Hart Creek is a 657 acre Conservation Area north of Hartsburg, Missouri. The majority of the preserve stretches across the Missouri River hills between the Katy Trail and the Hart Creek Valley. A two-mile hike takes visitors from a parking lot along Hart Creek Road (just northeast of Hartsburg) to an overlook deck that offers a sweeping view of the Missouri River floodplain.
After crossing the creek on a wooden bridge, the grassy trail leads out to Hart Creek Lake before entering the forest for a long, steady climb to a trail junction. There, a side trail leads westward to the overlook.
This morning, the forest was alive with the hammering and calls of woodpeckers (mostly red-bellied but also red-headed, downy and northern flickers) and the raucous cries of blue jays; white-breasted nuthatches, American goldfinches and turkey vultures were also fairly common and we observed a total of 15 species (a bit disappointing) during our visit. Indeed, crunching across an abundant crop of acorns along the trail, I certainly expected to encounter wild turkeys but none made an appearance. Sometimes it's just best to enjoy the exercise, the landscape and the views.
