Missouri Hiking Trails : mohiking.com
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It is organized by trail, so that it will be easy for people to find information.
Please read our usage notes before starting. You can read reviews without joining the forum, but you have to join if you want to post. Click here to register.
Hughes Mountain Natural Area
Posted by: ladyalite (IP Logged)
Date: October 18, 2005 08:38PM
Distance: 1.5 miles
Photos:[www.mohiking.com]
Oct 18th , 2005
General location- 10 miles south of Potosi.
The 2 main attractions of this trail are the view and the surface of the mountain.
This is a super easy 1.5 mile trail. I believe the 1.5 miles means all the way to the summit and back. Unbelievably, you can have this panoramic view with virtually no climbing or hiking to get there! I didn’t actually time it but we were out of the woods and up on the mountain in what seemed like less than 10 minutes, and it wasn’t even a very steep climb. You don’t even have to be a real hiker to do enjoy this ‘trail’. Although really, it is more of a location than a trail. I think kids would think this place is really cool.
As soon as you break out of the woods onto the rocky surface of the mountain, you can see a great view and it looks like you are near the top. We discovered however, that the very top is farther than it looks. When you look up, you see a few trees and it looks like the top, but as you close in on what seems to be the top, several more areas unfold before you as you go, each one a little higher than where you are. So you keep going because “the top’ always seems like it’s just a few more steps away. You will know when you do reach the summit because it will be obvious that you can go no further as you approach a drop off.
There are no steep grades on the mountain, you more or less meander to the top as you look about and enjoy the view and explore the unusual surface of the terrain. For a description of the terrain and the views you simply must see the photos. All I can say is Wow. This place was worth coming to. Pack your lunch and do not stop for lunch on the way to the mountain as you will want an excuse to stay a while.
The one not so good thing about this trail is that it is so short. It is so short that if you wanted a day of hiking, or even a little hiking, it’s really not enough. I would suggest that the best way to visit this place would be to stop on your way down to Elephant Rocks or some other location, or combine it with another hike in the area.
On this day, I combined this hike with the 3 mile loop at Valley View Glades just outside of Hillsboro, which made for a lovely day. Both trails are off hwy 21 so it makes a good combo.
Edited 2 times. Last edit at 10/19/05 10:12AM by Nick Kasoff.
Photos:[www.mohiking.com]
Oct 18th , 2005
General location- 10 miles south of Potosi.
The 2 main attractions of this trail are the view and the surface of the mountain.
This is a super easy 1.5 mile trail. I believe the 1.5 miles means all the way to the summit and back. Unbelievably, you can have this panoramic view with virtually no climbing or hiking to get there! I didn’t actually time it but we were out of the woods and up on the mountain in what seemed like less than 10 minutes, and it wasn’t even a very steep climb. You don’t even have to be a real hiker to do enjoy this ‘trail’. Although really, it is more of a location than a trail. I think kids would think this place is really cool.
As soon as you break out of the woods onto the rocky surface of the mountain, you can see a great view and it looks like you are near the top. We discovered however, that the very top is farther than it looks. When you look up, you see a few trees and it looks like the top, but as you close in on what seems to be the top, several more areas unfold before you as you go, each one a little higher than where you are. So you keep going because “the top’ always seems like it’s just a few more steps away. You will know when you do reach the summit because it will be obvious that you can go no further as you approach a drop off.
There are no steep grades on the mountain, you more or less meander to the top as you look about and enjoy the view and explore the unusual surface of the terrain. For a description of the terrain and the views you simply must see the photos. All I can say is Wow. This place was worth coming to. Pack your lunch and do not stop for lunch on the way to the mountain as you will want an excuse to stay a while.
The one not so good thing about this trail is that it is so short. It is so short that if you wanted a day of hiking, or even a little hiking, it’s really not enough. I would suggest that the best way to visit this place would be to stop on your way down to Elephant Rocks or some other location, or combine it with another hike in the area.
On this day, I combined this hike with the 3 mile loop at Valley View Glades just outside of Hillsboro, which made for a lovely day. Both trails are off hwy 21 so it makes a good combo.
Edited 2 times. Last edit at 10/19/05 10:12AM by Nick Kasoff.
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