I’ve walked the trail down to the Missouri River from Sunset Park many times. It’s a beautiful, but fairly short walk. I hadn’t realized it was connected to a longer greenway trail through the Old Town Florissant area.
The greenway begins just outside Saint Ferdinand Park, with a pretty bridge over Coldwater Creek.
After a short neighborhood stretch, it crosses to the other side of Patterson Road. The crosswalk initially seems somewhat scary, but it’s not really too complicated. It’s well designed, with clear pedestrian signals for both crossings.
Four lane Patterson Road is loud and busy, and the trail is nicely distant from all the activity.
The trail then turns to follow Humes Road after a short distance. It’s a far quieter residential area, lined by houses and two schools.
So far, this section seems far better for biking than walking. The periodic electrical towers would worry me if I were walking with small children, but it would be a nice wide family bike route.
Crossing into Sunset Park, the traffic and city sounds drop away.
The treetops are nearly bare now, although the underbrush is still surprisingly green.
The shaded path feels pleasantly cool. My jacket has been long since cinched around my waist in the unseasonably warm December sunshine.
The trail switchbacks down to the river at a faily easy grade with beautiful views.
An overlook bench and emergency phone provide a rest stop and rescue point, if it turns out to be too much.
There’s a brief extension along the river banks as the trail levels out,
and a beautiful mini park to enjoy, before journeying back up the hill.
It’s almost silent on this end of the trail. A distant industrial hum only barely detracts from the peace of the woods and the river until I reach the top of the hill.
I don’t know that I would do the whole trail as a walk again. The Old Town section is definitely more suited to biking, but Sunset Park is one of my favorite rambles any time of the year.
Rambling ... 