This was the last of three trails that we hiked today. Parking spots were so limited but we were…read moreglad that we went around 2pm and were able to find a parking spots for our group. We hiked the western loop today. This trail was only 1 mile total. It has quite some interesting rock formations. There were more falling leaves on this trail than the other two trails we hiked today. The sleep downwardness of this trail was of a great challenge.

This is a great little hike if you want something not too large. It's great as they have two…read moredifferent entrances from either side of the road. The one we chose the waterfall has two different trails. I would say we spent about an hour exploring, but it was also very wet so we took our time. We had children with us and they very much enjoyed it and thought it was a lot of fun exploring There's a lot of beauty and the waterfalls are great, but only Really have the waterfalls when there has been a lot of rain Highly recommend checking it out. It's only about an hour from the St. Louis area.

This hike is a long time favorite. I remember coming here as a kid having so much fun climbing on…read morethe rocks, it used to take us all day. Now we still go; but just on the full hike so it takes much less time Good for a beginner not too steep or challenging, a modest hike I'd say. You can do this in tennis shoes. It's also a loop, so hard to get lost which is also a plus!

One of my favorite hikes in the area. A little over 2 miles long loop. There are no bathrooms on…read moresite so be sure to use before. The landscape and rock features make it feel like you're a long way from Missouri. Not too crowded and far enough away from the highway to where you can be immersed in the woods. Pets on a leash are welcomed. Leisurely hike with some beautiful scenery.

I was looking up things to do in the Carbondale area and this place caught my eye. I don't have any…read morekids nor am I one but I had to visit the park and I got to hear the story about how this park was built and how it came to be. This park is very well kept! I've never been to an active park that is so well maintained and the fact that it has no graffiti on it! This park is so Interactive and I thought it was convenient that it had porta potties next to it as well. Even the ice cream man came by to visit. Plenty of great Interactive things that check out that are one-of-a-kind like climbing got a dragon and even the playground is big enough for grown-ups to walk around without actually it's time to climb on stuff. This place was like walking into a Renaissance fair , I highly recommend checking this place out!

Really good park we really like the castle I love this park specially Corbin, and Paisleyread more

I always have a great time coming here. Plenty of parking. Sometimes it can be busier but it's…read morenever been an issue. Benches and scenic overlooks galore. You will be going uphill a decent bit but nothing crazy and the top spot is beautiful and worth it.

One of the coolest nature experiences in the St. Louis area (Metro/Illinois side) lies in Valmeyer…read more The trail is about a mile long but plan to walk at least two miles. Starting at the parking lot, I highly recommend the Salt Lick Trail, which ascends to a hill (lots of steepness!). As you walk further on the trail, you get rewarding views. Near the end of it, you'll get a great view in which, on a clear day, you can see the St. Louis skyline. There are two other trails that link to the Salt Lick Trail. One of them starts at some church in Valmeyer.

Who doesn't love Forest Park?! The Muny, the zoo, the art museum, the special events and so…read moremuch more! And so much of it is free! It's a beautiful and huge park. We went specifically to see the Flags of Valor. This was the first time we had seen them. We ended up going on the last day and there were a lot of people there. We finally found a place to park and walked back to the flags It was extremely moving and impressive. It was explained to me that the flags are there every five years. It's not always the same display - different groups from September 11 are featured so there are a different number of flags. There are dog tags and photos on the flag poles. There are notes people have written. This year there were 7,650 flags. They're all in perfect lines. The flags this year honored every life lost in the War on Terror - the victims, the first responders of 9/11, and those that who have since succumbed to related illnesses or PTSD. I'm so glad I heard about it and that we were able to go.

We are here frequently to visit either the St. Louis Zoo, Muny, or the STL Art Museum and it's a…read morebeautiful space! It is so comparative to Central Park in Manhattan in terms of grandeur and liveliness. I don't know if you could walk Forest Park in a day and feel like you saw everything because it winds around and there are smaller trailers that pop in and out of nowhere. Surprisingly, I do not think the city takes care of the park, but an established group called Forest Park Forever, whose history starts back in the 60s, or 80s? They are a group of volunteers who tend to the park - every part of it, in every season, and really beautify it! There is security on patrol often enough so it's not too isolating and scary. There are parking lots closer to the main attractions. There is also street parking here, which adds to it being active but a park you can drive through, bike, and walk.

It is a very nice playground and it is also nice for kids that are on the spectrum since it is…read morepartially fenced in. My grandkids loved it!

What a fun park for kids! I love that the play structure is different. The area for littler kids…read morewas perfect for my toddler. Lots of shaded picnic tables. The bathrooms were clean. My kids had a fantastic time and we will be back!

A nice park for a walk. Have some nice information about the history of the park and area. Along…read morewith Menard home, get a great idea of the importance of that settlement. Includes cemetery and fantastic lookout of the river.

This is a picturesque historic park. We visited on a Friday in October when it was cool, rainy, and…read moreblustery so not anyone else there. The pavilion has a great view. On one side is a playground while the other side has 2 pit toilet buildings labeled "any gender." There was also a grill. The area down the road has the remnants of mounds where the fort ramparts were located. There's a sign which explains the history. In between the two sites there's an old cemetery. Near the entrance there's a sign for the Menard home located down the road not too far. Don't forget to visit it- the architecture is interesting even if the house is closed.

Nice park in close proximity to the city of Farmington. We parked in the Giessing Lake area for a…read morefew hours waiting on the start of a family wedding. It has a lot of nice places to walk and sit by the lake. The facility is clean and well maintained. https://farmington-mo.gov/recreation/farmington-parks/engler-park/

i visited Engler park for the first time since i have lived here for almost 7 years i wanted to…read morecelebrate my sons 15th birthday. we were all having a good time we were almost done all we had left to do was cut the cake when a gentleman approached us and said that he reserved the pavilion from 1-3 that day i was obviously very embarrassed as i have lived all over the country and never in my life have i ever had to pay to use a public park and there facilities, but the gentleman was very understanding and told us that everything would be fine. about ten minutes later we were approached by a farmington cop, the woman there actually called the cops and we were asked to leave i was completely outraged that this woman has no compassion or consideration she seen we were almost done we told her husband we were almost done and she still thinking she was better than our family. i will not return to Engler park and i will tell everyone i know about the people that frequent this place. i always thought that paying your city taxes gave you back something. all i have to say about that woman or to that woman is Carma always pays you back 10 fold good or bad. and to Engler park you really need to change your policies and if there is a reservation at some particular place the least thing you can do is post it in plenty of advance notice instead of 10 minutes prior that is slightly inconsiderate and embarrassing to anyone just wanting to have a simple picnic lunch minding there own business. what is the world coming to.

A wee bit sketchy but I'm terrified of heights. It's beautiful once up…read more 123 steps up! Would be beautiful at sunrise and sunset.

Even though me and my wife were disappointed that we didn't have time to check out the Welcome…read moreCenter since it was closed down Memorial Day we were able to check out a few of the trails at Giant City state park. I enjoyed the mixed variety of Trail Lengths mainly just because I'm not much of a hiker myself. The state park is actually a solid place to check out if you're in the area or are coming to the area since there's many things to check out especially on this side of the Shawnee National Forest compared to the east side. There's plenty of parking spaces and amenities at most of these trailheads. The area is still a well-kept secret in my opinion that I don't feel like a lot of tourists still come and check out. Overall, the state park is actually worth checking out and thankfully the parking is free or you don't need a parking pass of any source

This was a short 1 mile path fully shaded. ( A real plus) However, the path is made of large…read moregravel. This surface is not easy to manage for wheel chairs, strollers or wagons. It would also not be easy for anyone not surefooted, especially going down the paths or in fall when leaves have fallen.

Great walking/hiking trail. All gravel, but VERY well maintained. Bags for dog droppings at…read moreentrance, and looked like people were picking up after their dogs...yay!!! Almost all parts of trail are shady, so perfect for a summer day. We look forward to coming back in the fall and winter too.