#248: Grants Trail

Growing up and coming from Glen Carbon/Edwardsville, I am no stranger to bike/walking trails. After all, the Ronald Foster Bike Trail is one of the first 'rails to trails' in Illinois, and is still a fun place to ride and walk on. On the other side of the border and river in Missouri, I haven't experienced any until I ventured onto the Grants Trail.

Grants Trail is 8 miles long. I've been on most of the trails in Madison County, where some are longer than others. What makes Grants Trail stand out so much is that its more travel/tourist-friendly. You will always find signs of many things, plus some businesses that are off the trail have water jugs for animals. That's something you don't see on the Illinois side. I parked at the Sappington House & Museum after snapping the cake picture and walked a mile and a half to Grant's Farm, which is off the trail. (Hey, I wanted to dodge the $12 parking fee) Of course, had I known better, I could have parked at Applebee's too (off Watson Road). I also noticed that the trail is taken very seriously, as it has its own traffic signals on the major roads and highways. That's another thing you can't find on Illinois trails...just the yield and/or stop sign.

On my way to Grant's Farm. What? I got another mile?

A cool horizontal, far-away view of the trail, going east

A historical marking of Clydesdale Park (close to the cake)

Another area close to the cake and parking lot, with the Tesson Ferry overpass

Visit the website and it will give you a full-detailed version of what you'll see throughout the trail, as well as where to park and stop.

How do I get to the cake at Grants Trail? It's tricky. It is obviously off of Grants Trail, so if you happen to be walking, running or biking right by it, then....oh wait, you want to drive to get to it? No problem! When you're driving on MO Highway 21, or Tesson Ferry Road (depending on which direction), make sure you turn on Tiffany Square Parkway, which is a subdivision. When on that street, immediately turn right on Tiffany Village Court. Despite of the signs that say 'Private' and all, make sure you turn into the private road that leads to a parking lot to the bike trail. Here are the sides of the cake:

Right side of the cake

Back side of the cake

Left side of the cake

Top of the cake

NOW: The cake sold for $455 on 1/1/2015 (biddingforgood auction).

Wikipedia link
Official website

Located at Tesson Ferry Road & Grants Trail (see instructions above), ST. LOUIS, MO, 63123
Cake artist: Corinne Didisheim