for Philmont training.

Mudlick Mountain Trail

12 Loop trail. This trail goes through the wilderness section of Sam A. Baker State Park. It is an excellent overnight backpacking trail with a good camp between 7 and 8 miles in, making for a shorter "out" day.

Cedar Creek Trail 20 Loop trail. Good alternative to the other 20-mile trails for the Hiking Merit Badge "final."

Castlewood Park Trail

6 Lollipop trail, up and over a good hill and then down along the Meramec River. Not accessible during high water.

Ozark Trail Varies This trail system covers 100+ miles through southeastern MO. Different sections can be hiked point-to-point as day hikes or longer backpacking treks. The Taum Sauk section counts toward the Council trail, above.

Trail Name Distance

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River to River Trail Varies This trail system crosses southern Illinois, up to 160 miles. We have never hiked any part of it, so research would be required.

Ozark Highlands Trail

Varies This trail system crosses northern Arkansas, up to 240 miles. We have never hiked any part of it, so research would be required. This would be a multi-day trip, as it's a full day of driving down and back.