Sylvan Springs Park Walk

Walk across stone bridges while a spring flows through rocks below is a unique jaunt in South County St. Louis at Sylvan Springs Park.

This is a 1.24-mile hike with paved and unpaved sections and 95 feet of elevation gain.

History of the Park

Until 1939 this portion of the Barracks was largely unused then the 6th Infantry put in stone retaining walls and terraces.

Two years later enlisted men from the Barracks cleared under a bush and built an amphitheater, a dance floor, and baseball and football fields.

The USO hosted many shows here featuring Judy Garland, Sally Rand, and Jeanette MacDonald. Sadly, the USO bandshell was removed in the 1970s. Conveyed to the county in 1954, it has become a park.

*Going downhill to the Ordinance Shelter.*

HIKE

Heading to the Ordinance Shelter

I parked in a large lot near the corner of Boundary Road and Sheridan Road. A cement walkway led down from the parking area.

If you look through the trees to the south, you can see stone gravesites all lined up in rows located in the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.

At the bottom of the hill is the huge Ordinance Shelter. It has a courtyard, stone walls and a huge overhanging shelter ceiling, and lots of picnic tables.

A number of people were enjoying lunch or talking with friends under its roof.

*Sign in front of the Sylvan Beverage Gardens*

Rock Gardens

I walked to the right of the shelter and came to the Sylvan Beverage Gardens.

Here I found stone bridges along rock-cut walkways.

Out of a rock cropping flows the clear spring. Small water plants and ivy grow from above in the water. A small rock-sided pond ends in a short waterfall before it forms into a clear stream. (Main blog photo has a closeup of the rock outcropping and pond.)

Water then flows under the bridges and through the terraced garden area.

Then the spring disappears underneath a stone bridge.

The backdrop to the area is a stone wall made with many different-sized rocks and topped with a carved rock with a tree holding a sign saying 1939 and below it carved Sylvan Springs with trees in the background.

Back of the Park

After spending time walking around the gardens, I headed north across a road to a skate park with its rounded cement surface.

I wanted to explore more of the park, I could have walked along roads that border the park, but instead, I walked through the mowed parkland.

Next, I came to a small brook and crossed it on wet pebbles.

Then I came to a playground with a red swing set and a slide.

I went east and up a hill going above the brook and then by tennis courts and found an information sign on the park along with a map.

Then I walked down a hill to the Ordinance Shelter and took the cement path back to the parking lot.

Final Thoughts

Even though this park did not have a trail system I enjoyed exploring the rock garden in the spring.

I had not expected spring to still be flowing this close to the city. It was a tranquil experience near the urban core.

The area had a fascinating past imagining soldiers relaxing, dancing, and listening to USO bands before they go off to war. Amazing space they left as a legacy for us to enjoy.

DETAILS

Drive: Take Interstate 255 to Exit 2 for Telegraph Road and go north then make a right onto Sheridan Road and a left onto Boundary Road to the parking area.

Hours: 7 a.m. – a half hour after sunset.

Address: 300 Halsey St., St. Louis, MO 63125