Greer Spring and Trail - Hiking trail near Winona, Missouri, United States - Description

With an average flow of 220 million gallons per day, Greer Spring is the second largest spring in Missouri. Emerging from two openings, the spring flows from the mouth of Greer Spring Cave and boils up from the rugged bed of the spring branch. Flowing down a rock-filled canyon for one mile, the spring branch more than doubles the flow of the Eleven Point River. More like the emergence of an underground river, the water feeding Greer Spring comes from many losing streams and sinkholes found to the west and north-west of the spring, as far away as 35 miles (near the town of Willow Springs). The spring’s two outlets, the upper portion from the cave, and the lower boil has been explored on a very limited basis. Extreme currents have prevented scientific divers from exploring far into these orifices. Many caves contain diverse and rare forms of cave life. Residents of Greer Spring Cave include a population of Salem cave crayfish, an undescribed species of amphipod, heleomyzid flies, and cave crickets.

The one-mile trail to the spring travels through a mixture of hardwoods and pines. The overstory of trees includes several varieties of oaks, shortleaf pine, hickory, maples, basswood, hackberry, and black gum. Under this larger tree canopy are flowering dogwood, redbud, sassafras, persimmon, hazelnut, and red cedar, among others. There are also a variety of wild flowers and ferns, including yellow lady-slipper, three-lobed violet, walking fern, jack-in the-pulpit, buttercup, and wild geranium. Oh yes - watch out for poison ivy along the trail. No drinking water is available.

Greer Spring is located just west of State Highway 19 approximately 18 miles south of Winona, Missouri or 8.5 miles north of Alton, Missouri. Watch for the sign and parking lot along the west side of Highway 19.