Shaw Nature Reserve

Shaw Nature Reserve is a division of the Missouri Botanical Garden, is located in Gray Summit, Missouri and has over 17 miles of hiking trails. It is open year-round, 7 days a week, but is closed on some major holidays. The Missouri Botanical Garden purchased Shaw in 1925 to help safeguard plants at the Garden. Due to an increase in industrialization in the 1920s, there was a thick smog. This smog started killing species at Missouri Botanical Garden, so the Garden purchased Shaw to move collections out of the city. Eventually collections could return back to the Garden, but the 2400 acres are still a safe haven for native Missouri species. Dogs are not allowed on the property. Address: 307 Pinetum Loop Rd, Gray Summit, MO 63039 Ticket Info: Tickets are $5/adults. Kids under 12 are free. If you have a membership to Missouri Botanical Garden, admission to Shaw Nature Reserve is free! Once you check-in to the booth, you’ll get a coin that will open the entrance gate. Once the gate opens, you can drive to a trail head. In April, the Virginia Bluebells start blooming. Shaw Nature Reserve has the most beautiful trail, called the Bluff Overlook, to see the bluebells. I try to hike here in early April or by Tax Day (April 15th) to see the bluebells in bloom. This hike is unpaved, not stroller-friendly and not handicapped accessible. To access this trail, drive to the parking lot of Maritz Trailhouse (far north on the property). The GPS Coordinates: 38.46675° N, 90.81922° W. We parked at the Maritz Trailhouse (which also has restrooms) and hiked the green trail (Bluff Overlook) that is 1.4 miles to the river. The trail starts out on a gravel trail from the left of the trailhouse. The trail winds through the woodlands to the overlook, which is so beautiful with some larger dolomite! From the overlook, the trail goes on a steeper decline to the floodplain. This is where all of the bluebells are located. They are on both sides of the trail and breathtaking. From here, you can turn back and go back the same way you came, or you can continue on the blue trail (Rus Goddard River Trail) to the river. I highly recommend taking the river trail to the gravel bar. It has great views of the Meramec River and it is not too buggy during this time of the year. Several miles of the Meramec River flow through Shaw Nature Reserve and the tide of the river can be strong, so make sure to keep an eye on your little ones in case they get too close to the river’s edge. On the way back, we like to take the Wildflower Trail back to the trailhouse and look at the glades. The Wildflower Trail has some neat rocks and cliffs to walk along too! You can also backtrack to the Bluff Overlook. You can pull up the free All Trails app on your phone while hiking this one, as there are intersecting trails throughout and it can be a little confusing on which way to go. The map is a screenshot from Shaw Nature Reserve’s trail map. I added a green X to mark where the bluebells are (along the green trail before it meets the blue trail.