By Rhonda Proske

Want to walk for exercise and distance? I love the flat, paved paths best. I recently walked the Great Rivers Greenway called the Sunset Greenway that starts at Sunset Park in North County, meanders through St. Ferdinand Park and ends at the beautiful St. Ferdinand Shrine.

The Great Rivers Greenway’s (https://greatriversgreenway.org/) goals are to create more places to explore and enjoy, enable a healthier lifestyle, and connect communities. The total trail lengths are given along with information about whether there is parking, picnicking, a playground, bathrooms, fishing, and much more.

Looking for more scenic views? I loved hiking one of the Lewis and Clark trails. (https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/missouri/lewis-and-clark-trail-and-lewis-trail-loop) The trails pass limestone cliffs and bluffs over the Missouri River. There are short spurs you can take off the main trail. This was a more strenuous hilly hike that is a dirt-packed 8.2-mile trail.

Lake view interest? A sunrise walk at Creve Coeur Park (https://www.visitmarylandheights.org/creve-coeur-lake-park/)was perfect for an awesome peaceful, paved and flat walk beside the lake. The swish of the early-morning rowers also was rhythmic and entrancing. There are so many different paths to take around there to make any length of walk. The Lakeview Loop Trail is 3.8 miles.

Interested in a little history? Another Greenway is Gravois Greenway: Grant’s Trail. (https://greatriversgreenway.org/greenway/gravois-greenway/) I had another great flat walk stopping by the Sappington House and gazing at Grant’s Farm and investigating the Ulysses S. Grant visitor’s center and home. I turned around at Gravois. The trail is just over 10 miles but I did just 6 by turning around.

A few more ideas:
Got just 30 minutes to get some exercise and fresh air? St. Louis County Parks has a program designating 30 trails in St. Louis County that take about 30 minutes to complete. If you visit all 30 you can bring your punch card in for a prize. Get more information at www.stlouisco.com/parks.

Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (https://www.railstotrails.org/) is an American nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. that works with communities to transform unused rail corridors into trails within the United States of America. Over 40 of these trails are in the St. Louis area.

AllTrails is an app I found that allows you to save the trails you want to explore and/or the ones you want to visit again. You can create lists to organize trails to fit upcoming trips or find local trails.

This is just a small sampling of what is available right here! I haven’t even touched on all the awesome biking trails in our area . . . .