Wildwood Community Park features a campground-themed playground and a paved trail through wooded hills.

Our Time at Wildwood Community Park

I came here with my son because the park has a fun playground, and he likes to ride his dirt bike while I walk.

Playground Fun

The playground allows kids to explore wood climbing structures and scale along rope ladders along with tube slides.

My son walked along the obstacle course, starting with long logs, progressing to shorter ones at the bottom, and ending with stacked logs that he could climb.

Next, he found the ropes course. It starts with ropes between two poles, followed by rope ladders that connect to a treehouse. In between, a ladder goes up and down and leads to another treehouse. My son enjoyed figuring out how to navigate across it.

Then we both went up the rope spider web that came to a point on top.

The back of the playground has a tower with two tube slides. Ramps from all directions allow children of different abilities to reach the top. Two teepee-like structures hold up two smaller slides.

A swing set has regular, baby, and adaptive swings.

Throughout the playground are musical instruments that kids can play.

My son loved the rope merry-go-round, which you can climb and move around on. I tried it and ended up feeling dizzy.

We played a brief game of hide and seek, and at one point, I couldn’t find him until he surprised me by saying, “Boo!”

He was way back in the triangle tree house in the middle of the park, which was a good place to hide.

There is also a roller slide, spinning ball, and a saucer swing. It had recently rained, so the roller slide was wet. The tube slides were wet at the bottom, but I had a towel to dry them.

The playground has partial tree coverage, providing shade during summer.

There is a large wooden picnic pavilion with heated restrooms on the east side of the playground.

Final Thoughts on the Playground

This might not be the best playground for a toddler, but for an elementary school kid, he loved it.  Obstacle courses, rope ladders, and a long tube slide made it a fun day at the playground for him!

Start of the Walk At Wildwood Community Park

We headed away from the playground and across the park road to the start of the paved trail. 

The trail forms a loop, and we turn right away from the creek crossing.

This part of the trail ascends, providing a good workout. You cross back over the park road at the summit and continue through the woods.

It is also a storybook trail with book pages displayed along the path. When we visited, the featured book was The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson. As we walked, I read each page to my son.

 Back Area

After going a bit further up the hill, we headed back down to the rear of the park.

We crossed a wide wooden bridge and passed the first of two high-roofed wooden picnic shelters.

The trail loops around behind them before returning to the road.

Going Back

Now, we encountered another steep section as we reached another entrance to the park. After crossing two park roads, we descended again to the bridge that spans the creek, marking the trail’s end.

Final Thoughts

Due to its hilly terrain, this nearly one-mile paved trail features a 126-foot elevation gain. It provides a good workout with its hills but is easy to follow because it’s paved. The trail meanders through woods and alongside fields as it loops around the park.

DETAILS

Drive: Take Interstate 64 to Missouri Highway 340 and go south. Then make a right onto Missouri Highway 100 and look for the park entrance road on the right after the intersection with Missouri Highway 109.

Hours: 6 a.m. – 8 p.m. Daily

Address: 1755 Pond Grover Loop Road, Wildwood, MO 64038

Lunch: Big Chief Roadhouse

My son had macaroni and cheese and fries here, while I had their unique fried lasagna and salad. The Big Chief was once a restaurant and motel complex along the original Route 66.

Hours: 11 a.m. – 8 p.m.; Tuesday-Thursday; 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., Friday-Saturday; 11 a.m.- 8 p.m., Sunday; Closed Monday

Address: 17352 Manchester Road, Glencoe, MO 63038

MORE WEST COUNTY PARK FUN

Exploring a Former Quarry at Dee Koestering Park

Hiking around the huge stones at the former Meramec Highland Quarry is the adventure at Dee Koestering Park in Kirkwood, Mo.

My son Andrew enjoyed walking up and around the huge rock cuts and then exploring the brook that flowed through the area at this park.

Dad Hikes: Spending the Day At Castlewood State Park

Cliffside walks along the Meramec River and wading in Kiefer Creek were part of our day at Castlewood State Park.

Dad Hikes: Lone Elk Park

Lone Elk Park in West County St. Louis is the only place where you are guaranteed to see elk or bison in a gated park. Here you can hike the four-mile earthen and rock White Bison Trail in the elk section or you can see the wildlife by driving through the park on a mostly one-lane road.