Trails is heavily deteriorated. When the loop turns to the big incline it is easily lost. Go to the Right side of the ravine to the right of the fallen tree then steeply up. After about 5 mins you will see a stone wall and round hollowed pit. I used all trails tracking to keep myself on route.

Trail was hard to discern because of fall leaves. Moderate hike with some incline but serene and picturesque. Many signs that confused us on private vs conservation land.

For a semi rugged trail with old, towering trees, river access, a wooden suspension bridge, and historic significance from its detection by Lewis and Clark, this secluded gem is a great hike. If you dont mind the difficulty, its also good for a little of offroad biking.

St Stanislaus has a couple miles of wooded trails, some flat along the river/ creek and some that run up the steep bluff. Theres lots of poison ivy in the warm months, and hunters in the cool months, so beware! On the bright side, though, its a nice little natural area close to town, with a nice view from atop the bluff.

Word of advice: NEVER GO ALONE. This was my first trip here, and I did not know that the hills were very steep. The trail I took was poorly marked and it was so overgrown I wasn’t sure if I was in the CA or private property until I saw a sign stating “you are entering a MO CA.” Do not go alone because there are steep hills and the footing is not that good so if you are not young and able to easily get your footing or quickly grab a branch or something, you may fall. And the trail I took went to a clearing way above the tops of some trees. I liked it but I was scared because it was muddy and I was afraid I would fall and I was also afraid that I was on private property and that a property owner would shoot me. The trails could be more clearly marked, I was walking along and cane to some sort of transformer or cell tower and had to turn back and take a different turn with the only sign around saying “MO CA, special regulations.” It was a nice hike/ walk. I was walking along a creek and then cane across a sign that said “posted: no trespassing,” and had to turn around which kind of sucked. It was a nice place though, although like I said bring a friend or alert someone close to you about where you are going. The area is near the river, no other cars were in the parking lot so I was probably literally all alone in the woods and even though I had my phone on me and could be tracked by someone if they were concerned, something could have happened. The area is around large property lots and a creek so the dangers are creek drowning or accidentally trespassing and dealing with an angry property owner or falling if you aren’t careful. Wear boots because this is no walk in the park, its a hike there are different levels of terrain.I know some boy scouts troops go there but this is no place for beginners or children, be experienced and smart.

Trail has splenty of shade, scenery, and diverse paths. Follows the river which means you may see quite a few mosquitos so spray repellent and wear long sleeves/pants. They do have some shortcuts you can take if you dont mind large inclines, but youll be able to get to the main scenes much more quickly.

It is so nice that there is a place near town that you can go to experience nature as it might have been before civilization. I walked a couple of the trails. They were kind of steep, and it was muddy at the time, so they were slippery. Wear hiking shoes or old shoes!

Nice and quiet if your looking for a good place to walk.

Seems encroaching cell towers have cut these hiking trails in half and purple marked trees along creek tail trail makes it seems property owners are contesting property lines along creek.( Its public within so many feet dont worry, but dont quote me on how many feet exactly.) Still a decent hike and definitely steep in a couple areas , though plenty of good footing. and one of few available nearby. But the old adage of it aint what it used to be , definitely applies to this area. Hopefully more money and attention can be brought back to Saint Stanislaus and new trails can be cleared and/or existing trails properly rerouted around cell tower. Instead of just putting up signs stating End of Public Use and ending it at that.

Very quiet and secluded. Trail to the river is overgrown with tall grass but you can bushwack.

Nice area to walk. Connects to Harry S Truman Park. Hunting season is crazy people all pv

Great conservation area!!! Got many miles walked there!

It is a good uphill and downhill workout.

Took a nice little hike in the woods with my sons cub scout group.

Had a lot of fun hiking the trails. Its a beautiful area.

Close place to get away

Good wide open area.

I have been wanting to stop here for years. It was sort of muddy after the rain, but duh, mud happens after rain. There were a lot of folks out mushroom hunting. The ones I talked to said they were hard to find. I cant wait to go back and walk some more.I was very disappointed with the trash folks had left behind. I took a trash bag full of trash and cans and bottles out with me.Please folks, take a bag with you to pick up left trash. Its up to us to keep the place clean. That includes any where you go. I am always picking up trash every where I go. Its up to us to keep our Mother clean and pristine.

Quiet nature reserve, once was used as a retreat for the monks who once occupied the St Stanislaus Seminary.

Beautiful place to bow hunt some deer!!

Very pretty. Great for short hikes.

Great Place to take you dog!

Great place for a hike. Always well kept up with. Never had any serious incidents.

Great family outing.

Trails are great for hiking with a breathtaking view atop the bluff if you can climb the steep trail. Other paths lead along a creek and down to the Missouri River across some flat grasslands. You can find an old grotto and a path monks used to walk for devotionals down to the grotto from the seminary a few miles away. Decent mushroom hunting and wild edibles available. Good for birdwatching and seeing other wildlife. No restroom, no picnic tables.

Nice place and I have met alot of nice people but during bow hunting season some guys are a-holes

Very nice trail with moderately steep elevation climbing. When wet out, the trail is a swamp and best avoided. Access to the river at the end of the mile long tire ruts but no boat ramp. This wouldnt be a great place to access the river but wouldnt be a bad place to stop and camp.

Loved it

Great hiking area but usually closed around hunting season.

Steep portion a challenge for beginners... But if they try really hard... And are motivated.. with a few breaks they CAN DO IT... trail to River marked as no treaspassing.. it used to open to public.. not sure what thats all about

Quiet. Peaceful. Animals.

Cool place. But for the amount of traffic severely undermanaged. Hunters out of season/ out of bounds. Invasive honeysuckle everywhere, and some of the grapevines once part of the seminary winery need a haircut. Flooding can deposit lots of litter in plains. Historical sites neglected. Nearby property owners encroaching onto land with inaccurate signage. Severe erosion along Comwire Creek. Poorly marked trails / outdated maps.It needs some TLC, but getting better with help from volunteers it seems. One even has a chainsaw

Great out and back trails. The hiking trails up the bluff were finally managed and hard to follow at times. Overall a beautiful place with lots of birding opportunities.

I love this conservation. Weve taken our kids and dogs there for years. Walk a mile in and fish of the river.

Great, free location. Love to walk the dogs here. Prime spot to hunt mushrooms and in-season animals.

This place is amazing, a must see if you have the time!

It would be nice if they would open the bottoms up to small game shotgun hunting.

Nice place if want to get back to nature has trails

Beautiful scenery. At the top of the hill is the foundation of an old building, that is fun for kids off all ages to play.

812 acres. Havent explored it yet but i will.

Great nature trail; dirt/asphalt. No bathroom facility.

Beautiful and surprisingly challenging hiking trails complete with ruins from the old Jesuit mission. Watch out in spring, it can get a little swampy/muddy.

Beautiful place to hike or disc or whatever, man ;)

More of a parking lot then a park

Nice area for walking and hiking.

The perfect place for the country type stuck in the city!

One of my favorite hiking spots.

From August 1955 to Fall 1959, I was a Jesuit seminarian at St. Stanislaus Jesuit seminary. The seminary buildings were at the eastern end of the several mile strip of land stretching back from the Missouri River and the St. Stanislaus Conservation Area is at the western end. To us back then, the Conservation Area was part of Charbonnier, our term for a rest and relaxation area used by the 200+ seminarians, brothers and priests who lived, studied and prayed at St. Stanislaus seminary. The French word charbonnier means coal man, someone who works in a coal mine. I have many happy memories of times at Charbonnier and less happy memories of the terrible cases of poison ivy I always got from the surrrounding woods.

Really nice

Great hiking, you can go flat or steep depending on your preference.

Fun hiking spot.

Beautiful great hiking area

Peaceful

Great

Love it

Scenic trails