Stay in Touch with MDC news, newsletters, events, and manage your subscription
Xplor reconnects kids to nature and helps them find adventure in their own backyard. Free to residents of Missouri.
A monthly publication about conservation in Missouri. Started in 1938, the printed magazine is free to residents of Missouri.
St. CHARLES, Mo.—For those with a hankering to explore, hiking is one of the best ways to discover the beauty of nature and improve health. Hikers report benefits like weight loss, stress relief, better sleep, and more positive thoughts. The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) has more than 1,000 conservation areas and state forests throughout the Show-Me-State, and many have excellent hiking trails. Plenty of them are in the St. Louis region.
MDC is offering a free program to help anyone interested in hiking get started—Hiking 101: Ready, Set, Hike! this Saturday, April 9 from 1-3:30 p.m. at the August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area in St. Charles. The class is for anyone who wants to get out and hike with others, or even by themselves, but isn’t sure where or how to start. It is open to those age 12 and up.
Join MDC naturalists for a discussion on the basics for spring and summer hiking. Although the program is designed for those who want to start hiking or have little experience, anyone is welcome. Topics will include the basics such as the differences between walking and hiking, the clothes and equipment needed, special considerations when hiking with children, and other information.
Participants will then get the opportunity to go on a hike immediately after. MDC staff will lead a short, easy hike near the visitor center.
Hiking 101: Ready, Set, Hike! is a free program, however advanced online registration is required at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/438.
The August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area is located at 2360 Highway D, about two miles west of Highway 94.
As this is an in-person activity, MDC asks all participants to observe any current local social distancing and masking guidelines.
Program registrants should note that families now have the option to link their children’s accounts to their own which will streamline the program registration process. Once a group account is set up, parents will be able to register their children to an event without having to logoff and login for each person. This allows parents to register an entire family or select family members to an event at the same time.
Stay informed of MDC latest programs by going to the MDC St. Louis regional events page at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/ZP6.
