25 Years, 140 Miles, 250 Partners Across 3 Counties: Great Rivers Greenway Marks Regional Milestone

Posted on Tuesday July 22, 2025

The public agency celebrates the November 7 anniversary throughout the rest of 2025 with new projects, community celebrations, and plans to connect even more of the St. Louis region

Great Rivers Greenway, (GRG) the public agency behind the St. Louis region’s extensive greenway trail network, is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2025. Created by a public vote on November 7, 2000, GRG has spent the past quarter-century bringing the community’s vision to life by connecting people to nature, to one another, and to places that matter, one mile at a time. 

Great Rivers Greenway is one of the only greenway projects in the United States that spans three counties and 120 municipalities, demonstrating a rare and sustained level of regional cooperation. GRG’s inception began with the passage of Proposition C in November 2000, which came from the community engagement surrounding the St. Louis 2004 civic effort, to both create a dedicated funding stream and establish the agency’s mandate.

That vote sparked a movement to build accessible, vibrant outdoor spaces that improve daily life in St. Louis City, St. Louis County, St. Charles County, and also created a similar agency and trail network in Madison and St. Clair counties in Illinois. Since 2000, the average St. Louisan has invested just less than 50 cents/month (less than $6/year) toward the network of greenways and parks to make the region even more vibrant, connected, resilient, and competitive.

Thanks to the 25 years of turning community input into collective impact, the greenway system today features 140 miles of paved pathways, bringing neighborhoods together and giving more people safe places to walk, bike, run, and roll whether they’re exercising, commuting or making memories. Highlights:

  • 22 continuous miles of River des Peres Greenway to Gravois Greenway (Grant’s Trail), plus popular greenways Fee Fee Greenway into Creve Coeur Park and Dardenne Greenway in St. Charles County.
  • In 2013, voters reaffirmed their support by passing Proposition P, extending funding for the greenways and supporting the CityArchRiver Project.
  • The Great Rivers Greenway Foundation, created in 2016, lets philanthropic support deepen impact. 
  • Greenway visits increased by 50% in 2020 and remain high, with over three million trips counted in 2024, showing how deeply these spaces have become part of daily life.

25th Anniversary Plans
GRG has planned anniversary celebrations big and small throughout the summer and fall, including partnerships with other area organizations, greenway selfie stations, family-friendly activities, and in-person exhibits that celebrate the people and partnerships behind greenways. Highlights include: 

Community Dinner – The Great Gather Round
Great Rivers Greenway will take over the street surrounding the Missouri History Museum in Forest Park (at the St. Vincent Greenway) from 4:30-7pm on Monday, September 15th to make room for a 1,500-foot community dinner table and chairs. The Great Gather Round will feature local DJs, free mini cupcakes from SweetArt for everyone, and local food trucks. Guests can also bring their own feast. More info at www.GreatRiversGreenway.org/gather.

Bingo Cards 
Greenways fans can pick up special 25th anniversary bingo cards at GRG’s office, events, programs, or online at www.GreatRiversGreenway.org/bingo. Players will hunt for special sights along the greenways to mark off their cards, turning them in for special limited-edition greenway stickers (each bingo), tote bags (full card) and a few grand prize packs.

Greenway Challenge
A brand new, online interactive game coming in September will challenge St. Louisans to work at Great Rivers Greenway – can you bring a greenway project to life on time, on budget, with as much impact as possible for your community? Players pick their setting (urban, suburban or rural), find partners, and get to work. Make critical decisions at each stage of the process, from community engagement to planning/design to construction, then ongoing operations and maintenance.

Collaborative Art Initiative with Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis 
The Regional Arts Commission of St. Louis (RAC), the leading catalyst for arts and culture in St. Louis, is also marking an anniversary this year, their 40th. To celebrate, GRG and RAC’s Community Arts Training Cohort program have developed two events celebrating and supporting the arts in St. Louis. Community members can mark their calendars for an arts and wellness festival along the St. Vincent Greenway in St. Vincent Park on September 13 and an arts and community resources festival along the Mississippi Greenway on September 27. 

Civic Panel with FOCUS St. Louis
Stay tuned for more details on this joint program in early November, where a panel of both national and local experts will discuss “The Civic Power of Greenways: 25 Years of Trust, Trails, & Transformation”.

“When we look back on 25 years, what stands out is how people came together around a shared vision and stuck with it,” said Dr. Bernard J. DuBray, current Board President, serving since 2009. “These greenways are not just trails. They are places where neighbors meet, kids learn to explore, and communities reconnect. What started as an idea has truly become a way of life, and we’re proud of what we’ve built together.” 

Great Rivers Greenway Impact
Great Rivers Greenway plays a much bigger role than recreation alone. The agency has helped lead regional efforts such as the $380 million CityArchRiver Project, which reconnected Gateway Arch National Park to the riverfront, and the creation of Trojan Park in Wellston, Missouri on the St. Vincent Greenway, which earned the 2020 Urban Open Space Award for its impact and design.

Greenways also support property values, attract development, improve air and water quality, and bring more green space to areas that need it most. Great Rivers Greenway actively restores habitats, implements effective stormwater management, and creates places where people can gather and feel deeply connected to their community, such as the new destination park at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge.

Looking Ahead
Great Rivers Greenway continues to build the next chapter. Mark Perkins begins August 4th as the third CEO of the organization, following Susan Trautman’s long-planned retirement. Next year will begin the every-five-year process to update the strategic plan with public engagement.

Seven projects in the next few years will feature bridges to further connect communities. Brickline Greenway, the 10-mile project in the City of St. Louis connecting four anchor parks and 14 neighborhoods, is underway, with the fundraising campaign at 62% to goal, and is on track to finish in 2030. Designed to support inclusive economic development, it reflects the agency’s growing role in shaping a more connected and resilient region and is a key component in Greater St. Louis, Inc.’s 2030 Jobs Plan. With a long-term plan to build 600 miles of greenways, Great Rivers Greenway remains committed to making the St. Louis region a healthier, more vibrant place to live for generations to come. 

“This anniversary is a reminder of how much we can accomplish when we work together across our region and listen to our community,” said Mark Perkins, incoming CEO at Great Rivers Greenway. “The greenways we’ve built are only the beginning. We’re excited for what the next 25 years will bring.” 

To learn more about the anniversary events, explore greenways near you, or get involved, visit www.GreatRiversGreenway.org/2025  or follow @GreatRiversSTL on social media.