[Coathangeroflove]

So one of my new favorite epic rides to do, is to park at either Castlewood or Chubb (lone elk side) then ride to the other via route 66 state park-old rail bed-al foster trail, ride the other trail, then come back. Today I started at lone elk, rode to west tyson, went all the way around to stinging nettle, rode straight through to the field, then around to the main pavilion in castlewood. then i came back the same way, with a detour loop on the blue ribbon trail. As best as I can figure, with some help from google earth, i'm looking at about a 37-ish mile round trip.

Does anyone by chance have a more accurate mileage count, possibly using a computer or gps unit?

On a side note, this length of old rail bed that extends off the al foster to 44 would be great if it could be cleaned up and smoothed over a bit, maybe with a couple of footbridges thrown in for good measure. Anyone know if this has ever been considered? if a clean, continuous path could be created to route 66 state park, it would make this ride much more badass. it's actually very scenic. so yeah, i think that's all i got.

[itsboz]

Coathangeroflove, on Apr 9 2006, 10:12 PM, said:

So one of my new favorite epic rides to do, is to park at either Castlewood or Chubb (lone elk side) then ride to the other via route 66 state park-old rail bed-al foster trail, ride the other trail, then come back. Today I started at lone elk, rode to west tyson, went all the way around to stinging nettle, rode straight through to the field, then around to the main pavilion in castlewood. then i came back the same way, with a detour loop on the blue ribbon trail. As best as I can figure, with some help from google earth, i'm looking at about a 37-ish mile round trip.

Does anyone by chance have a more accurate mileage count, possibly using a computer or gps unit?

On a side note, this length of old rail bed that extends off the al foster to 44 would be great if it could be cleaned up and smoothed over a bit, maybe with a couple of footbridges thrown in for good measure. Anyone know if this has ever been considered? if a clean, continuous path could be created to route 66 state park, it would make this ride much more badass. it's actually very scenic. so yeah, i think that's all i got.

c.h.o.l.
I'm curious how you get from route 66 to al foster. I discovered al foster almost by accident one time and now use it to add some longer mileage to stinging nettle. Overall, you seem to have discovered an interesting ride. Sorry I can't help with the mileage, but perhaps I'll give it a try soon.
Boz

[rudy aka 'maninblak']

Here's how not to do it:

went past the far corner of rte. 66 park, behind the trailer by 44, did not really see much of a trail, carried the bike over a log over a creek, got on a faint track that had a fresh tire track on it! got to a gravel road where a kind gentlemen in a blue uniform suggested I follow him back to 44. It wasn't that far, maybe I'd been going around in circles. Guess I'll have to wait for the professional guide service. If garbage were temples, that place would be really holy.

[Coathangeroflove]

itsboz, on Apr 10 2006, 06:13 AM, said:

c.h.o.l.
I'm curious how you get from route 66 to al foster. I discovered al foster almost by accident one time and now use it to add some longer mileage to stinging nettle. Overall, you seem to have discovered an interesting ride. Sorry I can't help with the mileage, but perhaps I'll give it a try soon.
Boz

i wouldn't say that i discovered it, more like i was told about it.

[Cyberg]

I am curious about this new route, how did you get across the Meramec river? I have crossed the river via the RR bridge and then through the golf course (the last time I was told that this was private property and asked to leave). I have no problem trespassing on RR property but would like to avoid being chased guys in golf carts. I figure that I could ride the rails to Lewis road to Allen road to the Chubb. Has anyone else tried this?

[Coathangeroflove]

Cyberg, on Apr 10 2006, 11:37 AM, said:

I am curious about this new route, how did you get across the Meramec river? I have crossed the river via the RR bridge and then through the golf course (the last time I was told that this was private property and asked to leave). I have no problem trespassing on RR property but would like to avoid being chased guys in golf carts. I figure that I could ride the rails to Lewis road to Allen road to the Chubb. Has anyone else tried this?

Crossing the meramec river is done via bridge at the entrance to route 66 state park. it doesn't really seem like it, but castlewood proper and route 66 are actually on the same side of the river, due to the way the river curves. you just have to go a long freaking way around to get there. you basically have to make a big horseshoe-shaped path around the river's bend.

The 'Hanger

[thrasher]

Didn't I post this link about a week ago?

http://www.2wheeltec....php?routeId=28

That's a GPS capture converted to a route thanks to Dave Ploch's 2wheeltech.com site.

You cross the Meramec ONLY once, and that's over the 2 lane vehicle bridge in Route 66 State Park... Look at the satellite imagery. See how you are staying OUTSIDE of the Meramec the whole time?

There is some *minor* trespass involved, but the majority of the land has been acquired by state/local gov't for the exact purpose you are using it for. The Al Foster is planned to get you all the way to Rt. 66 Park in the future.

A few tricky areas:

1. At Glencoe (mini-RR station) you'll need to get around the creek where the bridge is out. Basically, ride up to the bridge and go down the steep short hill to the right and follow the trail to a point where a ford is possible across the stream. follow the double track back towards Meramec River and continue along the former RR bed.



2. Once you get to the abandoned driving range across from Eureka HS, you'll encounter a second missing RR bridge. Just find your way to below the bridge supports and ford that stream. The trail continues, but is more sketchy, all the way up to I-44, just behind Byerly (sp?) trailer. You will emerge at the service road, and cross the RR trax on the road.



3. Heading toward Rt. 66, you'll see the next set of tracks (and another stream) that you must cross. Follow the RR tracks VERY CAREFULLY down, away from I-44, crossing them once you see a rock jetty coming towards the tracks on the other side. Get across safely and use that jetty as your trail - you will need to walk as this is just a pile of babyhead rocks. THat takes you right into Rt. 66, where a gate awaits you where the trail goes under I-44 to the Eureka city park over there, but don't take that - just enter Rt 66 and head towards West Tyson.



Next time I'm over there, I'll try to remember my camera and I'll post some eye-level pix of the tricky sections.

With any luck, funding and easements will come thru to build those outed bridges and a "real" trail will be open in a few years.

Craig

PS: DO NOT USE THE SHERMAN RR BRIDGE!!!!! Several people have been killed on that bridge in the past 10 years. Ask around how I know this firsthand. IT IS A VERY, VERY BAD IDEA. Darwin is watching!

EDIT: I've added some zoomed satellite images w/comments of the tricky areas.

This post has been edited by thrasher: 10 April 2006 - 12:18 PM

[DaveP]

Thrasher,

Great use of my route saver program.

Dave

[Slick Willy]

So let's get a group together and do this sometime soon. Seems like DRJ territory or possibly GORCable. Count me in if there's interest. Great maps listed above, but I'd like to be part of a group on my first outing there.

[McJohn]

Too bad the 141 bridge over the Meramec is such a death trap, or it would make a nice loop. But I think that bridge is probably more dangerous than the RR bridge at Sherman Beach.

Several years ago I was doing this ride and had a sort of spooky conversation with someone holding a rifle and sitting not far off the trail near the Eureka end, about 1/4 mile in from the old driving range. He icily informed me that it was private property and that it wasn't a good idea to ride there during hunting season (I was wearing an orange jersey, I forget what kind of hunting season it was, perhaps deer?).

[thrasher]

McJohn, on Apr 11 2006, 07:58 AM, said:

Too bad the 141 bridge over the Meramec is such a death trap, or it would make a nice loop. But I think that bridge is probably more dangerous than the RR bridge at Sherman Beach.

Several years ago I was doing this ride and had a sort of spooky conversation with someone holding a rifle and sitting not far off the trail near the Eureka end, about 1/4 mile in from the old driving range. He icily informed me that it was private property and that it wasn't a good idea to ride there during hunting season (I was wearing an orange jersey, I forget what kind of hunting season it was, perhaps deer?).

DRJ's have been doing a loop that leaves from Bauer Small Engine/family abode in Twin Oaks to C'wood via Big Bend/Ries, then completing the loop from Lone Elk/141. I hate that damn bridge too, and the worst part is MoDOT refusing to acknowledge bike/pedestrian access.

Apparently STL County is not open to adding bike/pedestrian lanes to Old State Rd when it's redone this year, either (despite Wildwood's lobbying efforts). Let your County/State reps hear about this stupidity. It does matter.

McJohn - which direction from the golf range? Towards Glencoe? I'm under the impression that most, if not all, of the old RR grade is already transferred to the Meramec Greenway. Now, the section between the missing bridge and I-44, I'm not sure about. If that guy was using a rifle in those woods, with about 100 homes about 100 yards away, he's just an idiot... but precisely why you want to lay low those two weeks in November.

[McJohn]

He was about 1/4 mile in towards Glencoe from the driving range, sitting upslope from the trail/rail, with a view of the river bottoms around the bend there.

I figured it wasn't really private property, but with the guy's attitude and the fact that he had a gun I just thanked him for the info. and moved along. Quickly. No point in discussing the ins and outs of railroad easements.

This post has been edited by McJohn: 11 April 2006 - 12:43 PM

[jasonjrk]

I saw an older lady riding her cruiser bike AGAINST traffic on that 141-Meramec bridge this past weekend. I was cringing at the thought of her getting to the point where she had no shoulder and how she'd react.

She had the look of terror on her face.......rightly so.

[thrasher]

McJohn, on Apr 11 2006, 01:42 PM, said:

He was about 1/4 mile in towards Glencoe from the driving range, sitting upslope from the trail/rail, with a view of the river bottoms around the bend there.

I figured it wasn't really private property, but with the guy's attitude and the fact that he had a gun I just thanked him for the info. and moved along. Quickly. No point in discussing the ins and outs of railroad easements.

LOL - good call. So, he's partially right - upslope (where HE was is private), but the rail bed has been transferred to public ownership (I think). BTW, hunting east of 109 with a rifle is illegal, even if it was "gun season", so he was wrong twice.

[rockhound]

From what I can tell, there are two parcels that are owned by Lawless, the rest of the slope is owned by The Society of Mary Province St. Louis (4010 Alt Road and 4000 Hwy 109).

The property near the bend in Glencoe looks to be owned by the church there.

See here for parcels...http://gis.stlouisco.com/