It’s that time of year again when I go on road trips. This year is no different.
My destination was Colorado Springs, but I decided to stop along the way to smell the roses. My first stop on this journey was at a beautiful state park just outside Columbia, Missouri.
Finger Lakes State Park used to be a coal mine owned by Peabody’s Mark Twain mine. Shortly after mining operations ceased, Peabody replanted and reseeded much of the mine site and stocked several fishing lakes on the property.
Peabody gave 1,028 acres of land to the Missouri State park system in 1974. The state reclaimed the land with use of a grant from the federal government.
Today, the rugged landscape of Finger Lakes State Park has been recycled into more than 900 acres of off-road motorcycle and vehicle trails. The steep hill and deeper vines will challenge the most experienced riders.
For visitors looking for the more typical state park experience, the numerous finger-shaped lakes allow swimming, fishing, kayaking and more. Nearly a dozen small lakes, left by the mining company, were joined together by a series of dams and canals. This resulted in a long, narrow strand of water that runs more than a mile and a half along the edge of the park. It’s perfect for kayaking and canoeing.
A hiking and mountain biking trail runs through a wooded area of the park. In the northwestern area, a nice campground awaits overnight guests. The camping area has restrooms and hot showers.
When I arrived at this beautiful park, I went straight to the campground as I had a reservation for the night. I was excited to explore this new place.
After setting up my tent, I looked at my brochure of trail maps. I was planning a hike, even though I had driven five hours that day. I decided to go observe and take photos of some of the lakes. Heading down to one of the smaller lakes, I saw several people fishing. Others were kayaking and boating. A relaxing scene.
I took a nice walk around some of the lakes, took lots of photos — it was an amazing day. The weather was beautiful.
Finally, I settled in on a trail to hike. I chose to hike the Kelley Branch mountain bike trail, a loop trail of 2.75 miles. The supposedly offers views of lots of birds, but the trail is rugged. There are steep hills in some places.
I drove to the parking lot and decided to give it a chance.
Close to the entrance, I saw a fairly sizable black snake. I just waited for him to move along, then I went on with my day. I found the trailhead and took off down the heavily wooded path. The trail went up in elevation quickly, but I was used to this from the Indiana trails I hike at home.
I had used insect spray because the ticks are really bad in Missouri, as are the mosquitoes.
I passed by a little, bubbling stream that paralleled the pathway. The sound of the water trickling downstream was relaxing. I could hear songbirds singing in the branches over my head. It was a very pleasant day.
I did not finish the whole trail as it was pretty hot outside and I was pretty tired from driving so far, but I wanted to get a sense of the trails in the park.
I had a great day in this beautiful park.
This would be a good place to stop and visit if you’re going out west on Interstate 70. It reminded me of the parks at home, with one exception: I was spending the night in my tent. I have camped in Missouri before. I had forgotten how noisy the woods are at night.
I heard animal sounds often all through the night. I heard songs of the coyotes, a call from a bobcat, several different types of owls hooting deep in the woods, and various other animals that I could not identify. What an adventure!
And on top of all of that, the Strawberry Full Moon was out, bright, and shining, lighting up everything around me.
I capped that night off in the morning with coffee from my camp coffee pot on my little stove and got ready to continue on my journey west.
To get to this place: Take U.S. 63 North off of Interstate 70, in Columbia, Missouri. Follow U.S. 63 until you come to Peabody Road. Turn right. In 1/2 mile, turn left into the park. The address is 1505 Peabody Road, Columbia, Missouri.
A quote for your week: “So lovely was the loneliness of a wild lake.” — Edgar Allan Poe, American writer, poet, literary critic. (1809-1849).
Until the next trail, Susan.
This article originally appeared on Evening World: A Hiker’s Path: Westward trip leads to stop at Finger Lakes State Park in Missouri
Reporting by Susan Anderson / Evening World
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