Dardenne Creek Blueway access point

Sandfort Creek "Access" Cons: I'm not sure what the plan here was or if there even was one. They won't let vehicles up by the access so you have to walk your boats 370ft uphill to get to a very slippery staircase that goes down into the water. (See photos) Of course if you rent a boat from them it's right up there waiting for you in a storage locker. This alone renders the access almost completely inaccessible to any older folks that would want to enjoy it. The parking lot is slim with sheer edges that you could easily slip into and get stuck. It is obvious they did not plan on people bringing trailers with their boats on them as there is no where to turn around if you have a trailer and no parking spots big enough for anything with one. If they just made a boat slip instead of the staircase and allowed people to at least drive up and drop their boats off it would be 100x better. But in its current state it's simply a waste of our tax dollars since hardly anyone will want to go through the trouble of getting in it. River was nearly stagnant and very dirty. Litter and garbage everywhere, boards with nails sticking out of them all over the place. But this is probably from the recent rounds of flooding. This has so much potential they just need to make the river access..... accessible. I'm really hoping that once all phases are completed the water will start moving a bit and help keep everything clean. Pros: It is free, you just have to let them know at the RV check in, and the river is mostly shaded and surprisingly few mosquitoes.

We went to try the new access point in Lone Wolf Park and it is even steeper than the one at Lakeside 370 (which is 400 ft from the parking lot). We have heavy fishing kayaks and are over 55, so we won’t be able to use these sections of the Blueway. The only section we can use is the first section, which has great access to the water, but has no shade and the water is muddy. So far the Blueway has been very disappointing.

A good idea in theory, poorly executed. Right off the bat this has some significant accessibility issues. The parking area is ~400 feet from the access point. While I am lucky enough to both own a kayak cart and be able-bodied enough to shoulder an empty boat, everyone will not find this easy to get to. Then the water is down a set of steps / loading rail - be sure not to stumble and lose your grip, as that rail is steep enough that a boat would likely pick up speed and keep going at the bottom, have fun wading in to go after it if this ever happens. There did happen to be water there when I visited, at least - a parks dept employee we chatted with told us it's only there when it's rained recently, usually it's shallow enough that you might get your socks wet, but that's about it. According to him this was well known and communicated prior to the access point being built, but this was ignored. Finally there was a self-serve rental station, which would be awesome if only it wasn't barred shut for no reason that was readily apparent on the website.

I dont know where St. Charles County got these terrible "access" ideas for this blueway, but...ugh. I haven't walked to this exact one yet, but the Lone Wolff park access is a steep set of stairs with a loading rail, that I imagine is designed to slide your kayak down as you walk with it to the water. Unless you are a fairly fit person, with a lightweight kayak, this could be unsafe and dangerous. IDK if this one is as steep as Lone Wolff, but do know, you cannot currently drive right up to this access point. The gates on the south end are locked, and the trail leading to it from the north is a bike/walking trail only. In other words, you have to drop your kayaks off and walk (or cart if you have one) to the access or take them from the parking lot. If your kayak weighs 40 lbs ish, and you on't mind the walk+stairs, or have help, you should be fine. Maps look slightly misleading, so I'm leaving this review so people are aware before they arrive or plan to float. Riverside landing is fine for your take out point. Nice park, ramp, picnic tables, and a kayak launch, but you still have to walk a kayak down the walkway maybe 75-100 feet. I live close by and will add photos of all currently open places on the blueway in the coming week. I've kayak fished a lot of places in the past few years, and it is a great activity to get out, explore, and enjoy nature. I hope SCC sees this review and takes into consideration the design of the next phases of "access" so they can actually be easily accessible for people to put in kayaks.

Very nice entrance and roads and parking. Drive around to unload, close parking.