Summary:

The Riverfront Trail is an eleven-mile asphalt multi-use trail that runs along the Mississippi River between Laclede’s Landing area north to the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge. The trail provides an opportunity for users to experience historic and industrial sections of St. Louis as well as natural river scenery. Major attractions along the trail include, the Laclede Power Center, “Reflections on a River” floodwall art mural, Native Plant Nursery, Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing Underground Railroad Site (the first nationally designated Underground Railroad Site in the state of Missouri), North Riverfront Park and the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge. The AmeriCorps Trail Rangers patrol the trail and assist with projects at the Native Plant Nursery and Meachum Site. In 2007, Riverfront Trail enhancements including re-paving, new signage, parking, rest areas and drinking fountains were completed by the Great Rivers Greenway District and the City of St. Louis.

View more information and maps of the St. Louis Riverfront Trail

Initial planning for the Riverfront Trail was begun in 1987, and the trail was opened in 1999. An Enhancements Plan was completed in June 2001, which outlined the development needs for the Riverfront Trail. The final trail segment connecting North Riverfront Park to the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge was opened in 2005.

Trailnet worked with City of St. Louis to plan and initiate trail construction and is currently assisting with planning and fund development for trail enhancements.

* Grace Hill Settlement House
* Great Rivers Greenway District
* Metropolitan Sewer District
* Missouri Department of Conservation
* Missouri Department of Economic Development
* Missouri Department of Natural Resources
* National Park Service
* City of St. Louis
* U. S. Environmental Protection Agency

* ADM
* AT&T
* Gateway Foundation
* Great Rivers Greenway District
* Kerr Foundation
* Mallinckrodt, Inc.
* McKnight Foundation
* National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
* City of St. Louis
* Whitaker Foundation

The Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing will be developed as a tourism venue, reflecting extensive community participation in its design. The Trail will receive widespread native plant landscaping over time, supported by a plant nursery established at the Meachum rest stop. Connectors will be constructed from the Trail into historic North St. Louis neighborhoods to its west via a trestle and into Illinois on renovated McKinley Bridge. These connectors will facilitate economic revitalization and permit exploration of some of the area’s oldest residential communities.

Frequent Riverfront Trail Riders
If you have been wondering about the foldable bollards on the Trail and when they will be going up to keep illegal vehicular traffic out, please note that bollards will be folded upright beginning Wednesday, May 14, 2008. AmeriCorps Trail Rangers have taken on the task to keep them vertical. If you notice irregularities, and Rangers do expect problems, drop a comment or note at the Mary Meachum Visitor Center. Safe cycling!

Iron Horse Trestle is a Unique Development for North St. Louis
The Great Rivers Greenway District is developing the Iron Horse Trestle into an elevated bikeway. The renovated trestle will be only the third of its kind in the world and the only development accommodating bicycles. The bikeway offers fabulous vistas of the Mississippi River and downtown skyline, creative features involving elevated landscaping, art, event venues, and environmentally sustainable amenities. It is a vital pedestrian/biking transportation link between Missouri and Illinois. The former railroad trestle extends two miles from Cass Street on the south, over Highway 70, to Branch Street on the north.

The completed Iron Horse Trestle bikeway will compliment the experiences of visitors and bicyclists on the recently improved 12-mile Riverfront Trail and soon to-be-completed Branch Street Trestle bikeway. The Branch Street Trestle leads from Branch Street onto the recently rebuilt McKinley Bridge, which will have a dedicated pedestrian/bikeway lane cantilevered over the Mississippi to open November, 2007.

Artist's rendering below shows ideas presented at a Great Rivers Greenway District Public Meeting on October 25, 2007 including separate bike and walking paths, using the trestle to generate its own power for lighting, green roofs on adjacent buildings, and restoring native vegetation on ground level portions.

View the KETC Living St. Louis segment on renovation of Mckinley Bridge

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