In 1996, business and civic leaders created St. Louis 2004, a nonprofit to bring a renaissance to the 12-county bi-state region. More than 10,000 people were polled, 1,200 people participated in visioning sessions, and action teams established major goals, including one for Parks and Open Space, working with existing agencies and nonprofits. Community D riven Since Day 1
The Voters Have Spoken
The Clean Water, Safe Parks and Community Trails Initiative proposition called for 1/10th of one cent sales tax to generate more than $20 million each year in Missouri to improve local parks (50% of revenue) and develop the regional network of greenways (50% of revenue). On November 7, 2000, Proposition C passed in St. Louis City, St. Louis and St. Charles counties in Missouri and in Madison and St. Clair counties in Illinois.
Great Rivers Greenway is governed by a Board of Directors, appointed by the heads of the three counties we serve. Board members provide strategic and fiduciary oversight, approving plans, budgets and contracts at public monthly meetings.
Did you know that this vision takes major regional collaboration? We build the greenways, and our partners (towns, campuses, etc.) take care of the operations and maintenance, which is incredibly complex to
Proof of Concept: Early Projects
Healthy Habitats Alo Greenways
•
•
Buildi More Miles For You
Strate c Pl s Every 5 Years
c Pl s Every 5 Years
The first strategic plan in 2004/2005 focused on three outcomes a network of greenways could bring — economic development (strengthening economy, being a catalyst for growth), social capital (health, interactions, bonds) and environmental stewardship (preserves and enhances habitat).
Stakeholders identified ways to improve the vibrancy and competitiveness of the St. Louis region. The possible routes were often named for the watersheds in our region.
Next? (Flip Poster)
Strate c Pl s Every 5 Years
The next strategic plan update in 2015/2016 focused on improving internal operations. Great Rivers Greenway had many successful projects (113 miles of greenways) as well as many lessons learned. Much of this time in the agency’s history was spent developing and documenting best practices and operationalizing plans to achieve the goals set forth by the community.
Import t Jobs
Part of our job of stewarding
The conceptual idea for the Chouteau Greenway to connect Forest Park and the Gateway Arch came from McCormack Baron Salazar in the late 1990s/early 2000s, before GRG. In late 2017, many partners came together to resurrect the idea through a privately-funded international design competition.
Over 2,062 people contributed ideas and community and stakeholder
Spencer
CEOs David Fisher served from 2002-2010, Susan Trautman from 2010-2025 and Mark Perkins began in August 2025. Lifelong public servants, these visionary leaders have stewarded an ever-growing sta and hundreds of partners toward this bold, community-driven vision.
Sunset Greenway L ooks to Head Sou th
in Florissant 6.6 miles south to St. Vincent Greenway at the North Hanley MetroLink Station. This is in early planning stages with community!
Deer Creek Greenway Looks to Head Northwest
This project is studying how Deer Creek Greenway at Lorraine Davis Park (shown here) in the City of Webster Groves and Brentwood Park in the City of Brentwood could expand west through Rock Hill to St. Louis County’s Tilles Park in the City of Ladue. The goal is to eventually connect this segment to Ladue’s new shared use path near I-64 and Clayton Road with an ultimate connection to Ladue Horton Watkins High School.
Volunteer
Western Greenway L ooks to Head Nor th
In design now, this project will create a 1.25 mile trail in Dr. Edmund A. Babler Memorial State Park in unincorporated St. Louis County, neighboring the City of Wildwood. The proposed greenway will connect existing trails in the park and make connections to existing parking lots, picnic areas, recreational fields, playgrounds, and camping areas.
Power
Makes the Greenways Grow
Volunteer service is critical to our mission. From Board Members to community committees that advise projects, to our ambassadors working at outreach events or leading greenway tours, to our field days full of community members picking up trash and planting trees, people giving back keeps us moving forward. From all ages and backgrounds, in large corporate groups or small families or individuals, 2024 alone saw 3,000+ volunteers contribute more than 9,000 hours of service, the equivalent of 5 full-time sta members!
These Greenways Are For YOU
There are a million reasons to love the St. Louis region. Get to know 140 of ‘em! Take a trip on some of the 140 miles of greenways (and counting!) and bring a friend, will ya? Let’s celebrate 25 years of turning local places into special spaces for you to explore and enjoy.
Your Choice By 2033
By 2033, voters in St. Louis City and St. Louis County will have the opportunity to vote one more time on Proposition P. If voters approve the renewal, because the CityArchRiver project is now finished, the portion of the funds for that site (now for ongoing maintenance instead of construction) will be smaller and the portion that is for greenways will increase. If renewed, the fraction of a cent of sales tax will remain the same for community members, no new cost.
Strate c Pl s Every 5 Years
Be part of our strategic planning process in 2026! Your input, as always, will be a driving force of the next evolution of our region’s visions for a vibrant region connected by greenways. Subscribe for updates, events, and other opportunities at GreatRiversGreenway.org/subscribe
Brickline Greenway on Track For Impact
Brickline Greenway has two segments built, two under construction, and many more in planning and design, with equitable economic impact along the way, built for St. Louis by St. Louis. Join us to reopen Market St this spring!
The You est F ily Member: Meet Baltic Creek Greenway!
Through the St. Charles County Greenway Plan, community members and stakeholders told us that a new greenway linking the existing Dardenne Greenway at St. Charles Community College with the Katy Trail State Park was a high priority. We have made progress planning the northernmost section of the greenway, nestled between the Dardenne Greenway and Hwys 364/94 in St. Peters and Cottleville.
Determini
Feasibility of a Mer ec Greenway Bridge
Great Rivers Greenway and St. Louis County Parks have been working together to reimagine Unger Park, including the greenway and other park features. The community’s desires pointed to a new bridge across the river. The team is currently studying the feasibility of whether a bridge can be constructed to create a vital connection for greenway visitors across the Meramec River between Greentree Park and Unger Parks to unite those two segments of greenway.
A Critical Connection on Centennial Greenway
An important future backbone of the Centennial Greenway that connects from Forest Park to Creve Coeur Park, the Katy Trail and beyond, this project would connect many St. Louis County neighborhoods west of I-270 to Creve Coeur Park and the countless destinations and activities there.
GRG is working with the City of St. Peters to upgrade and connect their existing Spencer Creek trail
GRG Foundation: Buildi Lo -Lasti Support
The Great Rivers Greenway Foundation has grown into a thriving nonprofit to support the public agency and the people’s vision for the region. Thanks to generous gifts from our donors and volunteer support from Board Members and Campaign Committees, major public-private partnership projects like Brickline Greenway are possible. Donations help bring new features to greenways like
25 Milestones To Look Forward To
We take our job of managing your vision and investment very seriously - on average, 95 cents on every dollar is returned to the community in the form of greenway projects and programs. Since 2000, the average St. Louisan has invested just less than 50¢/month (less than $6/year) toward the network of greenways and parks to make the region even more vibrant, connected, resilient, and competitive.
Taki Care of the Greenways Takes a Vi age
Our partnerships to take care of the greenways vary, just like our partners do. We have developed Level of Care Guidelines to lay out exactly what is expected after the greenway is built, and we have a Lifecycle Cost-Analysis to help estimate the budgets for that work.
Connec ti Us to Our Re on d Each O ther
There are many opportunities to spark curiosity, conversation, learning and connection along the greenways! While we aren’t history experts and we cannot tell every story in every community, we hope we pique people’s interest so they can pursue their own education, curiosity, conversations and experiences to make meaning and connections in these amazing places. With community input and research, we identify key themes and share them through signs, stories online, public art, events, and tours.
Last Piece of the St. Vincent Puzzle
This last section of greenway will close the gap between the northern and southern sections of the existing St. Vincent Greenway! When complete, it will extend 7 miles from the North Hanley MetroLink Station through University of Missouri-St. Louis campus, St. Vincent Park, Pagedale’s town center, Wellston’s Trojan Park, through Ruth Porter Mall Park, along DeBaliviere, all the way to Forest Park at the Missouri History Museum! Construction on this final segment starts in 2025 with many partners and federal funding support. Stay tuned to watch the exciting progress!
Dardenne Greenway will be
Deer Creek Greenway &
Hodi ont Greenway is Comi to the Tracks
Blu-Grand Center neighborhoods in the City of St. Louis. Gwen Giles Park (shown here) is the western trailhead getting improvements this fall.
To ensure that any given greenway visitor has an excellent experience no matter where they are, we support our partners with our own sta vendors and volunteers. We take some responsibilities on directly, and we o er workshops and trainings to our partners to support their e orts.
Fu Ste Ahead on Centennial Greenway
Working with the City of Olivette, after six years of negotiations with the railroad, we are successfully moving forward with the Centennial Greenway extension o of Olive Road on an unused-for-60 years old railroad line! This can now finally be designed so you can connect to Warson Park and beyond.
Connecti to 39North AgTech Innovation District
Collaborating with Creve Coeur and the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership, the Centennial Greenway will
Dardenne Greenway Heads Nor th
Stewardi Your Investment
