Castlewood State Park
Castlewood climbs from the Meramec floodplain to an exposed limestone rim, where resort-era stairs and a long river bend turn one hike into both landscape and history.
Artwork inspired by Paul Cornoyer
River Scene Trail is the defining Castlewood circuit: a roughly 3.4-mile moderate loop that climbs to views more than 200 feet above the Meramec, follows a bluff section reserved for hikers, and returns through the floodplain. Historic stairs and traces of the early resort era explain why this dramatic edge became a St. Louis escape.
The park also serves mountain bikers and hikers on shared wooded routes such as Grotpeter. Choose the bluff or multiuse experience before leaving the lot, then check current trail conditions after rain or flooding. Drop-offs are unguarded, limestone and stairs can be slick, and swimming or wading in the Meramec is prohibited at Castlewood.
- Signature route
- River Scene Trail: 3.4-mile moderate loop
- Elevation story
- Bluff views more than 200 feet above the valley
- River rule
- Swimming and wading are prohibited
Quick guide
- Choose the bluff
- Climb River Scene first, then return through the floodplain
- Choose shared trail
- Use Grotpeter and yield under posted multiuse rules
Build a Castlewood visit around terrain, not a checklist
- Check the trail board first
- Read current closures and surface conditions at the trailhead, especially after heavy rain or Meramec flooding.
- Climb before the overlook crowds
- Follow River Scene uphill and use the historic stair sequence to understand the former resort landscape.
- Read the valley from above
- At the rim, trace the Meramec bend, railroad corridor, floodplain, and wooded slopes.
- Finish on the floodplain
- Complete the loop through lower forest rather than retracing the bluff.
Good to know
Castlewood’s name recalls a resort district rather than one surviving castle. Trains once delivered visitors to hotels, clubs, beaches, and grand stairways above the Meramec.
Notice these
- River Scene bluff loop
- More-than-200-foot valley views
- Historic resort stairway
- Meramec floodplain return