WHO: You and anyone else you drag along!
What: Hike and workshop
Time frame: 12:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Come see Missouri’s only known pink granite. Enjoy the scenery of pinkish granite rocks and rushing cascading water of the Castor River. And enjoy the company of fellow geocachers as we hike the 1 mile Cedar Glade Trail followed by a geology tour and earthcache workshop on the pink granite and shut-in’s.
The Castor River Shut-Ins is Missouri’s only known pink granite shut-ins. This picturesque pinkish granite is from the Breadtray formation, an igneous rock formation that is 1.5 billion years old. Most of the exposed igneous rocks of the St. Francois Mountains region are rhyolite rather than granite. Igneous rocks are formed from volcanic activity. Granite is a coarse-grained igneous rock formed from magma that cooled underground and was later exposed. By contrast, rhyolite is formed when magma is cooled above ground. Shut-ins occur where a broader stream is “shut in” to a narrow canyon-like valley. Shut-ins typically occur in Missouri where streams flow through softer sedimentary bedrock materials such as dolomite or sandstone and then encounter the more resistant igneous rock.
The rocky slopes and outcrops above the Castor River support igneous glade natural communities. These areas have widely scattered shortleaf pine, blackjack oak and farkleberry in between which are found large areas of mosses and lichens. Where some soil has developed in cracks and fissures in the rock you can find lance-leaf coreopsis, fame flower, prickly pear cactus, pine-weed, and little bluestem.
Castor River flows through the area with pools, riffles, the shut-in, and small waterfalls. Downstream of the shut-ins you might spot colorful small fishes such as the Ozark minnow, bleeding shiner, rainbow darter, and striped fantail darter.… Downstream of the natural area is the site of the Hahn’s gristmill which operated in the 1870s.
Source: MDC
This event is a hike and earthcache workshop event. What does this mean?
- We will be hiking the 1 mile Cedar Glade Trail
- We will go down to the shut-ins and I will walk you through my process of creating an earthcache on site. You can ask any questions you want and I will answer them the best I can.
- See bookmark list
Inclement Weather Policy
This event will become cancelled, the day of the event, if the following weather events are happening that day.
- Severe thunderstorm warning
- Lightning in the immediate area
- Flash flood warning
A rain shower will not cancel this event.
Be sure to download any bookmark lists of the area you may want beforehand; the area has nearly zero cell service.
Area map link: HERE
How to get to the parking lot.
From Fredericktown take Highway 72 east about three miles to Highway J. Turn left (east) onto Highway J and continue for 4.6 miles to the junction with Highway W. Turn right (south) onto Highway W and go 2.4 miles to the end of the pavement. Turn left (east) on CR 208 and drive 1.1 miles to the junction with CR 253. Turn left (north) on CR 253 and proceed 0.9 mile to the parking area and trailhead on the right (east) side of the gravel road.
Be sure to bring at least the following:
- Notebook paper
- Writing stick
- Dress for the weather of that day
- Hiking boots
- Water
- Snacks
Also note: there are no bathrooms on site, last I checked, so be prepared for when nature comes a calling