Victoria Glades Conservation Area

Driving Directions

Located in Jefferson County, Victoria Glades Conservation Area is 1.5 miles southeast of Hillsboro on Victoria Road.

Highlights

This area consists of glades and forest.

About This Area

The Victoria glades are part of a large complex of glades starting just east of the Big River near Morse Mill and extending eastward, beyond Hillsboro and Desoto, to Festus, then south into Ste. Genevieve County. This large complex of glades occurs in a band 2 to 5 miles wide. The Victoria Glades Ares is composed of 239 acres within this large band. These glades are principally on Jefferson City-Cotter dolomite of Ordivician age. A similar concentration of glades occurs in southern Missouri in the White River Hills region. In this region the glades typically occur on steep slopes of hills, often extending to the tops of knobs, forming "balds." The Jefferson County glades are commonly found on south and southwest-facing slopes with forested ridges and are characterized by thin soil and bedrock at or near the surface. Water saturates the ground in winter and spring, but soils become droughty in summer and fall. Grasses and broad-leaved, flowering plants are plentiful. Little bluestem, Indian grass, side oats gramma, big bluestem, and prairie dropseed are common grasses. Scores of non-grass species provide food for wildlife and add beautiful color to the glades during seasonal peaks. Small pockets of dry upland forest dominated by blackjack oak are also established here. Other trees and shrubs found on the glades include eastern red cedar, gum bumelia, post oak, flowering dogwood, Indian cherry, and fragrant sumac. Forest vegetation surrounds the open glade areas and many kinds of snakes and lizards as well as larger animals, such as deer and turkey, live in this area.

General Information

St. Louis

Jefferson

636-458-2236

Owned by MDC

Activities
Activity
(Activity Explanations)		 Comments
(Population Definition)
Bird Watching  Glade and woodland species throughout the year. 
Demonstrations  Glade restoration-prescribed fire & cedar removal.    
Hiking  2.3 mile loop trail through glade and woodland. 
Hunting-Deer Good population. Archery only. Hunting not permitted on adjacent Nature Conservancy property.

Only bucks with at least 4 points on one side of their rack may be taken during the archery and firearms seasons, except for the firearms youth portions when any buck with at least one antler a minimum of 3 inches in length is legal.

 
Hunting-Squirrel Fair population. No single shot projectiles 
Hunting-Turkey Good population. No single shot projectiles 
Nature Viewing  In the spring(May-early June) the wildflowers and forbs bloom making the glade ideal for hiking and looking for wildflowers 

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Conservation Department Facilities
Facility Item Name Count Comments
Parking Lot  1   

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Features
Feature Item Name Count Size Comments
Stream - Intermittent  2 1.00 miles  

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Land Cover Types
Land Type Acres Comments
Forest and Woodland 100.00  
Glade 139.00  
Total Area Acres:239.32 

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Designated Trails
Trail Name Trail Type Length
hiking trail Hiking (Non-Interpretive) 2.30 

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Shooting Range General Information

This area has no shooting ranges.

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