A Convergence of Rivers Means a Convergence of Adventure in St. Charles County Imagine the scope, the daunting size, the sheer dimension of the assignment given by President Thomas Jefferson in 1804 to two accomplished travelers. He asked Merriwether Lewis and William Clark to chart the western domain of America. In St. Charles County, Missouri you can do better than imagine. You can see it for yourself. When you stand in West Alton at the edge of the Clark Bridge in St. Charles County, just north of St. Louis, you see the confluence of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. At this geographic point, you are witnessing the commingling of the continent's longest river (Missouri), which covers 2,565 miles from the watersheds in Glacier National Park, Montana, and the world's most commercial, storied river (Mississippi), the subject of many great authors' tales and accounts. Here, the history, geography and activity of St. Charles County is palpable to any visitor. For Lewis and Clark, the intersection of the two great rivers was the major reason for their famous three-year expedition. Legendary frontiersman Daniel Boone made St. Charles County his final resting place. And earlier, in 1769, founding French Canadian fur trader Louis Blanchette made St. Charles City, then known as "Le Petite Cotes" or The Little Hills, his home and a blooming center of commerce just 20 miles north of St. Louis. Ever since then residents of and visitors to St. Charles City and County have understood the historic and outdoor magic to the area. St. Charles County offers a vast array of outdoor activities for families to enjoy, from hiking, biking, pleasure boating and water skiing to fishing, hunting and camping. All of this is within a 20-minute radius of St. Charles City's quaint accommodations, where live entertainment and fine dining experiences abound. An ideal visit to St. Charles County begins with a step back in time onto the banks of the Missouri River in the Historic Main Street District in St. Charles City. Rows of old shops displaying quilts, antiques, crafts, wine from local wineries and native fare line a tidy brick street. This area is the largest registered historic district in Missouri with 88 restored buildings. Just east of Main Street, serious antiquarians can hunt for Steiff Bears, Hummel figurines, military relics, St. Louis World's Fair antique memorabilia and other rare finds in the Frenchtown Antique District. The District is home to 58 registered historic buildings of French and German architectural styles dating from 1830 to 1920. A block west of Main Street originates one of the Midwest's best hiking and biking attractions, the Katy Trail. Among the longest "rails-to-trails" projects in the United States, this flat, meandering path runs along the Missouri River westward through St. Charles County for 230 miles to Sedalia, Missouri over what was once the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad line. The trail rolls under 80-ft limestone bluffs overlooking the Missouri River, or Big Muddy as it's known regionally. An old rail bed, the Katy Trail is a hard-packed, 8-foot-wide trail that never exceeds a 5 percent grade, making it enjoyable for bikers of all abilities. The easternmost trailhead, at Frontier Park in St. Charles, provides parking, restrooms, bicycle repair and rental, food and lodging. Additional services are located along the path. Well-organized trail riders can kill a few birds with one stone, figuratively speaking, by planning ahead for jaunty side trips to sites of natural significance, other historic towns or to drink from the cup of several local wineries. For instance, Weldon Spring Conservation Area is a 7,230-acre recreational area that offers hiking and biking trails through much of its grassy terrain. Hikers can enjoy the Lewis Trail, an 8.2-mile loop, or the 5.3-mile Clark Trail loop, both of which wind through upland terrain and bottomland forests dotted with ponds and criss-crossed by babbling creeks. Mountain bikers are permitted on the 8-mile Lost Valley hiking and biking trail which is accessible just 1.5 miles west of the Lewis and Clark Trailhead. Most of the Lost Valley Trail is flat, with intermittent hills and plenty of forest cover. However, a new section of the trail will challenge the most advanced mountain bikers with steep hills and rugged terrain. Adjacent to Weldon Spring Conservation Area is the 7,000-acre August A. Busch Conservation Area, which offers excellent outdoor activities while practicing high standards of ecological preservation. First settled by pioneer families in the early 1800s, the area was made a conservation area in 1947. The Busch Area has several hiking and biking trails as well as an auto tour. An information and interpretive center starts visitors out on any of seven trails, each of which is dedicated to illustrating habitat management practices. Thirty-two lakes that range in size from one to 182 acres cover a combined 500 surface acres. Six viewing blinds, including one with wheelchair access, overlook the lakes in the area. Busch Area also offers a staffed firearms range and fishing jetties which are accessible by wheelchair, too. After a morning of exploration among the conservation sites of the Katy Trail, cyclists can take a short ride three miles to the town of Augusta for a picnic lunch. Or, a cool glass of wine at the Augusta Winery may be just the tonic for a hot throat. This, in fact, is the edge of the Katy's trek through Missouri's Wine Country, an area rich in German heritage settled early in the 19th century. The Katy travels through Defiance, Augusta, Dutzow and Marthasville, where wineries and restaurants entice visitors with a panoramic view of the Missouri River from atop a steep bluff or to explore quaint villages that have changed little throughout the last century. Upon returning to the city of St. Charles, the eastern section of the county beckons ecotourists, sportsmen and boating enthusiasts alike. Wetland areas developed by the U.S. government, the State of Missouri and local landowners offer refuge for eagles, cranes, ducks, Canadian geese and hundreds of other species, some rare and endangered. A key example of this reclamation and revitalization is the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Riverlands Environmental Demonstration Area (EDA), located on the western bank of the Mississippi River north of the confluence of the two great rivers. Created in 1989, the EDA's first act was the restoration of 1,200 acres of wetlands adjacent to the commercial Melvin Price Locks and Dam. Native prairie grasses grow throughout much of the EDA, which includes Ellis Bay on its northern boundary and 300 acres of freshwater marshes throughout the area. A gem in and of itself, Ellis Bay is 500-acres of calm backwaters from the Mississippi River which provides excellent habitation for waterfowl, migratory birds and fish and are accessible to birders, recreational boaters and anglers. The EDA is accessible to hikers, also. Maintained hiking trails weave through native prairie grasslands and marshes, offering a first-hand view of what the region might have looked like before European settlement. Ten miles west of the EDA is Marais Temps Clair Conservation Area. This 920-acre wetland was once an oxbow lake incorporated into the expansive marsh situated between the city of St. Charles and the Mississippi River. Today, Marais Temps is a series of 10 freshwater pools regulated to provide optimum conditions for attracting waterfowl. Photographers, birders and watchful hikers are likely to spy rare birds and waterfowl such as Eurasian tree sparrows, little blue herons and black-crowned night herons. Muskrats build shelterd in shallow pools and beavers build dams and lodges in main ditches and burrow areas between pools. Hunting and Fishing regulations are available free of charge from the Missouri Conservation Department. For the boating enthusiast, more than 25 full-service marinas dot the western bank of the Mississippi in St. Charles County. The pool created by the Melvin Price Dam spreads out for more than 35 miles to form Alton Lake, enticing boaters to ply the waters of the mighty Mississippi. Many marinas rent motorboats, personal water craft and even sailboats to clip along below 100-foot limestone river bluffs, spinnakers billowing in the brisk breeze as they skim across Alton Lake. An area fraught with spirits of explorers past and present, St. Charles County is a place for adventurers, historians, preservationists and families. See for yourself the rich diversity and splendor of St. Charles County, then consider that this was "only the beginning" for Lewis & Clark. You'll likely come away in awe and with a new respect for the scope of that legendary adventure. For more information about St. Charles County, contact the Greater Saint Charles Convention and Visitors Bureau at (800) 366-2427.