While the great majority of Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area stretches across the Missouri River floodplain, accessed by graveled roads and levee-top trails, a small portion sits atop the east wall of the river's valley. There, a foot-trail leads from a small parking lot on Warren School Road to a ridge-top deck which provides a spectacular view of the floodplain with its streams, pools and woodlands; about 1 mile long, the trail courses through a gas line swath, an old farm meadow and parcels of forest.
On this cool, sunny morning, my wife and I hiked to the overlook for the first time. En route, we encountered an excellent variety of woodland songbirds, including yellow-throated vireos, yellow-breasted chats and a yellow-billed cuckoo. Once on the deck, we could see great blue herons and great egrets moving above the floodplain or feeding in the shallow pools; we also observed a tardy flock of American white pelicans, huddled on the west side of the refuge.
Having spent hundreds of hours exploring Eagle Bluffs over the years, the overlook trail offered a unique perspective and yet another appealing destination for exercise and wildlife observation in Central Missouri. I certainly hope to return on a regular basis.
On this cool, sunny morning, my wife and I hiked to the overlook for the first time. En route, we encountered an excellent variety of woodland songbirds, including yellow-throated vireos, yellow-breasted chats and a yellow-billed cuckoo. Once on the deck, we could see great blue herons and great egrets moving above the floodplain or feeding in the shallow pools; we also observed a tardy flock of American white pelicans, huddled on the west side of the refuge.
Having spent hundreds of hours exploring Eagle Bluffs over the years, the overlook trail offered a unique perspective and yet another appealing destination for exercise and wildlife observation in Central Missouri. I certainly hope to return on a regular basis.
