Places To Go

Trail Guide: Missouri’s Gorgeous Gorges

Area Name: Millstream Gardens

Trails: Two, totaling 2 miles

Unique features: Shut-ins, natural area

For more information: Call (573) 290-5730, or visit our online atlas, keyword "Millstream".

This 697-acre area in Madison County is better known to kayakers than hikers. Torrents of water cascade down its rocky gorge after rainstorms. This time of year, it is a great place to escape summer’s heat. The 1-mile, disabled-accessible Tiemann Shut-Ins Trail has many switchbacks and takes about 30 minutes to traverse. It ends at an overlook with a view of the shut-ins. The rugged Turkey Creek Trail runs 1 mile on conservation land and another 1.5 miles on Silver Mines Recreation Area. The St. Francis River runs through the area and is bordered by elm-ash-maple forest along the watercourse and oak-hickory-pine forest in the uplands. Autumn colors blaze here in October. Besides forming the shut-ins, the area’s geologic history of igneous and sedimentary deposits make the location ecologically interesting. The U.S. Forest Service’s Silver Mines Recreation Area and campground is just downriver.

KC Discovery Center

This “green” gem is an oasis in the city.

The Anita B. Gorman Conservation Discovery Center on Troost, just south of Emmanuel Cleaver II Blvd., is Kansas Citians’ escape hatch from urban hustle and bustle. Visit this postage-stamp nature area to rest your eyes on native plants and wildlife, or step inside and see green architecture in action. There is a nature shop, too, where you can buy nature books or nature-themed gifts for any age. Disabled visitors will find the visitor center and wheelchair accessible trail to their liking. Call (816) 759-7300 for more information or go online.

Jay Henges Range

Now is a great time to tuneup for hunting season.

It is time to sharpen rusty shooting skills and ensure firearms are in good working order for hunting season. Jay Henges Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center is the perfect place for St. Louis area residents to perform these important late-summer rituals. Henges has ranges for rifle, pistol, trap, skeet, shotgun patterning and archery, and offers shooting classes. The range is open from 2 to 8 p.m. Wednesday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday through Aug. 31. Hours from Sept. 1 through April 30 are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. The range is closed on state holidays. Targets and target stands are provided for fees of $3 per hour or per round of trap or skeet. Henges Range is at 1100 Antire Road, High Ridge. More information is available online or by calling (636) 938-9548.