Dillard’s Mill State Historic Site – A Place for Hikers and Non-Hikers (Trail Review Included)

With the promise of a beautiful spring day in the forecast, I found it necessary to get outside and hike or “do something.”  I wanted to venture a little further from home than we normally do on a regular basis and turn it into a bit of a day drive. So Aaron and I set out for a little adventure – a Lagom Adventure. As I always, I had a plan in mind and Aaron was along to drive.

I have to say that I continue to be amazed at the beauty that can be found so close to home and little befuddled as to why I hadn’t visited some of these places earlier. My plan was to end up a little over an hour away from home at Dillard Mill Historic Site. We were just heading in a direction that we don’t normally go.

We started with breakfast in Ironton at the Fort Davidson Cafe (Aaron’s pick) and then I knew I wanted to head towards the mill. I really wanted to hike, but Aaron isn’t always up for that, but this destination was to offer a hiking trail a little over a mile, beautiful views without hiking, and a little bit of history.

We left the Arcadia Valley and made our way to Belleview where we planned to hit 32 and head towards Viburnam. It was a great morning for a drive with things beginning to green and Country Gold on the radio – Conway Twitty’s “Love to Lay You Down” to be more exact.

Dillard’s Mill is about 45 miles from home (Bismarck) and this was a bit of a longer way to get there. It’s easy to find and has good signage along the roads to point you in the right direction.

It was a beautiful morning to be at the Mill and others thought so as well. There was even a bridal shower in the lone pavilion at 11 am in the morning. Along with the pavilion, there is a small playground and pit toilets – very clean! A cemetery and small store building are also available to check out.

Now the real beauty of this site is that it can appeal to hikers and non-hikers like my parents. The mill itself is only a ¼ of mile from the parking lot along a wide gravel trail/road. It can even been seen from the parking lot, but one must really take the short hike to fully appreciate the view.

Before reaching the mill itself, there is a nice fence line that offers the iconic view most people think of when thinking of Dillard’s Mill. There are also nice benches here if you feel as if you don’t want to walk any further  but I encourage you to keep going. (Just for reference the walk to mill would be “Jess approved.”)

Once you reach the mill, you are allowed to walk around around outside but also allowed to enter and take a bit of a self-guided tour. We were fortunate enough to have an employee there who was willing to answer our questions and provide insight. (Of course, I was going to have questions.)

We learned that this mill could still be a functioning mill if it needed to be. All machines and components inside still work. Aaron was interested in the mechanics and machinery of the mill – some dating back to 1904. We looked, we asked questions, and our guide answered them. It is an amazing piece of business/ agricultural history.

After spending a little while inside (it’s not big), we made our way outside and wandered out there for a bit. I can’t say it enough- It’s a beautiful view.

 

 

I was now ready to check out the one hiking trail offered here. The trailhead can be found back along that fence line I mentioned earlier. It is listed as 1.5 miles and starts on what appears to be the creek bank (Huzzah).  

I had my AllTrails App up (I did download the map ahead of time because of spotty service.) We were following the orange blazes which were headed towards the river. I could tell from the map that there would be a water crossing. Where the trail appeared to go and start up again on the other side, the water was moving pretty swiftly and a little deep for a crossing. We walked down the shore a bit looking for a better place to cross and no where did it appear less than ankle deep.

If it had been Katie and I, we would have waded right in but I knew Aaron wasn’t keen on wet boots even though both of ours are waterproof. I also didn’t have my trekking poles that can help with your balance when crossing. I was hesitant and kept looking. I asked Aaron what he was going to do if I went across. He said, “if you go, I will.”  Only problem with this is that he didn’t think I was serious.

While we were debating on what to do, another couple was following the orange blazes to where the trail should cross and I could see they were checking their phone as well.

All in the name of Lagom and really feeling the “need” to hike, I waded in and made my way across. From studying the crossing, I thought it was going to be about mid calf deep, but it ended up being more knee high. Remember how I said Aaron didn’t think I was serious? Well when I looked back, I got the “you-have-to-be-kidding-me look.”  The other couple was looking at me like I was nuts.

 

Aaron really wasn’t interested in the more than ankle deep crossing, so he told me to go ahead ahead and hike it alone and he would just wait on me. My dad drives my mom to Kohl’s and will nap on the parking lot while she shops. Aaron will drive me to the trails and sit while I hike. Aren’t they great?!

I joined up with the orange blazes and again which led me up a few steps to start my climb up the ridge between the where the river turns. It led me to a different view of the mill from the other side of the river.

From here I began climbing a bit more – nothing horrible but still a bit of climb. Next there is a loop that brings you back to this point and back by the mill. Seeing that the right side was going to follow the river along the ridge a bit, I decide to go left because I like to save the nicer views for last.

The trail itself was leaf covered and the actual path not visible at all. Staring towards the left the orange blazes were very visible but that eventually changes when you come back down and see a No Horsebacking riding sign. You can see the sign, a couple of steps, and a service road, so it was a logical assumption that this was the trail, but then I stopped seeing the orange blazes and saw property boundary signs for the Mark Twain Forest. I only went about 20 yards before I realized this wasn’t correct so I went back to the No Horse sign and could see the orange blazes showing that I should have made a hard right. I was also checking myself with the AllTrails map.

I had been hiking about 15 minutes at this point and could see that I had some cell service so I text Aaron to let him know I was doing OK. He was able to respond back.  There are also several benches along the trail if you need a break.

I began climbing a bit again and was keeping my eyes on the path looking for snakes that wanted to come out and warm themselves on this fine Spring Day. I am very thankful to say that I did not see any. Although I did jump twice at lizards that rustled some leaves thinking they were initially snakes. I was also keeping an eye out for some elusive morel mushroom. I saw a few fungi but no morels.

Once I began turning back towards the mill, the orange blazes began to get a little harder to see. A couple times I had to stop and make a concentrated effort to pick them up. Coming back to the ridge along the river bank brought some picturesque views of the greening farmland through some short-leaf pines. It was worth stopping and taking a moment.

At this point, I was back to where the loop began and was heading back down towards the mill. I text Aaron to let him know where I was and that I would be crossing the water again soon.

I had warmed up enough while hiking to take off a layer which left me with a pink tank top on. Because he knew where I was and the trees were bare, Aaron was able to follow me coming back down. I made my creek crossing again and made my way back to meet up with Aaron who was waiting patiently under a shaded tree on a bench. The suggested time was 1 ½ hours but I did it a little under one and that included stopping for pictures and checking out some mushrooms and lizards along the way, so it wasn’t a long wait for Aaron.

I didn’t find the hike difficult other than having to get wet to cross. There is a bit of climb, so if you are just used to a leisurely stroll it may be a bit much. I would recommend having the map up and available, so that if you are questioning what direction to take you can refer back to it. I did have cell service the entire after I crossed the water.

As we were heading back to the car, I asked Aaron if that other couple thought I was nuts for crossing and he said yes. He also said the state workers were a bit skeptical too because during the summer they usually have to help someone get off the trail at least once a week. I asked Aaron if he had any qualms about me hiking it alone. He did not. I appreciate that kind of support and faith. It wasn’t a long hike but I hadn’t hiked it before, so that always leaves a little bit of uncertainty. No matter the length or difficulty of the trail it’s important to trust your gut and be smart in your decisions.

Our time at Dillard Mill State Historic Site was over and it had been a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon. I highly recommend it to all the hikers and non-hikers out there. You won’t be disappointed!

As always we finished our day with a meal. We took a different route home and headed towards Steelville roughly 20 -30 minutes from the mill.   We wanted to try one of Rich’s Famous Burgers. The weather continued to cooperate, so we decided to sit outside and enjoy it.

Because we like to share, we opted for a Western Burger and a Hot Mess Chicken Sandwich with fries and coleslaw. I was intrigued by the Hot Mess because it had a hot strawberry jam on it. And since I make my own hot jams, I wanted to try it out. Aaron was very impressed by the sandwich and surprised at how well he liked it. In the past, we would have shared a slice of the Texas Sheet cake which appeared to be HUGE and tasty from what the neighboring table was saying. But this time Weight Watchers won out and we didn’t have dessert.

Just as I would recommend visiting the mill, I would suggest stopping by Rich’s afterwards. It was a “just right” adventure for one of our first sunny spring Saturdays.