LaBarque Hiking Trail

Dogs Unknown

Features Fall Colors · River/Creek · Wildflowers

The trailhead is across the gravel road from the parking lot.

The three-mile trail is signed in a clockwise direction and provides for a moderate, usually solitary, hike. The trail can be close at times so beware of tics in the summer.

LaBarque Creek Conservation Area consists of 1,274 acres in northwestern Jefferson County, Missouri and is part of the Henry Shaw Ozark Corridor.

The hiking trail on LaBarque Creek Conservation Area is part of the greater LaBarque Creek watershed which includes two trails at Don Robinson State park (Sandstone Canyon and LaBarque Hills Trail) and two trails at Young Conservation Area (LaBarque Hills Trail and Taconic Loop Trail).

The area consists of St. Peter Sandstone which has steep, narrow valleys, bluffs, sheltered caves and hardwood forests. The permanent creek is known for its high-quality ecosystem which includes at least 54 species of fish.

There are some beautiful water flows after rains. In midwinter there can be spectacular ice formations

It is home to many migratory bird species including wood thrush, worm-eating warbler, ovenbird and Acadian flycatcher. The area is rich with over 500 species of native flora; deer and squirrel are abundant.