On this mild April morning, my wife and I visited Don Robinson State Park in Jefferson County, Missouri. Donated to the State by Mr. Robinson upon his death, its 800 acres are draped across the upper watershed of LaBarque Creek, a tributary of the Meramec River.
The Park is known for its Sandstone Canyons where outcrops of St. Peter Sandstone adorn the walls and underlie the streams (see photo). This rock formation dates from the mid Ordovician Period, about 460 million years ago, when life had not yet crawled from the sea. Outcrops of limestone and dolomite are also found in the Park which harbors an excellent diversity of foliage, including many rare plants.
During our visit today, we hiked a 3.2 mile loop through one of the canyons, enduring a steep climb in one area. Though benches are not provided for those of us who often use them, there were plenty of logs and sandstone blocks along the trail which, in our case, were regularly appreciated. We highly recommend a visit to this scenic and geologically interesting Park.
