Don Robinson State Park is a fairly small state park 30-45 minutes southwest of the St. Louis area. We come here for the hiking, which is great in all seasons. The park is typically for day-use only, although there is a special-use camp area available. There is a large shelter at the top of a hill near the back of the park. The shelter has some grills, rocking chairs, and a great view (pictured below)! Restrooms are also located nearby.
Hiking
We visit Don Robinson State Park for the hiking. The park has two trails: Labarque Hills Trail and Sandstone Canyon Trail. Our favorite trail is the Sandstone Canyon Trail because of the sandstone canyon itself.
Sandstone Canyon Trail
- Quick Facts
- Length: Approx. 4 miles
- Trailhead: Small parking lot in the back of the park (keep right instead of turning left up the hill) or park in the main parking lot on the top of the hill near the shelter and walk down the hill to the start of the trail.
- Link to State Park website
This is our favorite trail in the park. We appreciate that it’s a little longer and we like checking out the Sandstone Canyon right along the trail. The trail itself is a lollipop trail with a single route at the beginning and a loop branching off that route. Each time we’ve hiked, we have made the first right along the main path to start the loop. There is a connector soon after making this initial right. It would cut out a portion of the loop. We haven’t tried this route before, but it would shorten the hike if you decide you don’t want to commit to a four-mile hike. The trail itself is blazed in red, while the connector is blazed in white.
We enjoy hiking here in all seasons. In the Fall, you can see the leaves changing. You can see frozen creeks and massive ice formations in the Winter. In the Spring, you can start to see green returning to the trees and plants. During Summer, you can see the trees full of leaves and appreciate the shade they provide.
Labarque Hills Trail
- Quick Facts
- Length: Approx. 2.5 miles
- Trailhead: Main parking lot (by the large shelter and restrooms) or parallel park further down the hill)
- Link to State Park website
This trail is shorter and meanders through the forest. It is also a lollipop-style trail with a single route leading to a loop further down the trail. There are interesting rock formations along this route also, although they are smaller-scale than the other trail. This trail is blazed in blue.
