Lakeside Trail

Dogs Unknown

Features Birding · Fall Colors · Lake · Wildflowers · Wildlife

Spanish Lake, similar to Sunfish and North Lake, is a sinkhole lake. North County is one of three areas within St. Louis County with karst topography. The other two areas are in South County and East Central part of the County.

Sinkholes are created when bedrock collapses. This creates a depression which has no natural external surface drainage. This means that when it rains, the water drains into the sinkhole and into the subsurface. As the subsurface drain seals with sediments and organic material, a lake can be formed. This is how the three lakes of Spanish Lake Park were formed.

Lakeside Trail forms a loop around Spanish Lake. The multi-purpose trail is used by runners, bicyclists, and roller bladders. The trail also provides easy access to the lake for fishermen and is a great place to watch waterfowl during the spring and fall migration when you may see hundreds of geese and ducks.

Overall, the trail is very open which gives you many good views of the lake and the surrounding park. The park also has modern restrooms and drinking water.