Green Rock Trail, Rockwoods Reservation

Distance: 3 mi (5.8 km) one-way
Location: Wildwood, Missouri
Date: July 11, 2012


Rockwoods Reservation is located between Eureka and Wildwood, Missouri and contains 3.6 miles of the 14.3 mile-long Green Rock Trail. I hiked approximately three miles (six miles round trip) of this trail from its beginning along Glencoe Road to the point where it crosses Melrose Road, which is shortly before the trail enters Greensfelder County Park.

The Green Rock Trail is open to foot traffic only and has perhaps the most wild feel of any trail in the St. Louis metro area. I haven't encountered anyone else along the trail in Rockwoods Reservation or on the section in the Rockwoods Range.


The trail begins at an elevation of 500 feet by crossing a decent size stream (dry during my visit) and then gently gaining elevation before crossing a smaller stream. The trail then turns up a fairly steep hill where it gains about 100 feet in elevation and crosses through some large rocks near the top of the hill. For the next half mile the trail has only moderate elevation changes before crossing a small ridge at 800 feet in elevation.


The trail then steeply descends and then even more steeply ascends out of a small valley (100 feet down and 150 feet up). The trail then follows a ridge for nearly a mile before then descending and ascending another small valley, but not as steeply as the last. Finally, the trail then drops a few feet into another small valley before quickly ascending to Melrose Road where you can continue on towards Greensfelder County Park or turn around and hike three miles to the trailhead. The entire length of the trail in Rockwoods Reservation is forested and makes for a nice hike even if the temperature is in the mid-90s as it was when I hiked the Green Rock Trail. 



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