For being a dead-end dot on a modern Missouri map, Glencoe, MO -- and the surrounding area -- has quite a bit of history to it. I have known of the area since I was a kid, and Lawler Ford Road -- better known as "Zombie Road" -- was the stuff of ghost & horror stories in the late '80's and early 90's. In fact, local ghost hunters have conducted several investigations of the road, with interesting results.

Still, I wasn't terribly intrigued until the area was cleaned up and made into the Al Foster Trail and connected to both Castlewood State Park and Sherman Beach County Park. With access now available, I also stumbled onto a history of Glencoe written by none other than Al Foster. At that point, I decided the area really merited some exploring -- there's just too much history there.

To the casual hiker/biker on the trail, it's a rather mundane environment. The trail starts in the heart of Glencoe -- dead-ending at the Meramec river -- which is also home to the Wabash Frisco and Pacific Railroad. It parallels the rail line in places, but also veers off closer to the river, where sand dunes and dredging relics/artifacts abound. It's apparent that human activity has been a constant in the area for many years. In a way, that sense of history and decay casts a melancholy pall on the trail, but the limestone bluffs, abundant trees & wildlife, and the ever present rush of the Meramec river easily brighten the area.