Little Grand Canyon

11/28/2011

Recently, Dan and I visited Little Grand Canyon – a little-known hideaway that’s well worth the 2-hour drive from St. Louis.

We hiked down steep stone steps cut into erosion-polished rock. The trail itself was spectacular! And we got to hike right down the middle of it!

Bright green moss accented our descent into the canyon.

The 4 evenly spaced pothole waterfalls were a delightful surprise within the eroded rock layers we had hiked down!

We followed the LCG trail west along a stream, crossing it more than a few times on a packed-earth-and-gravel path.

The diverse natural environments of forest, canyon, moist bottomland, riverside bluff, and open floodplain create a wide variety of color and textures.

At the base of Little Grand Canyon, Chalk Bluff rises vertically 300 feet to the left.

The layered sandstone cliffs are peppered with wonderful arches, caverns and crevices.

The reward for our climb back out of the canyon was a magnificent overlook of the Mississippi Valley.

Anyone else been hiking this autumn?
Have a great beginning to your week!
Mary^

11 Comments

Lauren link

11/27/2011 10:19:12 pm

Hi Mary! I was offline while we were out of town last week and there's so much to catch up on! Those maps are gorgeous, that list is awesome, I love all your rides, but these canyon photos spoke to me the most. I love the little signs along the way...so sweet. Great idea, and it makes me feel like I need a hike. Especially after all that turkey!

emily cline link

11/27/2011 10:29:14 pm

love your pix!! I'm from Iowa & my family vacations at the Ozarks --such a gorgeous area. You bring out the best of it! Can you shoot even closer? ;)

Jennifer link

11/28/2011 03:54:40 am

Wow, this looks like a beautiful place! I haven't been hiking this winter, but I may go to the coast soon. My favorite place in the world is Gualala, a small town by the ocean in the California redwoods :) It's heavenly.

Terri Morse link

11/28/2011 05:37:33 am

What a wonderful place to hike! I've never seen anything like the pothole waterfalls. They are really interesting to look at - there's got to be an art project in that somewhere! I haven't been hiking this fall, but over the summer, I hiked the Badlands in South Dakota and Acadia National Park in Maine. We've had a great deal of rain here in Pennsylvania over the autumn months and a ten-inch snowstorm in October! I hope to get outdoors again soon. Thank you for sharing such a special place. Your photography is wonderful. Hugs, Terri

leah of sang the bird link

11/28/2011 06:23:23 am

Mary, these photos are so beautiful! The colours and textures are amazing.

Carol link

11/29/2011 12:47:36 am

Thank you for sharing this beauty with us. I never knew about the "little grand canyon" before, only THE grand canyon (which I have seen). I'm getting ready to leave for FL so I'm in a bit of a frazzled state, but once we get there and settled in I hope to connect with everyone again.

Traci Lehman link

11/29/2011 10:16:28 am

Hi Mary, Um, yes! Hiking, yes! I love how green it is there. The Little Grand Canyon looks like a super time. Is that lichen on the tree (4th picture from the bottom)? Great pics.

Jene link

11/30/2011 12:45:00 am

These photos are so gorgeous. That hike must be so peaceful and relaxing.

Jill K. Berry link

11/30/2011 03:54:01 am

Mary, this is so, so fine. Beautiful hike and so wonderfully photographed. It reminds me of hiking the narrows in zion, not green like this but so striking. If you ever have a hankering to hike the Rockies, give me a call!

Rustika link

11/30/2011 08:20:01 am

This is definitely a wonderful hike! wish I had a place like this near me to get lost with nature!

Barbara Saint Jacques link

12/1/2011 04:28:39 am

Mary, what delightful and gorgeous photos. I came across your blog address when checking my "comments" and thought I'd drop by to visit. Hope all is well... your map art is intriguing.... B.