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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We have several parks in our area, but my favorite is Fort Zumwalt Park. This 48 acre park is both scenic and historic. It has a wonderful 3.5 acre lake and lots of trails and paths to enjoy nature.
Newly Renovated
The lake named Lake Wetsel, after a board member that championed the lake, was completely dredged during 2019. At that time several small bridges and a walking path were added. This makes it a wonderful place to take a stroll or go for a more energetic walk.
Historic Features
I love seeing the fort each time I go to the park. It is a wonderful recreation of a log cabin from the late 1700's. Here is a quote about the Zumwalt home from the O'Fallon city website. https://www.ofallon.mo.us/fort-zumwalt-park
"It’s
hard to imagine the O’Fallon area as the leading edge of the American frontier.
But in 1799, when Daniel Boone and his family settled just a few miles away,
the area was a wilderness in which Native Americans hunted, fished and trapped
game.
At
about the same time that Daniel Boone arrived, Jacob Zumwalt and his extended
family settled in the O’Fallon area circa 1798, building a large log home. A
few years later, when the War of 1812 set off deadly guerilla raids with Native
Americans ambushing and killing American settlers, local families fled to the
shelter provided by the Zumwalt’s home, which is said to have been fortified
with a stockade fence. A spring, which is now Lake Whetsel, supplied
water.
Zumwalt’s
Fort, as the fortified house came to be called, was one of 35-plus “settler
forts” that once stood in Missouri. Boone’s Fort at present-day Matson,
Missouri, was the largest.
The
reconstructed Zumwalt’s Fort opened in 2015 as a gift to the City from the
O’Fallon Community Foundation. It is the only rebuilt War of 1812 settler fort
in the state.
Interpretive
signs at the site provide structural details and information about the people
who lived here in the days when the O’Fallon area was part of the American
frontier."
Another historic house in the park is the Heald house. It is a large brick home built near the fort on a hill called "Stony Point" . It was first built in 1884 and was renovated by the City of O'Fallon in 2001. I love taking photos of the flowers around the house.
Wildlife
Wildlife abounds in the park both in the woods surrounding the lake and in the lake itself. I particularly like watching the colorful ducks in the lake.
The park features many other attractions and special events. Here are a few of the most popular.
Picnic Areas
Pavilion for Group Gatherings
Large Playground
18 Hole Disc Golf Course- this scenic 18 hole course winds it way through the park. The course is free for open play and scorecards are available near the first tee.
Celebration of Lights- each December the park hosts a annual celebration of lights. This celebration features a drive-through display of seasonal lights. It also has nights set aside for a walking tour and some nights there are carriage rides available.
Founders Day Celebration-The park hosts this celebration in May with live blue-grass music, hands on activities and heritage demonstrations.
The Park is the host for The St. Charles Model Railroad Club.
Photo Shoot
I love to do photo shoots with my granddaughters and the park is the perfect place to take their photos. Here are a few from their recent visit.
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On a recent beautiful June afternoon, my friend and I ventured out into Missouri Wine Country. After a wonderful lunch at a winery overlooking the Missouri River Valley, we stopped at Klondike park for a bit of hiking and photography.
Location of Park
Klondike park is located in St. Charles county just 14 miles south of the 40/94 interchange. It is a wonderful location with over 250 acres nestled in the middle of Missouri Wine Country.
Boat Ramp
As we left the winery we took the first exit we saw for the park and found that this exit really just led to the boat ramp with access to the Missouri river and not into the park itself. We decided to get out for a few minutes to photograph the river from this vantage point.
There is a power plant in this area and from the boat ramp we got a good view of the power plant across the river.
We had really wanted the main entrance to the park so we got back in the car and went down hwy 94 for about 1/4 of a mile and we came to the main entrance.
Features of Klondike Park
The park has a modern meeting facility (pictured at the beginning of this page) that is perfect for both family and business meetings.
One of the key features of the park is the beautiful bluffs overlooking the Missouri River valley. There is a paved path that you can hike to the top of the bluffs for some scenic views of the area.
Hiking and Biking Trails
There are more than 4 miles of natural and paved trails for hiking and biking. The trail pictured above is one that we took to go down to the river. It was an unpaved path that went down a rather steep hill before it crossed the Katy Trail and eventually ended up at the river.
Katy Trail
The Katy Trail is a 237 mile hiking and biking trail that goes across most of Missouri. Over half of the trail follows the path that explorers Lewis and Clark took along the Missouri River.
Camping at Klondike Park
If you are looking for a place to stay, Klondike park offers camping facilities including, 6 rustic cabins, 43 campsites, restrooms and showers.
Other facilities include:
Picnic shelters
Playgrounds for children
Large lake that is fully stocked
Unique Birding/Wildlife Area
We found there were numerous opportunities to take photographs. There were many fields with wildflowers and birds.
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I first saw Larry Moore Park, as it's commonly known here in Paso Robles, after I moved to this area in 1993. Larry Moore Park was actually established in the 1980's when the Riverbank Track across the street from it was built. My mother bought a home in this tract in 1995 within walking distance of the park. I visited her regularly and often took a walk in the park after the visit. I was delighted to live close to a river for the first time in my life. I have featured some of my photographs of the river itself here.
At first the Riverbank tract homeowners were assessed by the landscape and lighting district that maintained the park. But by the end of 2015 it became evident that this would not be enough. The city made plans to take jurisdiction over the park and its maintenance and the city now owns the park. It has built a new playground and has plans to later build a new ball field and a parking area within the park. In 2014 after my mother's death we moved into her house and became Riverbank residents ourselves.
Not all of us are thrilled that our "wild" space will become so much more developed than it is now. We don't exactly welcome the parking lot and the added traffic and the glaring stadium lights that are coming. I'm not sure the river walk will be the same after that. We were hoping that at least park maintenance would improve, but so far about all the city has done is build the new playground.
The main trail for the Salinas River Walk begins at the south end of Larry Moore Park right across the from the west entrance to the Charolais Corridor Trail.
At the south entrance of the Salinas River Walk in the park you will find a park bench, trash cans, and some very large rocks marking the beginning of the trail. Here's how it appears if you stand in the park and look toward the Charolais Corridor Trail entrance you see above. The road itself turns into a cul-de-cac just past these trail entrances and one can park along the curb.
In front of the bench is a very large oak tree and an access path heading west to the Salinas River. The flora you see in the photo below is typical of that which dominates the park in spring and summer. The yellow flowers by the rocks are mustard. The white flowers near the right middle are poison hemlock. In front of the blooming poison hemlock is a mallow plant, but its purple flowers are too small to see here. I show the blooms later under Flora.
To take the trail get up from the bench and turn to your right. You will see the trail heading northeast in this photo. It curves slightly parallel to the river until the trail seems to end just past some benches and a river access pass through. You will notice that one of the benches is broken. Maintenance in the park is almost nonexistent except for the playground, playing fields, and restrooms.
Here is the river access just before the trail turns. Notice the broken fence between the bench and the river access pass through. I took this photo and the one below looking west from the east.
Above you see that the trail is turning. It will soon lead to the footbridge. The trail from the south turns onto the bridge by the elderberry tree. I was coming from the other direction when I took this photo.
Not long after crossing the footbridge you will come to a fence that borders a riparian mitigation area. Most of what's behind the fence looks like what's below. Lots of poison hemlock is in bloom there in June.
The trail then parallels the fence until it crosses the park to the east and reaches a dead end. At this point you can turn south toward the southern exit to the Riverbank Tract or you can turn north toward the Veterans' Memorial Bridge underpass that takes you on a trail that continues north and east to 13th Street. Here's a view of the intersection on January 9, 2017.
I took the photo below on June 3, 2019. You can see farther down the trail to the north here. It goes past the Kohl's store. A block wall separates the commercial area from the trail. Near the trail intersection you can see the shopping carts the homeless leave there as they go back and forth to where they like to camp in the riverbed. You will find these abandoned carts scattered through the park.
There is a vacant lot beside that sign that leads to the J.C. Penny parking lot where some homeless folks park before walking to where they plan to camp in the park. Some hikers also park in the J.C. Penny lot because it's close to the park trails going both north and south.
Although you can't see it above because the trees hide it, the fence for the riparian mitigation area borders the north side of the east-west trail from the river. If you were standing where the north pointing arrow is above, looking back toward the river, you'd see this.
In October 2017, I left my house during some construction in search of some quiet and spent some time photographing the park entrance from the bench by the trail entrance. You can see all those photos and the video I made that day at What I Observed from my Bench at Larry Moore Park.
Here is a photo of the large rocks along the trail entrance taken in October, 2017. I was tempted to crop out the piles of mulch so the rocks would be more prominent, but I simply didn't have the heart to crop out most of that magnificent sky just to get rid of the mulch.
Rocks at Park South Entrance, October 2017
Here's a better photo of the rocks in January, 2012, without mulch piles.
Rocks at Park South Entrance, January 2012
Larry Moore Park is a Great Place to Photograph the Sky
I really appreciate the clear view of the sky I have from the Salinas River and the River Walk. It's a great place to photograph the sunset, or, as you can see above, cloud formations.
I often walk as the sun is setting. I took the photo below through those trees you can see from the park bench near the entrance.
I also made a poster of this pastel sky from the park. I made it part of my blog post on Medium: What a Glorious Gift is the Sky! The blog contains other views of the sky, mostly taken from the Veteran's Memorial Bridge in Paso Robles. If a photo seems not to have loaded, just click it to make it appear.
I could share many more sky photos taken at Larry Moore Park, but there simply isn't room. There's much more to see here than sky. The sky will probably appear in many other photos I will share below.
Accessing the Salinas River from Larry Moore Park
Larry Moore Park offers the easiest access to the Salinas River in Paso Robles. Even when the riverbed is dry there is plenty to see. My favorite access path is near the south entrance I showed you at the top by the large oak tree. It is featured in this Zazzle poster. When taking this trail you need to be careful of the poison oak that lives on the right side of the trail. It's especially dangerous in winter when it has no leaves to warn you of what it is. The path can also be slippery in the wet season.
In the poster photo above you can't see the steep part of the path. Here is what it looks like looking up from the riverbank or riverbed, depending on the season. Perhaps by now you will recognize the bench at the top near where this path begins.
Although many people use this path to reach the river, it's only one of many unofficial paths they use to get there.
The more official designated entrances meant for accessing the river look like this and are found along the main trail fence. I think these pass through "gates" are designed to let people in and keep horses and vehicles of all kinds out.
After entering at one of these access "gates" you will find your own way down. If you are fortunate, you will find a path through the brush somewhat like this one.
Take a Short Walk On the North End of the Trail with Me
I made this video to test the camera on my new Galaxy Note 9 phone last November (2018). So it's an autumn walk. It will show you some plants in the park I haven't featured below and autumn views of some I have, like the jimson weed.
Fauna at Larry Moore Park
I confess I've paid more attention to the flora than the fauna, since the fauna are better at keeping out of sight. I've seen birds, ants, bees, gophers, squirrels, hares, tadpoles,lizards, and cottontail rabbits. I've not yet seen a snake or any deer in the park. But that doesn't mean there aren't any.
Not exactly in the park when I took the photo, but I took it from the riverbed just south of the park. Squirrels tend to roam, so I'm sure this one got to the park when I wasn't looking.
I'm not good at identifying birds, but these are very common in the park. It's also common to see birds of prey, probably hawks or turkey vultures, flying high above.
Tadpoles
It occurred to me when I saw a very shallow pool unattached to the rest of the river that it was tadpole season and I might find a few. So I went to explore. I expect we will later see frogs or toads in the park if they can survive after the river dries up.
People also walk their dogs in the park, and they don't always follow the rule to keep them on a leash. Many people let them loose in the riverbed or after they are into the park. They are not supposed to do this. Here are a couple of posts from my Paso Robles in Photos blog related to dogs in the park.
As I walked in the park today I saw a rabbit rush into the brush before I could even aim my camera. I stepped over many anthills of red ants. A lizard skittered across the path in front of me a couple of times. And I also saw this.
Last month I saw another cat by the river. I'm not sure if these are abandoned or feral cats or whether they come to the park from the tract for some wild time.
I love to photograph the plants in the park during every season -- in and out of the riverbed. Some of the most common plants there are jimson weed, telegraph plant, poison oak, poison hemlock, and milk thistle. Milk thistle and poison hemlock usually grow next to each other in the park. Click the link to learn more about them.
Poison oak also grows abundantly at Larry Moore Park. So be careful, especially in winter when the stems are bare and there are no leaves to warn you of danger. One of the places you really need to watch out for is under this spreading cottonwood (or is it a willow?) tree near the center of the park between the street and the trail. There is open space all around it. See that shady place under the tree? Poison oak loves to grow there.
Here's a closer look. See all that poison oak? It loses its leaves in winter and you'd never know what it was, but it's just as dangerous as when it has leaves. See more details and photos of this tree in other seasons and information about other places poison oak lurks in the park in Watch Out for Poison Oak at Larry Moore Park.
Today I found a jimson weed flower in bloom and a several potential forests of the plant. Learn more about jimson weed here. The mustard adds some happy color to this photo.
Below is an enlargement of the blooming mallow plant we saw in front of the bench when we entered the park.
I don't often see poppies in the park, but I did on June 3, 2019. This bit of color was snuggling up to a baby oak tree.
I photographed this cottonwood tree near the river on May 22, 2019. If you have allergies, I suggest you come at a different time of year. The seeds were still flying through the air like snow on June 3.
These are just a few examples of the flora that grow in Larry Moore Park. It has both willow and cottonwood trees. Elderberry trees seem to be everywhere. And, of course, there are oaks. It would take another post to show you all the flora.
Park Facilities
The park has restrooms that stay open during the hours the park is open, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. I looked at them today, June 3, 2019, and they were clean. They lock them at 11 p.m. when the park closes. The drinking fountains next to the restrooms were also functioning.
Besides the trails, the park has non-regulation soccer and baseballs fields and a basketball court for shooting baskets. None of these fields were built for competitive play. They were built for neighborhood residents to play for fun.
There are very few picnic tables. The city website for the park says there are barbecue areas. They are probably located near the playground beside the one picnic table I saw. There may be more in that clump of trees behind the playground. That's the one area I did not inspect today.
Vandals have thrown many tables in the creek and in other places where they don't belong and torn them apart. There has been a huge problem with vandalism in the park in the past. Many hope that since the city now owns the park it will patrol more often.
It is better to visit the park during daylight hours. As I've mentioned above, many homeless camp in the park, especially in and around the riverbed. Some neighbors who use the trail have complained that they have been threatened by men carrying sticks when walking north of the bridge underpass or near it. I have never had a problem myself, but I've not recently walked farther north than the trail I've detailed here. I now stay in the park south of the commercial development and the path intersection I showed you that leads north.
The park is a wonderful recreation area, especially during the season when there is water in the river. The trails and the riverbed are great for hiking, biking, and walking dogs (on leashes, please). There are many plants and animals to study or just enjoy. There are gorgeous sunsets to observe. But it's probably best to walk with a dog or a friend at dusk.
And if you happen to be in the park at the right time, you will probably see and hear the Amtrak trains coming and going. I usually see one go past between 4:30 and 5 p.m. I rather enjoy that. Both the tracks and the 101 freeway are just on the other side of the river from the park.
Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article. “As an Amazon Associate, Ebay (EPN) and/or Esty (Awin) Affiliate, I (we) earn from qualifying purchases.”
