Came here after seeing several photos and videos posted on Instagram (specifically a waterfall that we never saw!) and we really liked it. It is a challenging hike that has a decent amount of elevation gain for Missouri anyway. Easy to find with GPS, and the parking lot was NOT full first thing in the morning. The creek is obviously the highlight and you will see most of that towards the end of the hike. There’s an additional spur that we hiked down to get even more creek time. It dead ends and we bushwhacked as far as we could past it but it wasn’t clear where we would end up so we turned back. On AllTrails is said there was a waterfall about 2/3 of the way through it but we never saw it. We thought we heard it off in the distance but we didn’t see a sign or trail leading to it. Later, I read online that there’s a rope you can take down to it but we did not see a rope. Overall it’s a nice hike, I would do it again sometime!

This was a great place to spend a couple of hours this morning. The 3-mile loop trail takes you through ever-changing scenes from the bottom of the ridge around to the top and then back down the other side. It took me just over an hour and a half, but then I went slowly, checking everything out.I was there just after sunrise in early April, and I saw no animals, but heard plenty of birds (and faraway trains and roosters from the nearby farm!). There were a lot of interesting mosses, fungi, lichen and small spring flowers. At the top of the ridge, just before the path started to go back down, there was a whole expanse of large moss-covered boulders. Granite? Dolomite? Whichever, I was quite surprised to see this, and I think the hike would be worthwhile just to see them. The trail was well marked (and easy to follow because it's a loop), but also well-maintained and defined. There are no sweeping vistas once you get to the top of the ridge, because you don't get all the way to the top, but it is quite a nice hike.There were several places where the trail got muddy from where a trickle of water or a small stream passed over it, but nothing was impassible, although I would suggest hiking boots or, at the very least, athletic shoes for this hike. There were some steep areas, some flat areas, you walk over roots, flat rocks, dirt, lots of different terrain, and, all in all, it was a pretty decent workout.You actually only get near Labarque Creek at the very beginning (and end) of the trail, and even then you have to go off on a small side loop (just after the first bridge). The creek runs along one side of the park, but there are many small streams within the conservation area that flow into the creek.There are no restroom facilities, but there are plenty of places to stop along Highway 109 before you get there, if you come from Highway 44. The Friends of Labarque Creek installed two very nice benches, so you can have a picnic there, but please, carry out what you have carried in!This would be a good park to link other sights in the area for a nice day trip: Don Robinson State Park, The Black Madonna Shrine and Grottoes, and Young Conservation Area. Even just driving around various county roads was quite enjoyable and scenic.

Although the pamphlet at the site states that the trail is moderate/difficult, we would lean more towards difficult due to the fact that the majority of the trail requires the hiker to ALWAYS be looking down to keep from falling. The elevation at the start of the trail is about 500 feet, and climbs to 800 feet in elevation. The trail has some areas of very steep climbs over the first 1.5 miles, of the 3 mile loop. There are slippery areas near and around the seeps. A lot of the trail is strewn with rocks that are loose and others embedded in the trail. Tree roots are another hazard. The trail is very well marked. Hazards, aside the area is beautifully forested with lots of diversity. We saw many Christmas ferns in February. We were able to see the lights of Pacific off in the distance, when we reached the summit. There is a wet season waterfall and a creek that begs to be explored in warmer weather. We heard a Great Horned Owl in the distance and heard a disturbance in the brush which we believe was most likely deer. The highlight of the trip was coming across fresh mountain lion tracks! We arrived at back to the parking lot at sunset and were rewarded with a glorious riot of color. After leaving the parking lot, a fox ran out in front of our car. Definitely pack water! Wear comfortable supportive hiking shoes and bring a flashlight if you will be out near dusk or at dark.