Volunteers are needed to help Great Rivers Greenway staff and the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Outdoor Leadership Corps to remove invasive bush honeysuckle on Saturday, October 19th from 9AM to 11AM!
Note: This event is limited to ages 13 and older.
Volunteers will remove invasive bush honeysuckle along the St. Vincent Greenway in St. Vincent Park, by cutting the plant with handsaws or loppers, dragging, and piling debris. No experience is necessary for this activity, but it does involve physical labor and walking in the woods over varying terrain.
No experience necessary; Great Rivers Greenway staff and the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Outdoor Leadership Corps will teach volunteers how to properly identify, remove, and treat bush honeysuckle.
What to wear: Please dress for the weather. Long pants and closed toed shoes are required. Eye protection and gloves will be provided.
What to bring: All tools will be provided, but please feel free to bring your own loppers or hand pruners if you have them. Please bring a water bottle to help us reduce plastic waste. Light snacks and water will be provided.
Meet Linda, a Greenway Ambassador and one of our Outreach Specialists: “After being mostly a stay-at-home mom for 25 years, I was seeking new opportunities to learn and explore. While perusing my parents’ Oasis catalog, I noticed that they had a Hiking group. The first one I attended was on the Riverwoods Park/Earth City Levee Greenway. I had never even heard of the greenways before, but that encounter was enough to get me hooked. I didn’t attend another Oasis hike for a year after that, but once I went back, I was hooked on those, too! I became a Greenway Ambassador, and did a lot of studying on my own to learn everything I could about the Greenways and be involved in the greenway events and activities as possible. In conjunction with this, I got involved with a lot of Great Rivers Greenway’s partners, my own neighborhood’s Bird Sanctuary and Tree City activities, Beyond Housing/24:1, etc. Now I’m an Outreach Specialist, and loving it, especially sharing the Watershed Education Table. I still love hanging out with my family, and they like coming along to many of the outreach activities I’m working at, or attending just for fun! In our spare time, I play tour guide and plan fun “staycation days” for my family. These ALWAYS include an activity sponsored by Great Rivers Greenway or one of their many partners!”
(Linda center, daughter Sarah right, sister Carol on the left) Home Greenway: St. Vincent
Meet Mariah, Aubrey, Jaziah, Zosar
Posted on Monday July 29, 2024
“I discovered the St. Vincent Greenway while walking one day and fell in love with it! I love peaceful areas surrounded by beautiful plants and flowers and designs and we love spending time on the greenway. It has been a great place for daily running or for taking walks to gain a piece of mind. It has also become one of our favorite places for enjoying family time and outdoor reading.”
~Mariah Patton, with Aubrey Sturdivant and children Jaziah and Zosar along the Ruth Porter Mall section of the St. Vincent Greenway
Meet Mona
Posted on Thursday July 25, 2024
Mona Vespa is the President of GO! St. Louis. GO! is a local non-profit organization that encourages individuals and families in the #STL region to adopt a healthy and active lifestyle year round. They accomplish this through community collaborations, school-based programming and the creation of new and fun fitness events:
“Running is my sport, my hobby and my profession! Personally, I can’t imagine a better way to explore your own city than on foot, and the greenways are the perfect way to do that! Every time I run a greenway, I am reminded that our city is incredibly diverse in landscape and character, but is also comprised of neighborhoods and communities who are all working towards a similar goal: to make their part of our city a vibrant and welcoming home. And as a part of my job, what a joy it is to share that with the runners and walkers of our area. I’ve used greenways for several GO! St. Louis race routes, and our Summer Passport program’s entire focus is to introduce more runners to the incredible gem of these paths throughout our city. GO! St. Louis is thankful for GRG’s work and dedication to outdoor recreation in our region!”
Home Greenway: All of them!
Meet Lionel
Posted on Thursday July 25, 2024
Meet Lionel Phillips, CEO & President of Phillips Concrete Services. His company has helped build several greenway projects. Right now, they have the unique distinction of building a greenway right outside their own front door! We caught up with Lionel as his crews were pouring concrete on the St. Vincent Greenway extension in Wellston.
Meet April
Posted on Thursday July 25, 2024
April Walker recently joined Great Rivers Greenway as an Outreach Specialist. These valued team members help out at events and programs across the region- answering questions, sharing project updates and handing out maps and greenway “swag.” April shares why she wanted to get involved with Great Rivers Greenway:
“I was ecstatic to be selected as an Outreach Specialist. I am excited to work with the community to encourage life outside on the greenways! I take my grandchildren to the Storybook Walk at Ruth Porter Mall Park and I live in walking distance of Trojan Park. We also visit Forest Park regularly by way of the St Vincent Greenway. The museums, water features and the Muny are our favorite places to go. We enjoy picnicking in the parks on the greenway too. I look forward to seeing the development of the greenway on the Hodiamont Tracks, which is also really close to home for me. Hope to see you outside on a greenway!”
Home Greenway: St. Vincent
Meet Doris J. Shaw
Posted on Wednesday July 24, 2024
April Walker and her mother Doris J. Shaw are a dynamic greenway duo! April is one of our part-time outreach specialists who helps at events and programs across the region- answering questions, sharing project updates and handing out maps and greenway “swag.” After tagging along to several greenway events with April, Doris wanted to get involved too! She is now a trained volunteer Greenway Ambassador–representing Great Rivers Greenway at community events and assisting with other programs.
“I am so happy I was selected as a Greenway Ambassador! I enjoy working outdoors with my daughter and telling people about all the greenways. My favorite is St. Vincent Greenway at Ruth Porter Mall Park because it is close to my neighborhood, and I love walking along and reading the latest storybook.”
[Photo: Doris J. Shaw, Greenway Ambassador at right in green shirt; April Walker, Outreach Specialist,at left in red.]
New Park Coming to Wellston as Part of the National Recreation and Park Association’s Parks Build Community Initiative With Great Rivers Greenway Trojan Park, named to honor former high school, will lie along the St. Vincent Greenway
Partners Chris Krehmeyer of Beyond Housing, Gina Cohen of NRPA, Susan Trautman of Great Rivers Greenway and Mayor Nathaniel Griffin of Wellston gather at the now-vacant site for the future Trojan Park.
Great Rivers Greenway is partnering with the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) and the City of Wellston, Mo., to transform a vacant lot at the corner of Skinker and Etzel into a vibrant community park. The project is part of NRPA’s Parks Build Community initiative, which aims to demonstrate the transformative value of parks and recreation on communities across the country. Plans are underway for the new Trojan Park, named after the former Wellston high school team name, and the park will open on Oct. 8, 2016, during NRPA’s Annual Conference. With contributions from national vendors and local companies alike, this partnership aims to create a safe place for families to gather and play.
The site chosen for next year’s Parks Build Community project is located along the St. Vincent Greenway, a seven-mile urban paved greenway that will connect regional hub Forest Park to multiple transit stops and the University of Missouri-St. Louis. The ultimate goal is to create a dynamic gathering space that transforms the local community and is embraced and treasured by residents for years to come. NRPA will work with its national partners and suppliers to provide equipment donations for the site, based on input from Wellston residents ranging from a multi-sport court (including full-court basketball), playgrounds for all ages, a pavilion for family reunions or movie nights, and a splashpad for summer fun. Donors are even contributing lighting, benches, trash cans and bike racks.
“The city of Wellston is thrilled for the opportunity to establish a new park,” said Mayor Nathaniel Griffin. “We want to do everything we can to give kids a great place to play and our whole community a space to come together.”
The city of Wellston and Great Rivers Greenway are coordinating with the local community to bring this park to life. Nonprofit partner Beyond Housing is donating their services to engage residents, ensuring this park directly reflects community priorities. Forum Studio, David Mason and Associates, Kozeny-Wagner, Inc., Lochmueller Group, EFK Moen, LLC and Geotechnology, Inc. have all contributed in-kind gifts to supplement the design, engineering, pre-construction and construction management services, signal modification, surveying and subsurface exploration, respectfully. SWT Design is donating a maintenance plan and St. Louis County Parks is contributing operations and maintenance once the park is built, in partnership with Wellston. Great Rivers Greenway is coordinating the project and funding site preparation.
“We are so grateful to the local and national vendors who have stepped up to bring a very deserving community the transformative benefits that a local park can provide,” said Susan Trautman, Executive Director of Great Rivers Greenway.
An epic battle between siblings breaks out about which playground is the best fit for Trojan Park.
Trojan Park represents the sixth Parks Build Community project aligned with the NRPA Annual Conference. The St. Vincent Greenway is part of the regional network of greenways that Great Rivers Greenway is creating to connect people to their rivers, parks and communities.
The entire region is invited to celebrate at the opening on October 8, 2016!
Walk or Ride Through Time on the St. Vincent Greenway!
Posted on Wednesday July 17, 2024
There are two segments of the St. Vincent Greenway. The northern portion runs 3.5 miles along the rolling hills of the UMSL campus through the lush and shady landscape of St. Vincent County Park.
On the south end, the greenway runs 1.9 miles from Trojan Park at Etzel and Skinker, through Ruth Porter Mall Park to Forest Park at Lindell.
Both segments offer a wide range of scenery—from historic neighborhoods, to parks, to an active university campus. Here are some historical tidbits and points of interest to think about as you explore and enjoy this greenway:
University of Missouri- St. Louis Campus
Did you know a portion of the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus was the Bellerive Country Club golf course? As you walk or ride over the rolling hills on the greenway that crosses the campus, you can easily imagine how it was once home to PGA tournaments and national amateur golf championships. Since 1960, the University has grown from a single building on the former country club to more than 50 buildings on 300 acres.
Natural Bridge Road
The northern section of the St. Vincent Greenway crosses Natural Bridge Road south of the UMSL Campus. Did you know that this roadway was once a route that wagon trains took west to the Oregon and Santa Fe Trails?
Ruth C. Porter Mall
The St. Vincent Greenway passes through Ruth C. Porter Mall Park between Delmar and Etzel. The park is named for Ruth C. Porter a tireless activist dedicated to eradicating inequality and discrimination in St. Louis.
A large portion of her work was focused on education. She introduced innovative leadership, tutoring programs and a new kindergarten at the Kinloch YMCA. Porter also co-founded the Kinder Cottage–a preschool whose concepts of early education pre-dated Head Start. She also established Community Resources an organization that worked to integrate the city’s schools–a goal she felt went unrealized nearly a decade after the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision.
As a founding member of the Greater St. Louis Committee for Freedom of Residence, Porter became its first executive director, championing the fight for open housing in a city where redlining and restrictive covenants kept many African American families segregated.
At great personal sacrifice, she dedicated her life to improving the world in which she lived and building bridges between people of every race and class. She left an indelible mark on St. Louis and her home, the West End neighborhood.
St. Vincent Hospital
St. Vincent County park is named for the former St. Vincent’s Hospital first opened on the site in August 1895. Built for the then-enormous cost of $500,000, it was the finest institutional building of its time. The interior included custom woodwork and stained glass windows and the 140 acres of surrounding landscape provided patients with therapy and recreation opportunities. Food for the patients was even grown on the hospital’s property. In 1977 the land surrounding the hospital was turned into a county park, and in 1980 St. Vincent County Park was opened to the public.
While it has since been converted to apartments, the castle-like building’s dramatic turrets, towers, and spires remain. When it first opened, the building was located between the Huntley and Eden Stations on the Wabash Railroad (now the MetroLink line). A railroad stop just for the hospital was added at the foot of a long series of steps that led up the hill to the main entrance. As you travel along the greenway, you can still see these steps once used by hospital staff, visitors, and the Daughters of Charity.
Hodiamont Street Car
The St. Vincent Greenway crosses over what was once the site of the West End Narrow Gauge Railroad–a passenger steam locomotive launched in 1875. This railroad enabled the exodus of affluent families from downtown to St. Louis to what was once considered the suburbs. The tracks eventually became the Hodiamont street car line. You can see where it once ran as you cross the site of the former tracks in the Hodiamont alley between Vernon and Cabanne Avenues.
When the St. Vincent Greenway is complete; it will extend 7 miles from NorthPark and the University of Missouri-St. Louis campus all the way to Forest Park.
The route to connect both sections of the greenway was identified after an extensive citizen engagement effort in 2014. Great Rivers Greenway staff and the design team are continuing to work together on design, funding strategies and phasing.
3.14 Mile Walks & Rides on Greenways
Posted on Wednesday July 17, 2024
Get out on a greenway to celebrate 3.14 Day or any day! We’ve plotted out seven 3.14 mile routes on greenways across St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County. Follow one of our suggested routes, or make up your own- you’ve got 135+miles of greenway to choose from!
St. Vincent Greenway: St. Vincent Park to Rock Road Transit Center
Start your walk by the tennis courts and playground in St. Vincent County Park. Follow the greenway south through the park; the Daughters of Charity Cemetery will be on your left. Continue walking or riding on the greenway through the woods (Check out the progress on our woodland restoration!) You will pass by Castle Park Apartments (the former St. Vincent Hospital.) Continue south on the greenway, parallel to St. Vincent Park Road where you will connect with the new section opened in 2023. Follow the greenway out to St. Charles Rock Road towards the Rock Road Transit Center. Turn around at the Rock Road Transit Center and head back to where you started! (Plan your trip here. You can find a printable adventure map with more information about St. Vincent County Park here.)
Centennial Greenway: St. Charles County Heritage Museum to Schaefer Park
Start your walk at the St. Charles County Heritage Museum. Follow the greenway to where it spurs north to cross over highways 364 and 94. Follow the greenway to N. Outer Road. Use the crosswalk to cross over to the new stretch of this greenway that opened in 2023 and follow the signs to Schaefer Park. Take a stroll around Schaefer Park and then turn around and head back to the Heritage Museum! Plan your trip here.
Busch Greenway: Duckett Creek Trailhead to KATY Trail
Begin your walk at the Duckett Creek Trailhead in Missouri Research Park. Follow the greenway towards the KATY Trail. When you reach the KATY Trail go left; follow the KATY Trail until you reach the path that connects to the walking and biking path on the Boone Bridge. Turn around and head back to Duckett Creek Trailhead. Plan your trip here.
Centennial Greenway: Shaw Park to Old Bonhomme
Start your walk at the Shaw Park Trailhead. Follow the greenway until you reach Old Bonhomme Road. Turn around and head back to the Shaw Park Trailhead. Plan your trip here.
St. Vincent Greenway: Missouri History Museum to Etzel
Begin your walk at the Missouri History Museum at Forest Park- walk around the museum and then cross over Lindell at the traffic light on the east side of the museum. Follow the greenway all the way to Etzel Ave. Turn around and head back to the History Museum. Plan your trip here.
Mississippi Greenway at Cliff Cave Park
Begin your walk at the Trailhead in the upper section of the park on Cliff Cave Road. Follow the greenway down the hill to the overlook and check out the amazing view! Walk back up the hill from overlook and take a left to follow the paved greenway to the lower section of the park. After you cross the bridge over cliff Cave Road, take a left. You will continue downhill, passing by the mouth of the cave! Continue on the greenway down the hill towards the River. Cross the railroad tracks and go left to follow the loop trail. Once you make the loop take a left and walk towards the large pavilion by the river. Enjoy the river view and then reverse your route and go back up to where you started! Plan your trip here.
Sunset Greenway at Sunset Park
Start your walk or ride in Sunset Park. Follow the paved greenway down the hill, all the way down to the river, where the paved trail ends. Enjoy the view of the Missouri River! Head back up to the parking lot and follow the paved path along Sunset Park Drive until you reach Hazelwood Northwest Middle School. Turn around and head back to the parking lot in Sunset Park for a 3.14 mile walk! Plan your trip here.
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