The first county park, Creve Coeur Lake broke from the Missouri River thousands of years ago, and its sad and mysterious name was translated from local Indian lore into the French of the early settlers. In the 1880s, the lake was a popular resort that even had its own amusement park.
For a secluded hike, explore the marshes of Little Creve Coeur Lake, the ideal habitat for prairie grasses, wildflowers, butterflies, dragonflies, and a startling variety of birds. Or take the Bootlegger’s Run trail, which winds through the woodlands in the upper park and takes you past a 70-foot red oak so old it breathed the sighs of weary French explorers in the 1700s.
The most classic hike, though, starts at Sailboat Cove: Follow the 3.8-mile Lakeview loop trail north, with the lake on your left. At the north end of the lake, the trail will turn sharply to the left, just past a fishing inlet (the 320-acre lake is well stocked). Turn right instead and take the short paved spur that’s not on most maps. It leads to the spillway—the outlet for the lake—where the water level fluctuates wildly, from dry to flooded. There’s a train trestle here, a hangout for herons and egrets. When the spillway’s cascading into a small waterfall, nonvenomous banded water snakes congregate on rocks at the bottom, waiting for dizzied fish to be swept over the lip and make easy prey. Walk back to the trail and continue around the lake. At the south end are an island, spliced on one end by a canal, and a blind that’s perfect for watching or photographing the migrating ducks that gather at the lee of the island, in the mouth of the canal. You’ll dip into the woods below the bluff, where you’ll trade the lake breeze for the shade of oak, hickory, and basswood trees; the soft green of persimmon, sassafras, black cherry, and spicebush; and the company of wild turkeys. The trail breaks out of the woods at the Dripping Springs waterfall.
If you’re feeling ambitious, follow Mallard Lake Trail (which overlaps with Lakeview for a ways) to the 3.8-mile Creve Coeur connector. It has a short tunnel that in early summer is festooned in active cliff swallow nests, and the birds swirl above you as you walk through.
Better yet, bike the flat-paved connector all the way from the park to the Katy Trail in St. Charles County. Or, if you’re in a canoe, kayak, or paddleboard (all of which can be rented, along with life vests, lakeside), follow the 6-mile water trail running through the creek and lake. Keep an eye out for the jumbo Asian carp, which can outweigh a toddler and leap 10 feet into the air if you startle them.
