Busch Wildlife

Busch Wildlife - Weldon Spring Conservation Area

Many people generally ride Busch in a counter-clockwise (CCW) direction working the hiking/biking trail into the loop. Some of the gravel roads are just out and backs so you just have to explore. Sometimes the Tuesday night ride at Lost Valley heads into Busch Wildlife when the trails are too wet.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) is currently working with Great Rivers Greenway to get a trail in place that will connect Research Park to the Hamburg Trail, which will make a great wet weather route by creating a big loop using the Hamburg, KATY and Research Park trails.

Below is a map that shows the Busch roads open to bikes (the service roads are closed to all traffic-cars and bikes) and the Busch Hiking/Biking Trail. The map also shows the lake numbers, which is helpful when trying to navigate the maze of roads out here. There are many options to connect loops and create your own route. With 25+ miles of gravel roads and the 3.2 mile trail you can really stack on the miles.

The area is open until 10 pm, so it's a good place to ride at night.

About Busch Memorial Conservation Area

(Reprinted from MDCOnline)
The 3,035 acre August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area was purchased by the Missouri Department of Conservation in 1947 from the federal government. Mrs. August A. Busch, Sr. donated a portion ($70,000) of the cost toward the purchase of the area as a memorial to her late husband.

In the early 1940's, the area was used by the Department of Army as a TNT munitions plant to support the World War II effort. There are still 100 of the old TNT storage bunkers that exist on the area.

Portions of the August A. Busch Memorial Conservation Area were used by the Department of Army in the 1940's for TNT and DNT production and by the Atomic Energy Commission in the 1960's for uranium ore processing. The affected portions were all part of a federal environmental cleanup project and required to meet certain environmental health and safety standards. The area is now considered to be safe for all recreational pursuits allowed on the area, as well as the wildlife found within the area.

Trail Information

Rating

Beginner

Length

Varies, as long as you care to ride. Road auto tour is 8-9 miles.

Type

Loop, Lollipop, Out-N-Back, Stacked Loop

Weather

Trail Conditions

Latest Conditions

From Paul J Mueller on Mon, 12/17/2018 - 10:49pm - Busch Wildlife (Gravel Routes)
Wet roads. But who cares. Fun times.
From sniker on Sat, 06/23/2018 - 5:21pm - Busch Wildlife (Gravel Routes)
Good
From The Krackheads on Sat, 01/09/2016 - 1:00pm - Busch Wildlife (Gravel Routes)
the new gravel, snow and rain made the roads a proverbial mess, 34x25 gearing ruled the day....
From gainer2112 on Wed, 01/06/2016 - 4:30pm - Busch Wildlife (Gravel Routes)
Was in great condition. They were putting gravel down and cambering the roads today so its a tad soft but not due to rain. No puddles or soft spots on the route I took.
From BrianBike123 on Sun, 07/27/2014 - 4:00pm - Busch Wildlife (Gravel Routes)
Trail was in great condition, All dry, A few moderate sized tree limbs on trail but easy to avoid.
From J-tracker on Thu, 03/06/2014 - 4:15pm - Busch Wildlife (Gravel Routes)
As of noon today-gravel still has large stretches of packed snow and ice. Few dry areas, most exposed gravel is soupy. Did not venture onto "trails".