The Challenge:

Make the choice.
During National Bike Month, we encourage you walk, bike and utilize Metro transit more often in St. Louis. Maybe you bike to work one day a week, or just give up the car for your daily errands - no matter how car-free you decide to be, you'll feel healthier, happier and better for improving local air quality during the month of May.

Without many people realizing it was happening, the entire St. Louis region has become more walkable and bikeable in recent years.

Great Rivers Greenway has developed 114 miles of a planned 600 mile network of off-street bike and pedestrian trails from St. Charles County to downtown St. Louis. Additionally, 84-miles of Bike St. Louis on-street bike paths are complete, and municipalities around the region are working to create similar on-street facilities through the Gateway Bike Plan. Both systems are developed to work in tandem with Metro Transit, with various points of connection so that by utilizing on-street and off-street facilities and Metro buses and trains, you can get where you need to go, and never use a car. 

Share your story.

Proposed extension to connect Centennial Greenway from Katy Trail to Laurel Park, Wapelhorst and Spencer Creek

By: Danni Eickenhorst, Communications Manager

On Thursday May 2, Great Rivers Greenway, will host an open house at the Heritage Museum from 4 to 7 pm to discuss Phase II of the Centennial Greenway, which would extend through areas of the cities of St. Charles, St. Peters and St. Charles County. The event will be held in partnership with the Francis Howell School District, Missouri Department of Transportation, St. Charles City, St. Charles County and the City of St. Peters.

Submitted by: Danni Eickenhorst, Great Rivers Greenway

Thousands of residents and employees in the neighboring communities of Clayton, Ladue, Olivette and University City will soon have a safe and accessible path to shopping, work, nature and outdoor recreation thanks to a new two-mile trail in the Great Rivers Greenway trail system. 

Thanks to your steadfast support of our work, we will continue to connect communities, to preserve nature, to promote good health and to improve the quality of life in the St. Louis region, and we will continue to be responsible stewards of the funds you entrusted us with, both now and in 2000.

We wanted to take a moment to say thanks to those who went above and beyond in their support of the measure, including:

• All of the Civic Progress companies for their leadership, funding and support of the campaign and the district - Ward Klein, President and Tom Irwin, Executive Director;
• The Regional Business Council, for leadership, funding and support of the campaign and the District - Kathleen Osborn, Executive Director;
• Peter Sortino, for championing our region in this effort, and for chairing the campaign, and to the campaign co-chairs Joe Buck, Frankie Freeman, Dr. Henry Givens, Jr., Steve Harris, Erin Moloney, Kerri Morgan, Dr. Peter Raven and Ozzie Smith;
• The City of St. Louis and Mayor Francis Slay;
• St. Louis County and County Executive Charlie Dooley;
• Walter Metcalfe and our partners at the CityArchRiver 2015 Foundation;
• The more than 40 local organizations which endorsed 
• Proposition P;
• Our friends in local parks departments across the region, and
• Past and present Great Rivers Greenway board members, for their strong stewardship and accountability.

The power of our greenways is in the connections they make, and the communities they improve. In the 12 years the District has been in existence, we've been fortunate enough to do some very transformative work in St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County. We've boiled down some of the impact of the district into a simple infographic we wanted to share. 

Written by: Jennifer Rich & Shannon Scott, Great Rivers Greenway

Everyday at Great Rivers Greenway, we strive to build a stronger St. Louis region and work to connect people to one another and to nature with our greenways, parks and trails. The value that these connections can add to everyday life is already apparent for those connected with the Crown Center for Senior Living community in University City, who live, dine, exercise, learn, and meet with friends along one of our newest trails.

By: Shannon Scott

With the ultimate goal of making the region a better place to live, we continue towards our vision of a clean, green and connected St. Louis community that people of all abilities can enjoy. Our visual conception of one, united region is the River Ring, an interconnected system of trails and greenways, on-street bicycle routes and parks that will encircle the St. Louis region.

When complete, the River Ring will encompass a 600-mile web of more than 45 greenways, linking three counties, joining two states, covering an area of 1,216 square miles...

By: Danni Eickenhorst

Great Rivers Greenway is a proud grant sponsor of the Audubon Center at Riverlands' Audubon Eagle Watch Weekends, which kicked off last weekend in the Confluence Greenway and will run through mid-February.Each Sunday, the public is invited to this event free of charge to to learn about eagles, view them up close, enjoy the center's exhibits and go on a guided walk to an "on-the-water eagle blind," where they will see eagles resting in the treetops of Ellis Bay, just across the water from the from the eagle blind. 

As an organization created by the people to carry ouf the mission of making the St. Louis region a better place to live, we feel it is incredibly important that we share and celebrate our 2012 successes with all of you. 

Below are some highlights from our work in 2012, accomplished in no small part thanks to the support and feedback of the citizens of the District.

A heartfelt thanks from our staff to all of you. We look forward to serving you in 2013.

• In 2012, we invested more than $187,675.00 in community programs to promote clean water, good health, transportation options and safe trails, including regional ranger programs, Operation Clean Stream, Trailnet’s Bike to Work Day, Livewell Ferguson’s resident rides and more.

By: Shannon Scott

As we pursue our mission of making the St. Louis region a better place to live, our city is gaining worldwide recognition through projects like the Trestle. Yesterday, Next City, a non-profit dedicated to connecting cities and informing those who work to improve them, featured the St. Louis Trestle project on its 2012 Disruption Index.