Forest Park Perimeter Route Review

The most popular running location in the greater St. Louis metropolitan area has to be Forest Park. This large green space in St. Louis in the place to be, hosting large numbers of runners nearly all the time. Also, it seems that every running group hosts either races or training events there. There are many different trails and roads spread throughout this two square mile haven. Jason is the resident Team Flash expert on these trails since he runs on them almost exclusively, but the rest of Team Flash joins him at times, particularly for the longer weekend runs. One of the most popular routes is the trail that roughly follows the park perimeter; that’s the one that Team Flash wears out on those long runs.  Picture quality is due to the throwaway camera provided by Disney

We typically meet at the History Museum and then make the fateful decision – clockwise or counterclockwise. I think clockwise is easier, but the last time Jason and I ran the trail, we went anti, so that’s the direction I’m taking you. The trail starts flat and straight paralleling Lindell Boulevard. This stretch was ‘The Pike’ when the World’s Fair was held in Forest Park in 1904. All the food and amusement booths were along this stretch. The clockwise runners frequently use this stretch for speed work because it is straight, flat, near the end of their run, and a great place to impress the babes. So you’ll see people just flying along here. I always justify their speed by saying very quietly to myself, “They haven’t run 14 miles today so that’s why they are so fast.”

At the Lindell/Skinker intersection, the path takes a sharp turn to the south and follows Skinker Boulevard. This is my favorite street name in St. Louis for obvious reasons. The trail continues nice and flat, but that is deceiving. In short order you come to the hill. This is a nice incline, about 1/3 mile long and 3.5% grade. At the bottom of the hill, you can take the Jason detour which heads you around the Art Museum. This adds about 1.5 miles to the route and forces you to climb the hill twice. We’ll be taking advantage of this extension frequently in April.

After cresting the hill, you are treated to a shot of Americana – the largest Amoco sign in the world. I estimate this baby is 30 feet high from bottom of ellipse to top of ellipse, but it might be taller then that. Of course now it is over a BP station, but there you go. The trail then heads back east. This is the rolling hill portion of the trail and the section that goes thru some forested areas. This is very nice in the summer – providing a nice break from the sun. After running by the St. Louis Zoo (one of the last big zoos to offer free admission) you go thru the newly installed tunnel under Hampton Avenue (sorely needed – this was about the only spot where cars threatened pedestrians regularly. Then you pass Aviation Fields, a set of sports fields and approach a fairly nondescript building hosting the St. Louis Police Mounted Unit Division. This building may hold horses now, but it was originally built as a hanger for an airfield. Trivia Fact: The first US president to fly in an airplane, Teddy Roosevelt, took off and landed from this very spot! Now the distinctive roof line of the St. Louis Planetarium comes into view. This entire section of the route is up and down rollers, so the pain sometimes cancels out the nicety of the scenery.

Time to head back north. There is a statue of a Tyrannosaurus Rex taking on a Triceratops just past the planetarium. Then the path goes past the public fishing ponds and the Steinberg Ice Rink. Even in the winter, I see people fishing there, but I never see anyone actually landing a fish. Maybe the act of fishing is the fun, not actually hauling in lunch (not that I’d eat a fish out of a pond in the middle of an urban area). In the winter when the ice rink is in operation, you get the sweet melodies of calliope music. Then the trail curves back to the west. This part of the trail is back on the flat again, going past a statue and cannon, the Park Visitor’s Center, and then back to the History Museum. 5.7 miles done!

The trail is separated in most places featuring both a wheels path and a foot path. The footpath is mostly tightly packed crushed gravel, but is paved in some places. During winter thawing, everyone heads to the wheels path to stay dry and the Lancers find a different place to ride. There is a ton of traffic going both directions on the trail so personal safety (at least in the day) is not an issue. You will often see training groups out running – everyone from local high school and college runners (I was chicked by an entire college cross country team last fall, but they probably hadn’t just finished running 12 miles) to the TNT folks and the Fleet Feet training teams. The visitor’s center provides all weather bathrooms and water fountains, but scattered around the trail are water fountains and bathrooms available when the weather warms. No need to carry water if you don’t want to. Also, when St. Louis starts heating up, a local fitness shop will show up and hand out Gatorade or its equivalent.

This trail has almost everything you would want in a normal (non adventure) type path. There is a bit of construction at the moment around the zoo which is forcing the wheels and feet people together, but it is for a good cause – separate paths all the way around. Nice varied terrain that helps you keep from getting bored and lot’s of options for route extensions. Team Flash rating – four and ½ feet on the five feet scale. No question, the best path to run on in the St. Louis metro area.