Indian Camp Creek Park – “The Ole Swimming Hole”

Once upon a summertime, there was a place where kids could play in the water-far from the clutches of the schoolyear, and teachers and future jobs and bosses and marriage and mortgage, and everything else Civilization was planning for them.

The place is still there today. It's called Indian Camp Creek Park-at the confluence of Big Creek-a tree-shaded treasure tucked away in northwest St. Charles County.

As you approach along the trail, you hear the running water, birdsong, the drone of cicadas, the splashing and cries of delight from children playing in the water.

Courtney Freman and Amy Beth Dormire brought their kids as part of a group in June to play in the wide, shady stream near the park's entrance.

"It's like a natural playground. They have more fun here than the actual playground," says Courtney, while the children dig in the sand and chase fish with little nets. "We found a crawdad today, so that was our big thing today. They're making a little pool for it in the sand, like a little home for it."

Amy Beth watches as two of the kids start throwing a foam ball, and comments that she's reminded of her own childhood playing outdoors.

"We were always in the creek or just outside a lot, building forts and just enjoying it," she says. Her kids were just as enthusiastic to play in the cool water on a hot summer day, and Amy Beth says it's the kind of fun parents want to encourage. "It's getting the kids outside, away from TV and games."

A little way upstream, other groups of parents are relaxing on folding chairs with their feet in the water, while their own kids play and explore the private little world created by the woods lining both banks.

On the other side of the park, three young children with their mom and grandma have found a private spot on Big Creek to deploy a wide fishing net. Swarms of minnows dart away as they slosh through the water, but some of the little fish will end up in the net and then on a hook as bait for a bigger catch.

"We like to come down here where there's less people," says mom Nicole Pelletier. Her little daughter scoops wet sand into mounds while her two boys wrangle the net. They live nearby, so they often come to the park to hike the trails and play in the water.

"We've found the little 'secret' places where they're not as crowded, where you can still hop in the creek and play and have some more of your own space," Nicole shares. She inherited her enjoyment of the outdoors from her own mom, Leisa Pruitt, who joined the day's outing. And Leisa grew up in nature, too-it's her father's old fishing net that the boys are using to scoop up minnows.

"When I was little, I grew up camping and going to the creeks and things. It's a lot of fun," Leisa says. She often brought her own kids to the park when they were young, and she's happy to come out with the grandkids to have the same kind of fun.

"The main thing is just getting outdoors," she says. "This is one of the nicest parks around."

Indian Camp Creek Park is located at 2679 Dietrich Road, Foristell 63348. The park is open from 7 a.m. until 30 minutes after sunset, so families can enjoy a whole day at the park. Please just clean up after yourself to keep the creeks nice, and remember that glass bottles/containers aren't allowed.

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