The grass is always greener, the water’s always cleaner and the wine is always sweeter on the other side of the hill. Nope! Fall has always been my favorite time of the year. Aside from the obvious things, like leaves turning colors and cooler temperatures, there is much, much more to our local fall—the other side of the hill has nothing on the 573.
Even if you're not comfortable calling yourself a leaf peeper, you won't want to miss the glorious fall foliage of Southeast Missouri. The 573 is famous for the brilliance of the autumn foliage, and a seasonal tourist industry is growing around the few weeks in autumn when the leaves are at their peak colors. What could be better than a drive to see the color art live in real time?
Hiking Taum Sauk Mountain State Park is always a gas.
Rudyard Kipling said, “No pen can describe the turning of the leaves – the insurrection of the tree people against the waning year. A little maple began it, flaming blood-red of a sudden where he stood against the dark green of a pine belt. Next morning, there was an answering signal from the swamp where the sumacs grow. Three days later, the hillsides as far as the eye could range were afire, and the roads paved with crimson and gold.”
No, it is hot as heck one day, and then Wham-O! It is fall and cool outside.
Fall is not like the gradual warming of winter to spring or the slow approach of summer from spring. No, it is hot as heck one day, and then Wham-O! It is fall and cool outside. The sky turns the bluest blue, the air gets crisp, and I get the urge to grab a camera and hit the trails. We have all the elements here which take fall over the top to make it fantastic. Emmm, the colors!
Day-trippers by the score come to hike our parks and sip wine in our beautiful vineyards.
Plenty of cool bike trails in them hills.
With the changing of the leaves and the harvesting of the grapes come thousands of tourists from St. Louis and all over the Midwest. The baby boomer bikers come cruising on their decked-out motorcycles to view the colors of our rolling hills. Day-trippers by the score come to hike our parks and sip wine in our beautiful vineyards. Light duty spinner bait and fly fishermen enjoy our clear streams. Off-road dirt bikers and mountain bikers roam the best trails in the Midwest. Kayakers and floaters hit the rapids. Truth be told, parks like St. Joe, St. Francois, Hawn, Elephant Rocks, Taum Sauk, and Pickle Springs, and Ball Mill Resurgence are properties that other areas can only dream of possessing. I know the 573 is the place for turkey and deer hunting, so much so that people from other places actually own large parcels of property just to hunt. The 573 area is littered with groovy fall festivals. The more people that use the area for recreation and tourism, the better off we all become. Besides spending money here, some decide to retire here, and others start businesses that create more opportunities for all of us.
Visit the wineries on the Ste. Genevieve Trolley.
There are plenty of extreme sports for the younger generation, and there are also gentler things for the less adventurous to enjoy. And recently, the area has been gaining a reputation for its new art scene. And it really is a 55+ dreamland with hundreds of activities and organizations designed for retirees.
Maybe camp at one of our beautiful state parks.
Or hit a walking trail.
“Never jump in a pile of leaves with a wet sucker.” -Linus
Trying to predict the peak of fall leaf peeping in Southeast Missouri is difficult. Leaves turn at different times, and, as a result, the fall color season may last four to six weeks. Sassafras, sumac, and Oak are some of the earliest to change. In 573 Land, the trees begin to show their fall colors by Oct 1st.
Places for good Leaf Peeping:
Hwy 72 from Fredericktown to Ironton
Hwy 67 from Fredericktown to Sam A Baker State Park and Sam A Baker State Park.
Hwy F from Farmington to Ste. Genevieve. A great time to pop into the wineries. Twin Oaks, Chaumette, and Charleville make for a great time with a designated driver or the Ste. Genevieve Trolley, of course!
Anyway you slice it, the Drive from Ironton to Eminence is crazy great! The hike up Taum Sauk Mountain is worth the calories.
Hwy 61 from Perryville to Fruitland.
Hwy 177 from Fruitland to Cape and the Trail of Tears State Park is simply delicious.
Any of the roads and levy roads along the Mississippi.
Hwy 51 from Puxico at the Mingo National Wildlife Refuge to Zulma.
"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the Earth seeking the successive autumns." -George Eliot
I have lived and traveled in many parts of the world, and I can tell you flat out, without any doubt, the grass is not even close to being greener anywhere else. The 573 is one of the greatest places on Earth. And remember, please do not litter. Now, Get Out There! Your sunken sofa will be fine without you.
-Das Editor
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