White Sands Road
Sainte Genevieve County, Missouri
573-290-5730

Located about 10 miles north of Ste. Genevieve, this rugged 1,740-acre is bordered by Establishment Creek and Schmidt’s Island, overlooking the Mississippi River. The area features steep bluffs and scenic river views and contains a diverse dense forest of mixed hardwoods and cedar glades. Magnolia Hollow, designated as a natural area, is a deep draw and consists of old field, forest, and savanna habitats and contains a wide variety of trees, shrubs, herbs, and wildflowers.

Magnolia Hollow Conservation Area offers a wide variety of outdoor activities for its visitors. There are two hiking trails that offer a ground’s eye view of the area's natural features. One trail is a mile long and the other is a short disabled-accessible trail that leads to a platform that provides scenic views overlooking the Mississippi River. The area provides good woodland game hunting including turkeys and deer. A small static broadhead archery range and a disabled-accessible clay pigeon range, both unstaffed, give hunters a chance to do some target practice before their seasons open. Fishing along Establishment Creek is good for catfish, white bass, sunfish, carp, and buffalo.

Camping
Primitive camping at no charge is allowed year-round on a walk-in basis, but campsites must be at least 100 yards from all public access roads, open fields, and parking lots. Designated camping is allowed during the firearm and archery deer seasons.

The Lewis and Clark Connection
After camping for the night just south of Sainte Genevieve, Clark and the Corps Discovery passed the mouth of the Gabouri Creek on December 4, 1804, the landing place for the trading boats of Sainte Genevieve. Upriver Clark noted “the high lands juts to the river and form a most tremendous Clift of rocks.” The Magnolia Hollow Conservation Area preserves the forested highlands similar to those Clark saw.

Visit our special Lewis and Clark Section to learn more about the Corps of Discovery’s experience during their stay in the Middle Mississippi River Valley. greatriverroad.com’s special coverage includes information on all of the region’s sites and events as well as supplemental articles relating to the expedition’s experience during the winter of 1803-04.

Visiting the Magnolia Hollow Conservation Area
Visiting Hours
Open daily from 4 am - 10 pm
There is no charge to visit the Magnolia Hollow Conservation Area.

Call 573-290-5730 for information on primitive camping.