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Trail of the Month Program
800-334-6946

Hikers' Comments on Dogwood Trail
Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park

	Month Hiked	Comments from participants of the 2007 Trail of the Month Program
	October 2007	It was a beautiful hike on an equally beautiful fall day. It was strenuous enough to get the heart rate up but allowed conversation without gasping for breath. The colors of the leaves, golds and reds, were outstanding. The trail was very well marked.
	October 2007	The trees are in fall colors ensuring the beautiful walk through the woods. There was only three other people on horseback on the well-maintained trail. Many trees had been removed from the trail. Did not see any wildlife, but several CCC buildings were beautifully located.
	October 2007	It's a very peaceful, quiet place. It's so beautiful with its forest and terrain you spend hours just in one place on any part of the trail.
	October 2007	The map states that this is the most strenuous path in the park and I believe it. There was really only one steep hill, but it was a killer.
	October 2007	It was a fabulous fall day. There was a refreshing breeze. The forest was dressed in fall colors. I saw a 2 1/2 foot black rat snake right where I stopped for the clue. Easy to follow trail even with many intersections. Plan for a picnic. There are many excellent sites throughout the park.
	September 2007	After living near the park all my life, it was my first visit to the park. The trail was interesting through the woods and valleys. Take plenty of bug spray and water.
	September 2007	This one was nice and shaded on a warm day. The spring is not much to look at, but the water coming from it is nice and cool.
	August 2007	Fairly difficult trail. I should have brought more water; it was really hot.
	August 2007	Completely shaded, winding trail with narrow paths, rocky and lots of roots. We hiked the day after storms, so it was wet with lots of trees and branches in the path. The kids enjoyed climbing over them. Great trail.
	July 2007	The trail was not easily found. It had no big signs, like most of the other parks have. It was well marked on the trail though. Saw lots and lots of pretty butterflies. Saw some soap weed back in there. Rather odd we thought. Sure enough, close by the trail was rock foundation. Someone’s home many days ago.
	July 2007	Very well marked and easy to follow. Hilly, but not too hard for kids. Very pretty forest area. Looked like it had the potential for a lot of ticks, but we only pulled off a few. We also saw several other hikers.
	July 2007	Nice trail where the weeds were trimmed back but a lot of overgrowth on narrow trail. Lots of ticks. Highlight was seeing a doe with her two fawns. Lots of pretty flowers and butterflies. It was a good trail for exercise, lots of ups and downs, but the trail needed to be trimmed back in a lot of areas.
	July 2007	This park is the closest state park to my house and this trail is one of my favorites in the St. Louis area. There are a few old structures along the way, a few climbs and a spring nearby. This is a good workout and scenic, too.
	July 2007	Try this in the RAIN!!!
	July 2007	It was over 90 degrees the day we hiked but it was still a great hike because of all the shade. There were enough hills to raise my heart rate. Also, don't pass up the path to the spring -- a great place to take a break and cool off!!
	July 2007	There is a wonderful old CCC shelter, smelling of woodsmoke, and a beautiful clear spring, both just a short detour off this trail.
	June 2007	This trail was a fun hike. Most of the trail is for hikers only, so it's a very pleasant walk.
	June 2007	This was our second time on this trail. The first time it was getting late and we had to hurry and did not find the clue. This time we took our time, enjoyed the surroundings and found what we were looking for. We must be getting healthier because the description of this trail was it is strenuous, but we made it fine. It had bugs so make sure you spray before you start!
	June 2007	TICKS! Definitely use repellent and be on the lookout. We saw a 2m long black snake and a smaller (about 30cm) green snake on the trail... very cool! I'd suggest wearing long pants and check yourself for ticks when you're finished.
	June 2007	An invigorating trail. Portions of the trail were very overgrown and could use a trim.
	June 2007	There were lots of birds and bright orange and yellow butterflies. The trail goes up and down lots of hills, but none are very long or steep. Going over the hills and along the ridges you will see lots of examples of open south slopes and thick north slopes. Be prepared for ticks, chiggers and mosquitoes.
	June 2007	Nice trail where the weeds were recently cut back. It was overgrown in other areas.
	June 2007	Saw a turkey with her babies. Start of trail is confusing. The trailhead is at Guy Park Trailhead. The trail itself was well marked and maintained. Quiet solitude; I liked the variety of plants.
	June 2007	Nice forested hike full of mosquitoes and snakes. Very scenic, very rigorous with going up and down hills. I did enjoy the hike. It was just that the mosquitoes were immune to my bug spray.
	May 2007	We started our hike at 2:15, and saw a lot of grounded snails. There was an interesting blue and yellow striped lizard that ducked into its fallen tree of a home when we approached. There were a lot of fallen trees near the path, probably from a storm. We also found a red-feathered woodpecker. Hickory trees were abundant in these woods, something that didn't escape my notice. I had a lot of enjoyment on this trail, and have finally realized what the numbers located on the back of the trail booklet are intended for.
	May 2007	We hiked three parks this day and by far this was the best! The facility was amazing with friendly staff! The scenery was beautiful, very serene. There were some people on the trail, but it wasn't an overwhelming number. One of the best things that I saw was a family of three kids (plus one in a mom's papoose). The older children were so wide-eyed and interested in learning about nature! It is always cool to see young children excited about and enjoying nature!
	May 2007	The clue is about 1/4 of the way in, not half way -- keep your eyes open.
	May 2007	A little rugged. Not a lot to see, but good exercise.
	May 2007	This was a fun hike. But it is entirely in the woods, so be mindful of ticks.
	May 2007	Beautiful look at hardwood forest. The nice close trail makes it a very intimate hike. If you are not familiar with the park, check in at the visitor's center for help finding the trailhead. The trail is very well marked, which is important in Babler where so many trails intersect.
	May 2007	This trail is very rustic. I really enjoyed the sense of being away from the city without driving forever. I saw a few wildflowers. My favorites are the yellow ones. I heard some noise just off the trail and hoped it was a deer but it was a turtle!
	May 2007	I saw 11 land snails throughout the trail. That is the most so far for me!
	May 2007	Winds back and forth a lot. Because of all the rain there were a few spots to jump across to avoid the mud. There was quite a bit of fern. I like the fact that the large trees that had fallen across the trails had just been cut out enough to make the trail accessible.
	May 2007	This was a lovely trail to hike. Features included many species of wildflowers. I remember Soloman's seal, trillium, daisy fleabane and others. As one can envision by the name of the trail, there were dogwood trees all around. I think there were also several pawpaw trees. Since it was raining, we did not notice much wildlife. Though we did hear some species of birds calling, I only recall seeing a small yellowish bird that may have been a goldfinch or a warbler. We also saw a snail on the trail. The trail went up and down a few hills but was not too strenuous. A couple of times though, we did have to slow down to catch our breath. Though we hiked in the rain and it was a bit slippery, overall it was a peaceful and relaxing experience.