Forest Park in St. Louis Named Best City Park in USA
April 22, 2022 (ST. LOUIS) -- Forest Park has been named the #1 city park in the United States in a national poll released today.
The latest honor for the City of St. Louis’ signature park comes from the USA TODAY 10Best Readers' Choice Awards, which polled readers for four weeks in March and April 2022. Twenty nominees for the Best City Park category were selected by a panel of experts that includes editors from USA TODAY; editors from 10Best.com; and expert contributors.
Dedicated in 1876, Forest Park encompasses 1,300 acres that offer something for everyone. More than 13 million annual visitors enjoy the Park’s cultural institutions and events, 30 miles of trails and paths, a dual path system for leisurely walks and intense exercise, athletic fields and courts, golf courses, family playgrounds, picturesque vistas and nearly 194 acres of conservation area known as the Nature Reserve, which includes woods, prairie, savannah, wetlands and a 2.5 nautical mile river system.
At one time a park in decline, over the past 35 years Forest Park has been restored through a partnership between the private nonprofit conservancy Forest Park Forever, the City of St. Louis and the City’s Department of Parks, Recreation and Forestry. Together, these partners restored and now maintain Forest Park as both a civic treasure and one of America’s great urban public parks for a diverse community of visitors. Annual fundraising efforts and support from Forest Park Forever members help repair and sustain the Parks’s most-visited and iconic spaces.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Forest Park’s importance to the region only increased as visitors turned to its 1,300 acres for healthy outdoor recreation and relaxation.
“It is so gratifying to see the community love Forest Park as much as we do,” said Greg Hayes, Director of Parks, Recreation and Forestry for the City of St. Louis, and Lesley S. Hoffarth, P.E., President and Executive Director of Forest Park Forever. “Forest Park’s renewal and rebirth has been a great success story – to the point that many visitors today are in awe and assume that it has always been this iconic. But the continued support of donors, volunteers, staff, partner organizations and visitors is what makes it possible to maintain this wonderful place. We share our region’s pride in the Park as a St. Louis treasure and a national destination.”
Forest Park Forever, founded in 1986, has led major fundraising efforts to restore many landmark destinations in Forest Park, including the Emerson Grand Basin, the Boathouse and the Jewel Box. In 2017, Forest Park Forever completed a major fundraising campaign securing $139 million for Park restoration projects and an expanded endowment.
Today, Forest Park Forever maintains Forest Park with the City of St. Louis; raises funds for and helps manage capital restoration projects called for in the Forest Park Master Plan; delivers experiential educational opportunities to teachers, students and adults; and provides information and guides for the Park’s 13 million annual visitors.
Not part of the region’s Zoo-Museum Tax District, Forest Park Forever is supported by private donations from throughout the community, including its 7,000 members, 1,300 volunteers and many leading community and corporate partners.
Facts About Forest Park
1,300 acres
More than 13 million annual visitors
45,000 trees
30 miles of paths and trails, including the nearly 6-mile paved Dual Recreational Path for walking, running, cycling and skating
Three family playgrounds, including the fully accessible Variety Wonderland Playground, the Oakland Avenue Playground and the 17-acre experiential Anne O’C. Albrecht Nature Playscape
Navigation assistance: on-site kiosks and the mobile-friendly, GPS-enabled Forestparkmap.org
Home to five major cultural institutions, each of which offers free admission: the Missouri History Museum, The Muny outdoor theatre, the Saint Louis Art Museum, the Saint Louis Science Center and the Saint Louis Zoo.