Graham Cave State Park: Loutre River/Indian Glade Loop (Blog Hike #808)

Trails: Loutre River, Indian Glade, and Graham Cave Trails
Hike Location: Graham Cave State Park
Geographic Location: southwest of Montgomery City, MO (38.90331, -91.57639)
Length: 2.6 miles
Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)
Date Hiked: July 2020
Overview: A loop hike passing the graceful entrance to Graham Cave.
Park Information: https://mostateparks.com/park/graham-cave-state-park
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=943689
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: Between St. Louis and Columbia, take I-70 to SR 161 (exit 170).  Exit and go north on SR 161, then immediately turn left on County Road TT.  CR TT dead-ends at the park entrance in 2 miles.  Follow the park road to its end at the Lower Picnic Area parking lot, where this hike begins.

The hike: The 100 foot deep, 120 foot wide, and 16 foot high rock shelter today known as Graham Cave has been attracting visitors for millennia.  Archaeological excavations done by the University of Missouri have unearthed artifacts dating to the end of the last Ice Age, and they provide evidence about how humans adapted to the colder temperatures.  As a result of these findings, the cave was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1961, and only 3 years later the cave's former owner Frances Graham Darnell donated the land to form Graham Cave State Park.  Prior to the donation, the land had been in the Graham family since 1847.

             Today the 386-acre park not only preserves the cave but also offers several nice amenities.  On point, the park features a developed campground, several picnic areas, fishing and boating on the adjacent Loutre River, and 5 hiking trails totaling over 4 miles.  The hike described here takes you past the cave, but it also explores the park's riverside and ravine areas, thus giving you a good overview of what Graham Cave State Park has to offer.

Trailhead at Lower Picnic Area

            Start on the Loutre River Trail, which begins at a signed trailhead at the northwest corner of the Lower Picnic Area parking lot.  Marked with red squares, the dirt trail heads into young forest that features a large number of dying red cedar trees.  Red cedar trees are among the first trees to reforest old farm fields, so this area betrays this land's agricultural past.

            At 0.3 miles, you come out at the boat ramp access road, where the trail turns left to briefly follow the road.  Just before reaching the boat ramp, turn right to walk across a sunny field and reenter the woods.  For the next 0.5 miles the trail stays in the Loutre River's floodplain, which features some large black walnut trees.  This trail could be muddy or even flooded when water tables are high, but it was mostly dry on my visit.  Occasional views of the muddy river can be had through the trees on the left.

Loutre River

            Ignore two trails that exit right and stay with the main trail along the river.  At 0.8 miles, the Loutre River Trail curves right and begins heading up a side ravine.  The grade increases, and the trail surface becomes rockier at this point.  Careful stepping will get you up the myriad of loose rocks that appear under foot here.

Climbing up the side ravine

            At 1.3 miles, you reach the upper end of the Loutre River Trail at the park's developed campground.  To continue this hike, angle left and walk around the campground loop road.  Just before you reach the campground store and entrance, look to the left for the signed start of the Indian Glade Trail, which is the next leg of this hike.

Campground trailhead for Indian Glade Trail

            Marked with blue plastic squares, the Indian Glade Trail heads gradually downhill as it traces the rim of another ravine.  Oak trees dominate this ridge.  The bedrock is very close to the surface in this part of the world, and large rock outcrops appear beside the trail.  Parts of this ravine are lined by cliffs and interesting rock formations.  A nice waterfall would appear at the head of the ravine during times of high water tables.

Rock outcrops beside trail

Rock formations along ravine

            2 miles into the hike, you cross the main park road and descend some wooden stairs on the other side.  Where the trail splits, first take the left option, which climbs slightly over bare rock to reach the top of Graham Cave.  The view to the south and east is decent, but the hot bare rock and noise from nearby I-70 detract from this area's ambiance.

            Next take the right option, which descends more wooden stairs to reach the cave's famous entrance.  The cave formed as a gap between layers of limestone and sandstone, and the lintel forms a graceful arc 16 feet above the floor.  A wire mesh fence prevents entrance into the cave, but several benches allow you to enjoy the cave entrance and the mowed-grass area outside the opening.

Graham Cave entrance

            There are a couple of ways to get back to the Lower Picnic Area from here.  The shortest route is to follow the asphalt trail that heads straight downhill from the cave entrance, but a more scenic route uses the Graham Cave Trail, which leaves from a signed trailhead at the east end of the mowed-grass area.  The Graham Cave Trail descends more gradually past a rock shelter that makes a nice waterfall when the creek has sufficient water.  Stay right where the Fern Ridge Trail exits left, and quickly arrive at the east end of the Lower Picnic Area to complete the hike.