Lewis & Clark Trail is one of my favorites to run in all of the St. Louis area. The best attraction it offers is STUNNING views of the Missouri River along its bluffs, as well as views of the surrounding river valley near Chesterfield, MO. The trail consists of two loops – an “inner” loop that’s about 5.3 miles and an “outer” loop that’s about 8.2 miles in length. It makes for some great options and you can string as many loops as you dare out here!
WELCOME to Lewis & Clark trail!:
If there’s a downside to Lewis & Clark Trail it’s that there are no washrooms, drinking water access and it’s a bit of a drive for me from home (about 30 or 40 minutes). However, the views along the bluffs are worth the extra drive and preparation required to spend a few hours or more out there.
It’s pretty much 100% single-track & technical. It’s off limits to bicycles (sorry mountain bikers!), so you can expect to have the place to yourself on most days. I usually start in the counter clockwise direction because it’s the quickest way to the scenic river bluffs – I guess I like the quick payoff.
As you can see here from the elevation profile, there are no major hills to deal with, but there are some great rolling, challenging and runnable hills that are tracking to and from the river bank:
After a 1.25 mile (slightly downhill) run along the trail from the parking lot you’re rewarded with some AMAZING views:
You can see here on the map that Lewis & Clark trails (“A”) are near the Missouri River and overlook the Chesterfield, MO river valley:
Roughly 2.5 miles in to the run you get the option for the 5.3 mile loop, or the 8.2 mile (and more technically challenging) loop – its my FAVE! During periods of frequent & heavy rainfall, this creek can really be rushing:
Speaking of technical, stairs on the trail are commonplace in B.C., but NOT here in Missouri!:
The creek crossing over a bridge near the end is always a welcome sight – it’s only about 1.7 miles up and out of this area to the finish of the loop:
This trail is very popular with the local hiking contingent. Although slightly inconvenient for me to drive to (there are closer trails to my hometown of Kirkwood) – it’s always worth the drive to Lewis & Clark. Definitely give it a shot if your training schedule is calling for a 5 to 8 miler – it’s fantastic!
L
