Klondike Park
Klondike Park is located on the banks of the Missouri River, about 40 miles west of St. Louis. The 250-acre park boasts more than 4 miles of trails and scenic views of the Missouri River Valley.
Before becoming a park, Klondike was a quarry. Indeed, the name Klondike brings to mind images of forty-niners panning for gold. Missourians were not prospecting for gold, but rather for sandstone. The sandstone was crushed for the silica to be used in glass production.
The Klondike Sandstone Quarry was founded in 1898, at the eastern end of a 45 mile belt of St. Peter Sandstone. This type of sandstone is 99.44% silica, ideal for harvesting to blow into glass. The quarry was closed in 1983 and became part of the St. Charles County Park system in 1999. The remnants of the mining operation are still visible.
Today, visitors can explore the trails, rent a rustic cabin or pitch a tent on one of their 43 campsites, and go fishing at Quarry Lake. The trails are well-suited for both hiking and mountain biking.
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