Trails / Missouri / Missouri State Parks

Meramec State Park: Wilderness Trail

Meramec State Park, Missouri State Parks

Meramec State Park, where the Meramec River flows through about 6,900 acres (Terrain Magazine), lists one trail for backcountry camping: the Wilderness Trail, an orange-blazed loop with eight numbered backpack camps. The park map rates it “Rugged” and warns that it “should not be attempted by beginning hikers unless accompanied by someone more experienced.”

Camping is free, but every backpacker has to register first.

The hike

The park map gives the Wilderness Trail as an 8.25-mile loop with an estimated hiking time of 8 hours and 15 minutes, and White Connector 2 offers a shortcut. Sections were built by the Civilian Conservation Corps as horse trails in the early 1930s. The map describes views of the Meramec River from a high vantage point, sun-drenched rocky glades, cherty woodlands, and a northern section through the Meramec Upland Forest Natural Area. It lists rocks and roots, low-hanging vegetation, grades steeper than 10 percent, stream crossings without bridges, and a road crossing.

Compulsive Hiker walked the loop in November 2012 and called it about 9 miles, “well used and well maintained.” The writer passed a glade above Cane Hollow and Copper Hollow Spring, which “emerges at the base of this bluff” near a small cave, and found frost flowers that lasted into the afternoon. Firebreaks crossed the northern half of the park ahead of a controlled burn. In the off-season the writer met three day hikers and one backpacker.

Gaia GPS lists the route as the Copper Hollow Spring Loop at 8.4 miles and about 312 feet of gain, passing backpack camps 1 through 8. Terrain Magazine’s April 2026 park guide gives 8.5 miles and calls it “one of the region’s best options for a more rugged hike,” winding “through remote forests and glades.”

The park map warns that ticks and chiggers are abundant from May to mid-October. Outside the backcountry, the park has a campground, cabins, Fisher Cave tours, and river access, which Terrain describes.

The park was closed during the July 2026 flash flood, when the Meramec crested at moderate flood stage at Sullivan, according to the National Weather Service.

For another state park loop with designated camps, see Hawn State Park’s Whispering Pine Trail.

Tips

Register online, at the park office, or at the box just beyond the trailhead.
Park overnight in the day-use/picnic area near cabins 1-8, as the park directs.
Carry plenty of water, the park advises.
Don’t bring saws or hatchets. Cutting tools aren’t allowed.
Check for ticks and chiggers from May to mid-October.
Expect company in busy seasons. Compulsive Hiker warned the sites could fill.

Camping

Camping is permitted at eight designated sites along the Wilderness Trail, according to the park’s registration page. It’s free, but you must register before starting. The registration page says fires are allowed only in the metal fire rings at each site and recommends stoves for cooking; the park map says campfires are prohibited, so ask before planning a fire. Pets must be leashed. The park map adds that groups of seven or more must camp in designated areas at least 100 feet from the trail, 200 feet from major public-use areas, and a quarter mile from the trail’s entry or exit.

Inside Intel: Compulsive Hiker found that “the camps were a fair distance off the trail and had iron fire rings,” far enough that day hikers weren’t likely to bother anyone. Gaia GPS singles out Backpack Camp 3 as a sight to see. No account explains why one numbered camp is better than another.

Trail facts

Distance: 8.25 miles (park map); 8.4 to 9 in other sources
Route type: Loop; White Connector 2 shortcut
Difficulty: Rugged (park rating)
Campsites: Eight designated backpack camps
Water: Bring plenty; Copper Hollow Spring on the loop (unconfirmed flow); treat
Permits: Free registration required
Dogs: Leashed
Trailhead: Day-use/picnic area near cabins 1-8
Last verified: October 8, 2026

The Lowdown

Cooking at a Meramec backpack camp:

With the park's fire rules in conflict and no dependable water confirmed on the loop, a stove that sips fuel and water keeps dinner simple.

See what testers chose →

Where this comes from

This page draws on the sources below, along with other guides and trip reports. Links go to the original pages.

Before you go: This page is based on published trail guides, trip reports, and reviews, along with official park and agency information where we could find it. It’s meant to help backpackers discover new trails, not to replace current, official information. Conditions, closures, permits, campsites, and water sources change, and some details here may be out of date or wrong. Confirm everything with the managing agency and check current conditions before you head out, and don’t rely on this page alone for safety or navigation. Backcountry travel involves risk.