Rockwoods Reservation is located in western St. Louis County and is only about a 35 minute drive from downtown. The park has several trails, but today we hiked the Lime Kiln Loop Trail. The trail is a loop and is 3.25 miles long. This trail is also dog-friendly. I found this trail from a blog I follow called Camping Missouri. Be sure to check out his blog as he has a lot of great information on other trails in the area!

From the small parking lot at the trail head, you can see the trail’s namesake. The kiln was built around 1856 and it was used to turn limestone rocks into powdered lime. The kiln was built into the side of the hill so that it could be loaded from the top.

We hiked the trail counter clockwise. The trail starts out narrow and flat for the first part and then quickly becomes rocky as you hike uphill. Switchbacks lead you to the top of the hill where the trail flattens out for a while with elevation gains every now and then.

As you reach the top and farthest western point of the hill, there is a bench to take in the surroundings and take a break before the descent.

This part was my favorite part of the trail since it was rocky and challenging as you hike between ridges and through hollows.

The last part of the trail parallels Glencoe Road and is a flat and easy hike. Another interesting feature on this trail is the freshwater spring. The water is clear and cold. There are stepping stones in the spring to cross over to the other side of the trail.

The Lime Kiln trail was a lot of fun. It is a challenging hike through the mature woods. There are also several other trails at Rockwoods Reservation to check out as well. The trail map below was obtained from Missouri Department of Conservation.

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