Today, my Mom and I drove down to Meramec State Park to bushwhack to Green's Cave. My Dad and I tried to hike to the cave last year by the Sleepy Hollow route and we got kind of lost. Then, it was getting dark and we had to turn around before we got to the cave. We started our hike around 9:45 at the Hamilton Hollow Trailhead. A short distance from the trailhead, we came to an informational pavilion about the old Hamilton Hollow Iron Works. It was built in the early 1870's and only lasted three years before it went of of business. Right after the pavilion, we made the first of our 14 major creek crossings of Hamilton Creek. We followed old roads down the Hamilton Creek Valley for two miles. The valley used to be farm fields and pasture. Now, there are only brushy meadows in their place. About a mile after the trailhead, we crossed the creek and visited Hamilton Cave. Just before the cave, there was an old stone wall built on the hillside. The cave had a big opening with icicles dangling from the nearby cliffs. It was a really cool cave, but there is a big gate on it to protect the endangered Indiana bats that live inside. The stream flowing out of the cave had bright green, mossy rocks in it. Right after Hamilton Cave, the trail crossed the creek again. About 3/4 of a mile later, we crossed the creek again to visit Homestead Spring. There is a farmer's old cooling house standing in the middle of the spring. Bright, green watercress decorated the stream. Some rusty, old strands of barbed wire were strung in between trees. The old roads kind of faded out after Homestead Spring. We made another creek crossing and followed deer trails through a cedar grove. Soon, we hit an old road and followed that to the Meramec. The road disappeared and we found a narrow, rocky pathway leading to the cave. The pathway followed a scenic hillside above the Meramec River and right below towering bluffs. Before we could see the cave, we could hear the roaring stream coming out of it. We rounded a corner and came upon one of the coolest places in Missouri. Green's Cave was simply huge. The opening of the cave was massive. I read somewhere that it is the biggest cave opening west of the Mississippi River. I don't know if that's true, but it was really impressive. I didn't bring my headlight, but we hiked up into the cave quite a ways. The noise from the creek got louder and louder. Soon, we came to a spot where we couldn't hike father without getting wet. Right beyond this place, there was a three foot high waterfall. After turning around here, we followed the rugged trail up a steep, rocky gully to the bluff above the cave. This bluff has lots of pretty cedars and looked out over some farms on the other side of the river. On the way out of St. Louis, we stopped at the St. Louis Bread Company, and got bagels and bear claws. We each ate our bear claws on this bluff with a great view. After enjoying this scenic overlook, we turned around and hike out the way we hiked in. One the way back, I waded across the creek to see Pratt Spring, the spring flowed out of a small cave. It then went towards the creek, but a couple of beavers have dammed it. There is a small lake now. Right before the trailhead, we walked over to the old iron blast furnace. The big furnace was built with huge stone blocks. The inner furnace had gotten so hot, the that there is a thin layer of iron on the rocks. The hike down Hamilton Creek is really a walk through history passing the old iron works, old stone walls, spring houses, barbed wire, and overgrown farm fields reminding you of the past.
Hamilton Cave
The spring house at Homestead Spring
The narrow path right below the bluffs
The mouth of Green's Cave
The waterfall in Green's Cave
The view from the bluff
Me standing on the bluff