Always looking for new hiking locations, my wife and I visited Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park, south of Chesterfield, Missouri, this morning. Home to a pleasing Visitor Center and an Outdoor Education Center, its forested hills are accessed by paved roads that are popular with cyclists and which lead to a number of picnic areas, shelters and camping sites. An equestrian trail also winds through the Park.
On the other hand, its hiking trails, while leading through mature deciduous forest, into glades and down to spring-fed creeks, are not well engineered. Neither do they lead to any overlooks that might offer the visitor some perspective of the local topography. After a night of rain, the soggy trails made foot travel difficult, if not treacherous, in some areas.
One might question why a naturalist, such as myself, would be disappointed by a lack of manicured trails, overlooks and other hiking amenities. Were it a conservation area, wildlife refuge or nature preserve, my criticism would, indeed, be inappropriate; but, in my opinion, State Parks should encourage exploration beyond traditional human recreation sites and a safe, inviting, educational trail network best serves that purpose.
