Hiking Deer Run Trail at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park
Hiking Deer Run Trail at Rock Bridge Memorial State Park
Closing out my trip to Rock Bridge Memorial State Park I'm hiking Deer Run Trail, which is a 3.8 mile loop trail along the northern board of the Missouri state park. The highlight of Deer Run Trail is the section that runs along side Little Bonne Femme Creek about half way into the hike. The sounds of various birds start to fill the air and the trees start to thin into a beautifully canopied grassland along the banks of the creek.
Note: Deer Run Trail does allow mountain biking in dry conditions.
Deer Run Trail
Type: Loop | Rate: Easy / Moderate | Traffic: Moderate | Distance: 3.8mi | Elevation Gain: 216ft
Hike down to canopied grassland along the banks of the lovely Little Bonne Femme Creek.
View the full route on AllTrails.
Little Bonne Femme Creek
While not home to the most spectacular geological formations at Rock Bridge Memorial Park, that would be the Rock Bridge and Devil’s Icebox / Connor’s Cave, Deer Run Trail offers a lovely hike through the park’s northern and western boundaries. The highlight of this trail is reaching the bottomlands along the banks of Little Bonne Femme Creek 2.3mi into the hike. The grassy opening along the creek is a peaceful and serene experience.
Hiking Deer Run Trail
The first mile of Deer Run Trail zig-zags along the northern border of the park. In fall and winter months when the foliage is thin, private homes of a neighborhood are visible along the trail. Not exactly the ideal backdrop to a hike, but it does provide the opportunity to daydream about the luxury of having Rock Bridge Memorial State Park as a backyard.
The next mile is a gradual descent towards Little Bonne Femme Creek. There are some lovely short sections of exposed rock switchbacks, but nothing too difficult to navigate for even the novice hiker. At the 1.8mi mark White Connector 7 is available to shorten the hike by roughly 1 mile, but this would be ill advised as it cuts off the best part of the hike.
Little Bonne Femme Creek
The trail crosses a powerline clearing at the 2.1mi mark and continues alongside the fence of a field before reaching Little Bonne Femme Creek. The sounds of various birds start to fill the air and the trees start to thin into a beautifully canopied grassland along the banks of the creek. The next 0.8 miles follows Little Bonne Femme Creek. Keep on the lookout for mounds in the creek, tell-tale signs of muskrat and beaver activity. White-tail deer are likely to be bounding off in the distance as well.
At the 2.9 mile mark Spring Brook Trail merges with Deer Run Trail. Spring Brook Trail runs through the heart of Rock Bridge Memorial State Park. One could forge Little Bonne Femme Creek and follow Spring Brook Trail to Devil’s Icebox, Connor’s Cave, and the Rock Bridge, adding an additional 1.6 miles to the hike and probably several hours - due to the time spent exploring all these natural features.
Choosing to continue on Deer Run Trail, the remaining mile is a gradual ascent from the bottomlands to the parking lot. The steepest push will be the final spur from the loop section to the parking lot itself. Once completed there are picnic tables perfect for a post-hike meal, and even a playground close by for the kids to burn off any leftover energy.
More Hikes at Rock Bridge Memorial
Devil’s Icebox Trail
High Ridge Trail
Hiking Gear List
Headlamp - Petzl Tikka Headlamp
Jacket - Patagonia Nano Puff Hoodie
Beanie - Ope Outdoors Chunky Knit Beanie
Long Sleeve Shirt - REI Co-op Midweight Base Layer
T-Shirt - REI Co-op Sahara T-Shirt
Pants - Wrangler ATG Fleece Lined Pants
Underwear - REI Co-op Everyday Boxer Briefs
Shoes - The North Face VECTIV Fastpack FUTURELIGHT Hiking Shoes
Pack - REI Co-op Flash 22 Pack
Water Bottle - REI Co-op Nalgene 1L
Camera Gear List
Camera - Sony a6400
SD Card - ScanDisk Extreme Pro 128 GB 200 MB/s
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