Missouri Whitewater Championship Races

Saturday, Kasie and I headed over to eastern Missouri for the day. It was the last day of her spring break for school, and we decided to take a little trip. We headed to a place called Millstream Gardens Conservation Area, near Fredericktown, MO. Every March, the area is host to the Missouri Whitewater Championship Races for canoeists and kayakers, held on the St. Francois River that runs through the area. Last Sunday and Monday, that part of the state had a good 3-4 inches of rain, so the river level was up and running good. The part of the St. Francois River that runs through Millstream Gardens is called a shut-in, because that stretch of river passes through a small canyon like area, causing the river to basically be “shut-in” in the canyon. There are numerous large boulders strewn about the stream, with good rapids, pools and drops.
The “race” was more of an obstacle course/time tryout, instead of an actual race. There were ropes strung across the river valley, with striped poles hanging down from them almost to the water level. With the green poles, the boaters had to go through them heading downstream/with the current. Where there were red poles, they had to stop and turn around in the middle of the stream, paddle back through them upstream/against the current, then continue back downstream. Some of these folks were good, real good. Kasie and I even thought we saw a couple of people from the US Olympic Training Center watching the boaters in the water, perhaps qualifying for the Olympics, which are coming up in 2012. We spent only about two hours at the area, watching and looking around, but it was really neat to see.

From there we headed just down stream, into the National Forest, to a place called Silver Mines Recreation Area. It is also located in the same river, and an approx. 2 mile trail joins the two areas together. We drove there from Millstream Gardens, however, as we were trying to maxamize our time. There is a primitive camping area here, as well as a picnic area along the river. From the picnic area, you can access the trail leading from Millstream Gardens. We hiked up this trail a little ways, about 1/2 a mile, to an area on the St. Francois River where an old dam is located across the river. A large chunk of the dam is broken, and creates a good rapid for floaters. This area would also be a good swimming hole.

Next, we visited Pickle Springs Natural Area. There is a two mile trail called Trail Through Time, and is full of interesting sights. One of the main features of the NA is a double arch. Also, there is a good waterfall, especially right after a good rain. There was not enough water flowing yesterday, though, to take a picture of it. Towards the end of the trail, there is a large, rocky overlook area, and would be a beautiful spot to take in a sunset, especially in the fall.

Last, we visited an area called Hickory Canyon Natural Area. There is a short, 1/4 mile long trail that takes you into this box canyon, and is just a little steep going into and coming out, although not really that bad. This area would also have a wonderful waterfall right after a good rain. There was some water flowing when we were there, but again, not enough for a good picture. It was still a pretty place, and I will have to come back soon, when the water is flowing good.

Next, we were going to go to a place called Amidon Conservation Area, where the Castor River Shut-Ins is located, but by the time we would have arrived, it would have been just after 7:00, and getting too dark to take any pics. Oh well, maybe next time.