Meramec State Park
Walking Fern Trail
Plan your visit.
Access & terrain
The official guide describes a rugged, green-blazed 0.5-mile natural-surface hiking loop. Its short length does not remove the listed steps, steep grades, bluff edges, rocks, roots and structural crossings.
Missouri State Parks’ official Walking Fern Trail guide · Missouri State Parks · Source checked .
Route facts checked . Source publication date not provided. This is not a live access check.
Mapped route point; vehicle access and parking are not verified. Read the access notes above before choosing your arrival point.
- Published route length
- 0.5 mi
- Route type
- loop
- Surface
- Boardwalk · Natural
- Difficulty
- Rugged
The route
Official lineworkGetting the route map ready…
Official route linework may include spurs or separate parts. The map does not invent connections.
Parking & getting there
Still to verify: Intended arrival and parking permission have not been reviewed.
Directions use the existing mapped route point. A parking pin or vehicle approach is not inferred.
Hours & rules
Still to verify: Grounds hours have not been reviewed. Trail hours have not been reviewed. Parking hours have not been reviewed. Unknown hours do not mean 24-hour access.
Checked dates record source review, not current open status. Check official notices before travel.
Before you choose
Route overview
From the Fisher Cave area, make a short woodland loop past bluff bases and a boulder associated with the trail’s namesake ferns. The climb reaches drier, rocky ground above the lush lower woods. Nearby cave entrances do not establish permission to enter caves.
Missouri State Parks’ official Walking Fern Trail guide · Missouri State Parks · Source checked .
The climbs ahead
Elevation
Loading stored elevation…
The bigger picture
Park-context relief
See the wooded slopes and river corridor around Meramec. Shading shows landform, not vegetation, current trail conditions or a park boundary.
N ↑Selected route · official linework; separate parts remain separate. USGS 3DEP multi-resolution hillshade · cached 2026-10-10T12:37:09.117522+00:00. Display scale is not source DEM resolution.
Sources & credits
Route facts checked . Source publication date not provided. This is not a live access check.
Confirm current access with the park. Notice dates describe the notice; source check dates record a review, not a live status report.
Credit: Missouri State Parks / Missouri DNR · Source terms
DNR offers public GIS downloads. The Castlewood SURFACES download metadata has access constraints None and an accuracy/no-warranty use disclaimer. The linked Trail Routes service and official portal item specify no additional use restrictions or named open license. Credit Missouri DNR; not a legal survey.