Missouri’s Best Hiking Trail Has Stunning Meramec River Views

There are a ton of great places to hike in Missouri so to say that one is the best above all of them is high praise indeed. But, there does seem to be a general consensus that there is one hike in the Show Me State that rises above the rest and it has stunning views of the Meramec River.

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Instead of just trusting one internet source for the "best" of anything, let's look several places. When it comes to hiking trails in Missouri, many sites agree that this one is better than the rest.

Only In Your State just issued their new 2023 list of best Missouri hikes. Their #1 is the same as reviewers on All Trails.

What is the best hiking trail in Missouri?

The internet says it's the River Scene Trail in Ballwin, Missouri. If you love the Meramec River, you'll love this adventure. Beautiful river views everywhere.

One of the best parts of the River Scene Trail is it's doable by just about everyone. Yes, parts of the trail are narrow, but sunsets are amazing here. Truly.

The Missouri State Parks website has a helpful map of the area and it's worth mentioning that some parts are narrow and a little rocky. They estimate the hiking time to walk all of it at around 2 1/2 hours. There are a few picnic areas just off of the main hike if you want to soak in the atmosphere.