Reviewing Quail Ridge Park - Visit Missouri

 

Gazebo at Quail Ridge Park

I love exploring new parks and the St. Charles County Park system has a lot to offer.  On a beautiful day in mid-August, I was able to explore Quail Ridge Park with a photography group.  We had a great time exploring the park and taking a lot of nature photography.

Quail Ridge Park

Quail Ridge Park is located in Wentzville Missouri at 560 Interstate Drive.  Although it is only about 20 minutes from my house it is a park I had never visited before.  This park has many trails that can be used to explore the park.  There are over seven miles of both paved and natural trails throughout the park.  

The park features fishing lakes, ponds, playgrounds and shelters.  It also has a wonderful dog park where you can unleash your dog and let them run.  The park has an eighteen-hole disc golf course and is also home to the National Horseshoe Pitchers Hall of Fame.

Lodge and Gazebo

My group met in the parking lot of the lodge and then proceeded down the paved path for a walk around one of the lakes.  

Lodge at Quail Ridge

The lodge, pictured above, is a rustic cedar banquet facility that is often used for weddings and other events.  It will hold 180 people.  The gazebo, which is pictured in the opening photo is the first stop on the path leading down from the lodge.  One of the photographers that was with our group said it is a popular place for the bride and groom to have their photo taken for the wedding.

Walking the Paved Trail

From the lodge there is a paved trail that curves around past the gazebo, and then around the lake.  It was a beautiful day, and we took a leisurely stroll along this path stopping to take photos along the way.  Here are some of the photos I took.

Path Around Lake

Fishing Lake

Fishing Lake

 Blossoms, Butterflies and Moths

As we walked along the path, we stopped to photograph the wildflowers and butterflies that made their homes in the woods around the lake.  I also captured a moth on a wildflower across the path from the lake.

Missouri Wildflower

Lavender Wildflower

Swallowtail Butterflies

Butterflies

Flower on Edge of Prairie

Moth on Blossom

Purple Wildflower

Learn More About Missouri Butterflies and Wildflowers

Here are a couple of books where you can learn more about butterflies and wildflowers.

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Visit Missouri-Broemmelsiek Park

 

Betty's Lake at Sunset

St. Charles County Missouri has many wonderful parks to explore.  In this post I will review Broemmelsiek Park.  This park has a delightful history and is a great place for a photographer to explore. On this page I will tell you a bit of the history and the features of the park.  I will also share photographs that I took at the park on a recent trip with my photography club.

A Bit of History

The land for Broemmelsiek park was acquired by the St. Charles County Parks and Recreation department in 2002. The original land acquisition included a partial donation by the Broemmelsiek family whose desire was to save their precious land from subdivision development and preserve the natural beauty of St. Charles County.  The park was then named for Jack and Betty Broemmelsiek who lived on the property for more than 30 years and were committed to promoting conservation activities.  The home where they lived on the farm has been converted into the visitor center.  The lake below the visitor center is called Betty's lake in honor of Betty Broemmelsiek.  

Park Features

This 494-acre park located at 1795 Hwy DD in Defiance Missouri has many wonderful features for the nature lover.

• Several large lakes for fishing.
• 9 miles of multi-use trails for hiking, biking and equestrian use.
• A 4.7 off-leash dog park that has been voted "Best Dog Park" in the region.  It features a large pond for the dogs to swim.
• An astronomy viewing area that is the first of its kind in the area.  Weather permitting it features Friday night public stargazing events.
• A 4-acre Historic Educational Agriculture area that features crops that are grown in the area.
• A visitor center that has a meeting room, outdoor patio and deck that are available to rent for meetings or special events.

Photography at the Park

Below are several photos I took has I walked around Betty's Lake.

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