Gray Trail
- 1.0 mi
- round trip
- 453 ft
- climb
- 616 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Mar–Jun, Sep–Nov
- best months
Gray Trail is a short, easy hike in Missouri, about a mile from the town of Ranken. It is an out-and-back route of roughly 2 miles, with a total elevation gain of about 450 feet. The trail rises to a high point of about 616 feet, and the steepest stretch comes at about 0.6 miles in, where the grade reaches about 21 percent. Spring and fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station show October highs around 70°F with lows near 46°F, and May highs around 77°F. Summer runs hotter, with July highs near 89°F. The trail is open to horses, and bikes are not allowed. The trip takes about an hour. Brown Trail starts just 0.1 mile away, and Dogwood Ridge Trail and Purple Trail are within a mile. The Meramec River fishing access is about 1.2 miles off.
Local outfitters
- Edwardsville YMCA37 mi away
Not on Roamze yet. Their page has how to reach them.
- Brown TrailHiking0.1 mi
- Dogwood Ridge TrailHiking0.3 mi
Purple TrailHikingPhoto: wyzik, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)0.7 mi- Meramec RiverRiver fishing1.2 mi
Chubb Trail Crack WallRock climbingPhoto: Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)2.7 mi- EM: Frisco BoulderRock climbing4.1 mi
- EM: Kirkwood BouldersRock climbing5.2 mi
Bonhomme CreekCanoeingPhoto: Palisades1, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)9.5 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- Purple TrailHiking · ~1 min drivePhoto: wyzik, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
Grotpeter TrailHiking · ~4 min drivePhoto: Kbh3rd, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
River Scene TrailHiking · ~3 min drivePhoto: pasa47, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
Stinging Nettle TrailHiking · ~5 min drivePhoto: monamaynard, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Lone Wolf TrailHiking · ~3 min drivePhoto: pasa47, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
Green Rock TrailHiking · ~14 min drivePhoto: Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Castlewood Loop TrailHiking · ~4 min drivePhoto: monamaynard, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
- Rock Quarry TrailHiking · ~14 min drivePhoto: Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Inner Loop TrailHiking · ~7 min drivePhoto: Photographs of Things, CC BY-SA 2.0 (via Flickr)
Labarque Hills TrailHiking · ~17 min drivePhoto: Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 3.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)
Also worth it near here
Best time to visit Gray Trail
Best months: March–June and September–November. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
40° / 22°
7 wet
Feb
45° / 25°
7 wet
Mar
56° / 35°
10 wet
Apr
67° / 46°
11 wet
May
77° / 56°
12 wet
Jun
85° / 65°
9 wet
Jul
89° / 69°
8 wet
Aug
87° / 67°
7 wet
Sep
81° / 58°
6 wet
Oct
70° / 46°
8 wet
Nov
56° / 36°
8 wet
Dec
45° / 27°
8 wet
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at St Charles 7 Ssw, MO, 10.8 mi away at 450 ft. This station doesn't record snowfall. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
